Santo Domingo.- Deputy Jose Ignacio Paliza said it’s necessary to revive Puerto Plata’s tourism combining infrastructure improvements, empowerment and more ads abroad, to attract more visitors.
The opposition PRD party lawmaker said though the north coast was once a standard for the country and the Caribbean with as many as 800,000 tourists per year, as high as 80 percent of its hotels are now shuttered.
He said it’s regretful that for many reasons only 230,000 passengers landed at Puerto Plata’s airport last year. "70 to 80% of the hotels are closed. The development of second homes which had flourished in Sosúa and Cabarete has declined due to the global economic crisis."
Interviewed by Pablo McKinney on CDN, Paliza acknowledged president Leonel Fernandez Administration’s effort to rebuild Puerto Plata’s infrastructure aimed jump starting tourism in the area, noting however that there’re more ways to mobilize visitor arrivals.
“Puerto Plata’s fundamental problem is to understand that in its relaunch, the model must obviously change and greater efforts must be made, more than the simple revamp of a park or a road.”
He admitted that among the key factors which stemmed the flow of tourism were the people, the “puertoplateños” themselves. “We have to empower the puertoplateño to understand that a bellboy’s smile at the hotel entrance is more important than the standard of the room itself."
The lawmaker also said the system needs to be organized so that all taxi drivers are identified.
Paliza added that while Dominican Republic spends only US$20.0 million to promote the country abroad, “Jamaica invests US$80 million and Mexico US$500 million."
Written by: Atabey, 22 Aug 2012 10:44 AM
From: United States, NYC
"Paliza added that while Dominican Republic spends only US$20.0 million to promote the country abroad, “Jamaica invests US$80 million and Mexico US$500 million."
That has been the norm for as long as I can recall. DR has done a very poor job of advertising itself aboard.
As for getting PP back on track, that's a very tall order. It was allowed to go under because of very poor planning and administration. Lack of good educational foundation has greatly hampered developments there and across much of the DR. So the human capital is far below the standards one would expect when travelling and visiting there . Massive numbers of poor people have streamed into the place looking for any opportunity; many coming from Haiti. Dingy barrios have developed and the place looks less inviting over the years. Should have allowed the Canadians back in 1970s to develop the area. At least that would have guaranteed a huge annual travel pop and retirement community to offer opportunities.
Written by: josean, 22 Aug 2012 10:57 AM
From: United States, Fighting the Dictatorship of the Narco PLD Mafia; Guillermo Moreno President 2016
"Lack of good educational foundation"
Oh, really and hear I thought all they needed was an USELES METRO!
From: United States, Washington, DC
PP is a waste of space... They should blow it up and rebuild from scratch..... If the malecon didn't exist I would not even enter the city.... I'd take the Mountain route to bypass PP! I have a friend in PR..... he and his family have an engineering company. Lieeeonel paid there bills for 3 years to come up with a way to manage the swirling currents around PP so cruise ships and larger cargo ships could dock there..... After viewing the plans for 1 day... Lieeonel said, forget this plan ... it would not work! Ah... Lieeonel.. since when did you become an engineer? Yes you are/were an engineer of poverty and despair for the people of the DR!
From: United States
"Paliza added that while Dom Rep spends only US$20 million to promote the country abroad,“Jamaica invests US$80 million and Mexico US$500 million"
The statement above is ambiguos and I think they need to make up their mind. Base on the topic of the article, I ask, which of the two is most important, invest resources to develop the potential of "the people, the “puertoplateños” themselves or spend millions on promotions.
This is the reason why tourism in Pto Pta is screwed up and has deteriorated over the years.They can't seem to agree on what to do.The only thing that promoting a destination achieves is to create trafic and generate short term business. It does not long term continue to achieve comparable results unless the product is good value for the money. Promotions in and of itself without the quality in its people is an unsustainable methodology unless we adjust the business model
They need to focus less on short term profits in favor of sustainable long term gains.
Written by: josean, 22 Aug 2012 11:09 AM
From: United States, Fighting the Dictatorship of the Narco PLD Mafia; Guillermo Moreno President 2016
Breaking News>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"Danilo will take "transcendental measures for the political history of the country""
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic.-The President Danilo Medina will announce this Wednesday "far-reaching measures for the political history of the country".
