Tourism Ministry Announces More Investment in Puerto Plata

As part of the plan to re-launch Puerto Plata, the Tourism Minister announced the approval of a series of investments to be made in this tourism zone.

Other work announced by García Fernández included the building of two parking lots in Sosúa and Cabarete in an attempt to alleviate the traffic congestion in this area of the country.

In meetings with business people, investors, project promoters, unions and labor organizations of the area, Tourism Minister Francisco Javier García said the investment of the Tourism Ministry (SECTUR) would include construction of the hospital in Sosúa, a RD$10 million injection to be used to improve conditions in the nearby dump, planning and organizing commerce along the beach and paving the roads that service tourism, according to SECTUR ´s Press and Communications Department.

He also announced the launching of an international publicity campaign on Puerto Plata, the building of an amphitheater in Punta Puntilla and the reinstallation of jobs at the underwater park. Journalist Manuel Quiroz was commissioned to be supervisor of this tourism project.

Other work announced by García Fernández included the building of two parking lots in Sosúa and Cabarete in an attempt to alleviate the traffic congestion in this area of the country.

“The decision of the Tourism Ministry to re-launch Puerto Plata is being taken in coordination with the local authorities and social organizations in the province with the idea of improving conditions in this tourism area,¨ said García Fernández.

He added, “We are contributing to the promotion of Puerto Plata with an international publicity campaign in which we will sell this area as a tourism destination as well as individual destinations like Sosúa, considered to have the most beautiful beaches in the country.”

Speaking of Sosúa, García Fernández said he will instruct SECTUR´s Department of Planning and Projects (DPP) to clean up and beautify the beaches of this city.

In terms of the city dump, he said RD$10.0 million pesos, petitioned by local syndicate leader Vladimir Céspedes, will be used to help clean up the area´s dump so that it does not affect tourist or social activities in the area.

García Fernández said that on July 3 of this year, Puerta Plata will join the country´s tourism areas that are officially free of potholes in their roads. Puerto Plata is now part of the National Asphalt Plan recently undertaken by the Tourism Ministry as petitioned by local leaders from Puerto Plata, Sosúa and Cabarete. The will begin to identify roads that need to be repaved.

He also announced financial assistance to be used for the cost of oil needed for the repair of roads used in eco-tourism in Puerto Plata in response to a petition made by the groups that promote eco-tourism in this area.

He said he would be reaching agreements with social, business and government organizations in Sosúa to begin construction of the hospital in this city, adding that tourism in the area should also serve the social development of the inhabitants.

He promised that the Underwater Park of Sosúa will also begin to function once again, for which the Minister has assigned journalist Manuel Quiroz, director of El Carbe and an expert in this area, to head the commission supervising the project.

In a meeting with the Vendors and Artisans Association of Sosúa Beach, he asked for volunteers to form a commission to work with SECTUR technicians in the planning of commerce on the beach which can then be turned into an attractive model for tourism in other places in the country.

During his trip in the area and meetings held in Puerto Plata, García Fernández was accompanied by the deputy tourism minister of the Northern Region Cesar José de los Santos; his personal assistant, José Gabriel Rodríguez; local leader from Puerto Plata, Walter Musa, local business people and tourism project developers from the region.

César José de los Santos, deputy tourism minister of the Northern Region; Francisco Javier García, Minister of Tourism and Adalberto Pichardo, of the Vendors and Artisans Association of Sosúa Beach

Radhamés Guzmán, in charge of Tourism in Sosúa; César José de los Santos, deputy minister of the Northern Region; Francisco Javier García, Minister of Tourism and Vladimir Céspedes, local syndicate leader of the city of Sosúa.