The Tourism Cluster of Puerto Plata and the MIF – IDB complete project “Tourism Management based on Cultural Resources”

The Tourism Cluster of Puerto Plata and the MIF – IDB complete project “Tourism Management based on Cultural Resources”
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, 04/23/2014

After five years of implementation, the Tourism Cluster of the Puerto Plata destination completed this Wednesday the project “Tourism Management based on Cultural Resources” ATN/ME-11293-DR, which was funded by the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

This program was developed by the Cluster under the terms of a technical cooperation agreement with the IDB, through its member organization, the Atlantic Foundation. It aimed to contribute to the socio-economic development of the Puerto Plata tourist destination, by creating a world-class diversified complementary selection that would contribute to the repositioning of the destination by maximizing its cultural, natural and historic resources.

During his introduction of the activity, Mr. Máximo Iglesias Miniño, President of the Tourism Cluster, thanked the MIF – IDB for their cooperation, noting that by complying with the initiatives included in the project, an ideal and necessary platform was created to help improve the competitiveness of the Puerto Plata tourism.
In turn, Mariana Wettstein, MIF specialist, said that “the project Tourism Management based on Cultural Resources opened an opportunity to promote a sustainable systemic model”. She highlighted as positive the fact that about 1800 people had been made aware, of which more than a thousand have received training, while 160 businesses benefitted during the life of the program.

In presenting the results of the project, Karina Abbott, Coordinator, said that among the goals that were reached one can highlight the Cluster becoming the single Management Organization of Destinations in the country, and Puerto Plata as the only fully geo-referenced Caribbean destination.

“Other actions that were implemented are the introduction of a seal of quality tourism, and the development, strengthening and enhancement of 17 tourism products, some of which were implemented on the basis of surveys initiated by the USAID and TURISOPP projects, in coordination with government institutions such as the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Environment, and the City Council, among others,” she said.

According to her, “very good efforts were carried out with small and medium entrepreneurs in both the Historical Center and the municipalities, thereby achieving social inclusion and empowerment, which has provided greater opportunities for productivity for these SMEs, motivating them to work, to get involved and to engage directly in the development of tourism in Puerto Plata.”

Jakaira del Cid, Executive Director of the Cluster, pointed out the results achieved by the “Commercial Promotion of the Destination” component. She said that the province has a destination brand to enhance the promotion of its attractions with their own identity. She also referred to the active presence of Puerto Plata at major tourism marketing events, both nationally and internationally, thanks to the support received from the MIF project, which, she said, led to the inclusion of 11 of the 17 products developed in the catalog of domestic and international tour operators.

She also referred to other goals that were reached, such as the installation of a Tourist Information Center in Parque Independencia, with maps of the Historic Center that highlight the points of interest, and the creation of the official website portal www.discoverpuertoplata.com of the tourism destination.

The Executive Director noted that all these achievements contribute to improving the identity, quality and service of the products, resources and the people involved in the tourism industry, thus increasing the competitiveness of the area.

Lorenzo Sancassani, Provincial Director of Tourism, also spoke at the event. He saw the need to integrate all sectors of Puerto Plata as an effective tool for achieving the sustainability of tourism in the province and praised the actions taken by the Cluster and the MIF as important steps toward progress.

Dr. José Natalio Redondo delivered the motivational speech in which he highlighted the commitment and continuity to the project. He said that both the Cluster and its board of directors and staff are highly committed to give continuity to the achievements already made.

Federico de Arteaga, Final Evaluator, moderated a panel of discussion with some of the beneficiaries, while the closing remarks were delivered by Engineer Manuel Finke, Executive Director of the Playa Dorada Hotels Association.

At the end of the event attendees observed a demonstration with the beneficiaries and the products that were supported by the project.