Expected are strong measures to control public spending and prevent acts of corruption in the Government, sources revealed to Acento.com.do
Reat the reat at:
Danilo tomaría “medidas trascendentales para la historia política del país”
Se esperan medidas fuertes para controlar el gasto público y prevenir hechos de corrupción en el Gobierno, según dijeron fuentes a la redacción de Acento.com.do
acento.com.do/index.php/news/20608/56/Danilo-tomaria-medidas-trascendentales-para-la-historia-politica-del-pais.html
Does this mean Lie-onel and Felix will be tried?
From: United States, California
I'm from Sosua and I can tell you that Leonel was the worst president for Sosua.
In Sto. Domingo the rich people like him, cause of the useless metro.
From: Dominican Republic, Dominican Republic
One problem with Puerto Plata is avoidable ugliness. A couple of examples I've seen over the last few years:
1. Someone had the bright idea of mooring a barge-mounted electric power generation plant in the harbor. The incessant noise and fumes from the oil-fired plant pretty much destroyed Costambar as a place anyone would want to visit, not to mention the Fortaleza San Filipe. It would have scared of most cruise ships too, but they had already left. It's gone now, but the damage has been done.
2. Someone had the bright idea of "rennovating" the charming (and shady) Parque Central by cutting down most of the trees (some hundreds of years old), removing all grass and shrubs and turning the place into a desolate sun-baked expanse of concrete with a few uninviting benches that no one uses because they would be risking sunstroke to do so.
continued...
From: Dominican Republic, Dominican Republic
continued from above...
God forbid that the same "architects and politicians that destroyed Parque
central in Puerto Plata never get their hands on Parque Colon in the Zona Colonial, especially after the destruction of Parque Independencia as a place to hang out and enjoy, which is what parks are supposed to be.
Not to end on a negative note, I have to say that restoration of The Fortaleza San Felipe and creation of the park surrounding it at the end of the Malecon in Puerto Plata shows what can be done. I remember seeing it in 1970 when it was still a feared National Police prison and off limits to civilians. It brought a lump to my throat a few years ago when I visited again after almost 40 years and saw families strolling and kids flying kites there.
From: United States
says Atabey
As for getting PP back on track, that's a very tall order. It was allowed to go under because of very poor planning and administration
one hundred percent right. actually, because of NO PLANNING WHATSOEVER. it was all a numbers game, to get as many heads on a bed. no strategies whatsoever. that is why, after the destruction of the Twin Towers, the DR lost 837 million dollars in tourist revenues the following year, while Jamaica managed to weather the storm. as soon as the incident had began to cool off, the Jamaica Tourist Board sent 60 guys to the states, to promote the island's tourism, while the DR did nothing. there was an attempt to promote the entire caribbean area as a single destination, and the cost was to have been split between all the 37 states. only two countries refused to chip in money to get it done. one was Haiti, who pleaded poverty ( justly so), and the other was the DR. the DR has no concept of planning.
From: United States
to them, it is just a numbers game. that is why it is the only state in the caribbean which adds in its own returning nationals into tourism figures, to inflate the numbers, for bragging rights. it was going to build a golf course on every available plot of land it could find. well, the upkeep of a 27 hole golf course requires 600,000 gallons of water PER DAY. that has to be used in the off season, also. Paliza is clueless. he knows about building houses. he has no concept of tourism. POP is dead, and over. nothing will bring it back. it is a victim of the TOURISM LIFE CYCLE. destinations come, and go, and once they go, they do not return. no dumb ass ideas, like cruise ships, will revive it.
From: United States, New York City
I have fond childhood memories of vacationing in Puerto Plata and I hope the region makes a comeback. The place still gets packed by people from the interior during easter week..maybe they can orient the city towards internal tourism.
From: United States
the case of POP is a matter of jumping head first into the tourism game, without first analyzing, and planning. the elder statesmen in the game had been there since the end of the 19th century. Barbados was getting tourists from England in the late 1800s. so had Jamaica. the DR got in somewhere around 1970. at that time, more Dominicans visited other countries than the DR received tourists. Playa Dorada was a hurried, unplanned destination, built on the cheap, to take advantage of the growing tourism product demands worldwide. no environmental, nor cultural effect studies were done. it was a numbers game..build them cheaply, get some low budget clients, and make money by volume. it all went south when the number of arrivals outstripped the carrying capacity of the region, and bad things began to happen. sanitation and waste disposal became a problem. the area was beset by hygiene problems. mass illnesses , such as in Cabarete, had devastating results.
