Tourism Cluster and Fomin Present Joint Project to Revitalize Historic Center of Puerto Plata

Tourism Cluster and Fomin Present Joint Project to Revitalize Historic Center of Puerto Plata
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 7/8/2013

During an activity at the Event’s Hall of Puerto Plata’s Bishopric, the Fomin “Tourism Project Based on Cultural Resources” being undertaken with the Puerto Plata Destination Tourism Cluster, showed community representatives their proposal to revitalize the city’s Historic Center and turn it into a dynamic tourism product.

The project will be based on the assessment of various aspects:  Colonial POP (short for Puerto Plata), Historical POP, Cultural POP, Victorian POP, Carnival POP, and Rhythm, Flavor and Colors, with which they seek to raise the tourism experience…

The project will be based on the assessment of various aspects:  Colonial POP (short for Puerto Plata), Historical POP, Cultural POP, Victorian POP, Carnival POP, and Rhythm, Flavor and Colors, with which they seek to raise the tourism experience through its cultural resources and implementation of innovative elements, motivating a sustainable and productive system based on social empowerment and the growth of the country’s small and medium sized businesses (MIPYMES in Spanish).

This information was provided by JettiMaría de JesúsSalcedo, project consultant, who described each one of the components that will be implemented to revitalize the Historic Center.

Colonial POP

Ms. de JesúsSalcedo explained that some of the proposed innovations for Colonial POP include strengthening visits to the San Felipe Fortas well as historic re-creations from the Colonial period thus enabling people to understand this era of colonial history in Puerto Plata, or POP. In addition, a crafts market inspired on this historical period will be set up. These initiatives will be supported by informative panels, guide books and printed information, training for tour guides, leafleting, the introduction of new handcrafts based on the Colony and San Felipe Fort, among other things.

Victorian POP

In terms of Victorian POP, she said that this pillar will highlight the Victorian period as characterized in the city of San Felipe, especially in the city’s historical center, marking the city’s heyday of splendor.It is proposed that the route can be done on foot or horse-drawn carriage with visits to the CamiloCarrau Art Salon, the House of Culture, and the Gregorio Luperón Museum. In addition, there will be coffee and traditional chocolate pastries on offer for tasting at the various restaurants in the Historical Center.

Cultural POP

Cultural POP seeks to establish a crafts market in front of Independence Plaza in conjunction with a rotating cultural agenda to be put on simultaneously in the Plaza and in Regalado Park. This is the basis of the initiative to provide interactive workshops that will be given at the House of Culture, the Social Forum, the Art Salon and other such places.

Historic POP

As for the historical aspect, it was found that current experience offers isolated elements without context and with weak interpretation guidelines, hence the Historical POP process contemplates the production of a walkway along San Felipe Center that will contain an explanation of the historical importance of Puerto Plata in the process of Independence and Restoration in the country.  This product will be supported with explanatory panels based on the four fundamental cornerstones of historic-cultural value toPuerto Plata: Colony and Firsts; Independence and Restoration; theVictorian Period; Current Cultural Identity.

Rhythm, Flavor and Colors

With regard to Rhythm, Flavor and Colors, JettiMaría de JesúsSalcedo affirmed that although this is not strictly a tourist product, it does support and strengthen the value of the experience in the city where tourists can visit commercial places where they can get to know more about the country’s traditional drinks and intrinsic cultural pastimes, like playing Dominoes on the street. This will be motivated by the cultural experience, curiosity about local food and its history based on interactions and features of Dominican folklore including food, music, carnival, the history of rum, cacao, coffee and tobacco.

Maximizing the value of the Historic Center is part of the initiatives the Fominand Tourism Cluster project will be developing in 2013 in Puerto Plata province, in the interest of expanding tourism in this location, with the improvement of its historic, gastronomic and cultural potential.