Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.- The fall in the tourism begins to affect everyone equally in the north coast province, crisis which worsens with massive layoffs as even new hotels close their doors for lack of guests.

In the 12 hotels that still operate in the Playa Dorada tourism complex, occupancy plummeted from 60 to 30 percent, while flights from Europe also fell.

In the resort’s shopping plaza 15 stores have placed closed signs while five hotels have closed in Playa Dorada.

The most recent to close was Viva Windham, with Alegro, Sol Tropical, Playa Dorada Hotel Club and the Green in El Royal before that, and in nearby Sosúa the Sol de Plata.

Others have temporarily halted operations for remodeling.

The American Rosael Montesinos, who for four years has been in charge of the company Alav Tours, affirms that two years ago guests lined for the tour operator’s services.

The businesswoman revealed that it recently sold 50 tickets in one week, which now take up to four months.

Fingerprinting for the zone’s demise is mutual, while some say it’s taxes, formal merchants and informal vendors blame the hotel representatives themselves, who “sell panic” by warning of alleged levels of insecurity in Puerto Plata’s streets.

Along the entire road to Puerto Plata, Sosúa and Cabarete, many of the eateries have vanished and those still open attract one or two customers per hour.

“Here we have a Tourism Vice Minister who doesn’t contribute anything to the city, nobody says what’s going to happen to those of us who are unemployed,” complains Miguel Angel González, while Milton Jiménez, who sells provisions, affirms that commerce “has gone belly up,” forcing him to layoff his six employees.

The crisis has also reached the taxi drivers, as from a high of 160 who serviced Playa Dorada, today only a few remain.

Taxi driver association president Segundo González affirms that the way in which the hoteliers have handled themselves with the foreign guests is the fiasco’s main cause.