The construction of a tourist terminal in Puerto Plata by the cruise line Carnival, with investments exceeding US$ 65 million, raises hopes for locals to regain their confidence and attract further investments to this destination.
That is how Enrique de Marchena Kaluche, ex president of both the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) and the National Hotel and Restaurant Association (ASONAHORES), sees it. He highlighted that the country failed to appreciate the true value of the cruise industry in its day or the damage that would follow its withdrawal from the county.
De Marchena Kaluche said that one of the main indicators of Puerto Plata´s decline as a tourist destination is the fall in the number of foreign visitors arriving at Gregorio Luperón International Airport, which reached the record number of 745,000 arrivals in 2000 to then drop off to 400,000 last year, ie. a 46% drop.
The entrepreneur pointed out that “The Puerto Plata Tourism Cluster must play the leading role in everything related to the Carnival project so that the benefits derived from the passengers arriving in the country are expressed in terms of more jobs and that spending per tourist is spread over the whole province and not in terms of more taxes for the government”.
In the same way, he emphasized that the cruise terminal must be open and encourage visitors to rent vehicles, take taxis or buses and visit the rest of the province in order to energize the area´s economy.
Source: Listin Diario Newspaper