Ministry of Culture and Tourism Cluster Present Plans for La Isabela Historic Park

Ministry of Culture and Tourism Cluster Present Plans for La Isabela Historic Park
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, 9/15/2013

Together with representatives of the FOMIN-BID project “Tourism Management based on Cultural Resources,” the Puerto Plata Tourism Cluster participated in a meeting with Ministry of Culture authorities to present their proposals for a tourism product requiring collaboration for the development of La Isabela National Historical and Archaeological Park attractions. The park is located in the Luperón municipality of Puerto Plata province.

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In the meeting, which was attended by the Dominican Republic’s Minister of Culture José Antonio Rodríguez and other authorities, FOMIN project coordinator Karina Abbott presented the initiatives and plans that the Tourism Cluster aims to develop for increasing the number of visits to this singular destination. 

She explained that the innovations are focused on specific actions such as strengthening the training of park guides in a joint effort with the Ministry of Tourism, installing interpretative signage in the archeological park and upgrading existing signs in other areas, repairing road signs on the route from Puerto Plata to the park premises, improving the physical space and areas for production, exhibits and the sale of handicrafts, among other initiatives.

Abbott stressed that a joint work agenda should be defined for the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Tourism, the Puerto Plata Tourism Cluster and the private sector in a way that would be consistent for the parties in order to make the best use of the resources available.

She indicated that additional efforts are needed to achieve sustainability through social empowerment, where individuals can recognize the value of the tourism experience while conserving their cultural identity.

She suggested that sustainable actions should be undertaken by different units of the Ministry in order to implement the actions proposed in the short as well as the medium and long term.

Others making presentations at the meeting were the delegate for the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECID), Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Development representative Aracelis de Oleo, the consultant for the inter-institutional agreement, the architect, and management plan author Esteban Prieto.

For his part, Minister Rodríguez thanked the Cluster for its encouragement in drawing attention to this historic site with invaluable cultural richness, saying, “Culture requires the State to be a participant; culture is debate, it is creativity; and from those of us in charge of the Ministry it requires a closeness with the people and sectors that are working and living in the culture.”

He observed that the Ministry of Culture is working to promote job and income producing cultural industries, which could increase in the future if government and civil society work together.

Rodríguez added, “In the hotel centers of Puerto Plata and country-wide, our culture must be kept visible, our music, our visual arts and Dominican crafts, and not the culture of other countries, as has been the case in recent years.”

Others attending the meeting were delegates and representatives of the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources