Chamber of Commerce launches project “Puerto Plata Cruise City”

Chamber of Commerce launches project “Puerto Plata Cruise City”
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, 03/25/2014

The Chamber of Commerce and Production of Puerto Plata presented, through a press conference that took place on Wednesday, the Project “Puerto Plata Cruise City” A Commitment of All!

This is a fully collaborative initiative with which the institution seeks to coordinate the participation of different institutions, service providers, security agencies, local governments, and the community at large, with the objective of implementing the necessary actions to motivate the improvement of competitiveness for the reception of cruise tourists in the Puerto Plata destination.

While opening the meeting, Ángel Amaury Plá, President of the institution, reflected on the factors that caused the decline of the golden age of tourism in Puerto Plata, asserting that this project that encompasses a comprehensive preparation with the various local sectors will prevent history from repeating itself.

“We all have many expectations about the construction of the Amber Cove port that the Carnival Corporation in Maimón Bay is undertaking. This work, alongside other aspects aimed to rescue the Puerto Plata tourism, encourages us to prepare to successfully exploit the arrival of cruise ships and avoid once again the same mistakes that we have learned from the hard way and which other destinations have, unfortunately, repeated” he said.

Juan Pablo González, Coordinator of the Business and Investment Unit of the Chamber, said that, as part of the structuring of the project, analysis of the sector dynamics and participatory assessments are currently being implemented with some 35 institutions of the public and private sector, and civil society. These initiatives shall result in work plans and in the implementation of actions in which the institution will be a driving force.

He noted that, as a promotional tool, billboards are being placed at strategic sites throughout the city, with the objective of raising awareness and promoting the commitment and a sense of belonging in the community.

It was also reported that, in the short-term, several working groups by areas will be organized. This will be done with the purpose of identifying and assigning the responsibilities of each sector to allow the success of the project.

Arisleyda Tineo, Manager of the Northern Region of the National Institute of Technical Training (INFOTEP – Instituto Nacional de Formación Técnico Profesional), and Johanny Álvarez, representing MITUR’s provincial office, spoke during the press conference. Both expressed the great interest of their respective entities in participating in this project, with a view to the effective implementation of the proposed objectives.