Fourth Edition of the Discover Puerto Plata MarketPlace Declared a Success

Fourth Edition of the Discover Puerto Plata MarketPlace Declared a Success
Santo Domingo, October 12 2015

The President of the Tourism Cluster of the Puerto Plata Destination, Maximo Iglesias, and the Vice Minister of Tourism for the North Coast, Julio Almonte, declared the fourth version of the Discover Puerto Plata MarketPlace a success, due to the large number of negotiations that were carried out at the trade fair.

Iglesias said that, this year, the quality of the exhibitors and tour operators was higher than in 2014, and thanked the solidarity and participation of the local and international press coverage.

He informed that, as a result of the event, the Canadian airline Sunwing plans to increase the number of its flights to Puerto Plata starting this coming winter.

In turn, Almonte reported that, stating in February, a tour operator from Trinidad will bring three charter flights to the Puerto Plata General Gregorio Luperón Airport, and added that this is “a new market and that he had never before visited this destination.”

“We are talking about 180 to 200 people per flight, who are very special tourists as they like to go outside the hotel, spend and discover,” said the official from the Ministry of Tourism.

He stated that, despite the unexpected, the fair was successful and it was an efficient mechanism for business to reach Puerto Plata.

The Vice Minister of Tourism for the North Coast also informed that a new hotel chain is being established at the Playa Dorada resort and that a number of hotels in Sosua and Cabarete are undergoing renovation.

In turn, Mrs. Jakaira Cid, Executive Director of the Tourism Cluster of Puerto Plata, said that the majority of international tour operators who participated in the event indicated that they were “extremely satisfied” and that they had made significant business arrangements.

Cid explained that, in addition to offering the possibility of doing business with hoteliers, Discover Puerto Plata MarketPlace 2015 offered tour operators the opportunity to discover the attractions and everything else the destination has to offer, by way of the city tours that were organized.

“Many tour operators delayed their departure because they wanted to know the advantages that Puerto Plata has to offer as a tourist destination,” said the Executive Director of the Tourism Cluster of Puerto Plata, who mentioned the case of a Spanish tour operator who came to the North Coast for the first time and, despite the heat, was excited by the large number of business and contacts he had made.

She said that 129 tour operators and agencies, as well as three airlines and approximately 50 local and foreign journalists, participated in the Discover Puerto Plata MarketPlace 2015.