In the opening scenes of the latest Vin Diesel action movie, troops in the Dominican Republic chase the hero through a rain forest and down a twisty mountain road. But in real life, the government is doing all it can to welcome the Hollywood star — or anyone else who wants to produce a film in this Caribbean country.

The filming here of some scenes from “xXx: Return of Xander Cage” is a sign of progress in efforts to persuade the film industry to use the Dominican Republic's lush mountains, white-sand beaches and colonial architecture as a backdrop.

“Now, we are on the map,” said Yvette Marichal, director of a government agency created in 2010 to woo film production companies to the country and to regulate their activities here.