From: United States
no tourist destination, in today's world, can survive without tour operators. independent tourism is DEAD. the success of an area depends on airlift. the tour operators decide where the planes go. no plane, no occupancy. there is so much competition for the sun, sand, and sea dollar, that tour operators can send the planes to Dubai. with aviation spirits in the DR being the highest priced in the region, it costs the airline much more to return out of POP than out of Bridgetown. all these issues have to be overcome, before painting a few buildings, and cleaning up a few styrofoam plates.
From: United States
I was never really fond of Puerto Plata although when it first started out as a tourist spot the town was nice and clean with its charming ginger bread/victorian arquitecture and gazebo in the park. I did enjoy the feel of a village setting with lazy afternoons hanging around and about. However, what I really enjoyed most was Sosua. It was once an extremely beautiful and pristine beach location. The water was crystal clear, agua blue with its light beige, almost white sandy shore line. There were no crowds and the quality of people on holiday were for the most part a much higher caliber. I wish that I could say the same thing today. I am very disappointed to see what it turned into and how the it has been damaged, the quality then is a far cry to what was once a paradisiacal, almost innocent like place.
From: United States
Sosua will be the next victim of the tourism life cycle. trust me. it stayed alive because of the sex trade. now that it has been discovered by virile young black guys from Atlanta and Philly, the bulk of the Euros and caucasian North Americans are going to desert the area. trust me on that one. i will not outline the dynamics, because some might get offended, which is out of character for me. however, watch it take a nosedive in the near future. without the ladies of easy virtue, it really has nothing much to offer.
Written by: danny00, 22 Aug 2012 4:45 PM
From: United States, syosset, key west, santo domingo AND NOW THE GLOBE TROTTER
GOEBBELS' PRINCIPLES OF PROPAGANDA
Based upon Goebbels' Principles of Propaganda by Leonard W. Doob, published in Public Opinion and Propaganda; A Book of Readings edited for The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.
GOEBBELS WAS THE PROPAGANDA MINISTER FOR HILTER, MOST SAY HE WAS THE BEST IN THE WORLD AT THIS.
BUT THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN NOR HEARD THE S....T THAT COMES OUT OF THE MINISTERS OF THE DR GOVERNMENT.
CHOO CHOO TRAIN.
COME RIDE WITH OUR CHOO CHOO TRAIN WITH THE EXPERTS WE HAVE ON THE LION FISH U CAN ASK THEM ANY QUESTION U WANT TO AND THEY WILL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER U.
ALL ABOARD
Written by: danny00, 22 Aug 2012 4:48 PM
From: United States, syosset, key west, santo domingo AND NOW THE GLOBE TROTTER
i used to live in this city.
in the 1st place every little english spoken, yes many blacks are coming for the the young ladies, smile at the hotel? u need more then smiles to get familys to come over there.
used to speak with the tourists at the hotels years ago when all was open.
many said they where warned not to travel in the city they might get robbed or even killed {the local dominicans that worked in the hotels told them this to keep them on the hotel grounds to spend their dollars over there}
Written by: danny00, 22 Aug 2012 5:03 PM
From: United States, syosset, key west, santo domingo AND NOW THE GLOBE TROTTER
counterfeit goods
yes counterfeit.
try the gift shops all aound central park.
cant keep ripping off the tourists 4 ever u know.
trip from the hotels to see the amber museum in pop? give me a break,
cable ride great but any thing else to do over there?.
girls and more girls.
killing of the tourists many have been in the last few years in pop.
many have been robbed by the young mafia guys {john would roll over in his grave if he heard they called them selfs the mafia]
they treated the tourists like "prey" in the pop area.
maybe we can build a small choo choo train and take them for a ride.?
Written by: danny00, 22 Aug 2012 5:04 PM
From: United States, syosset, key west, santo domingo AND NOW THE GLOBE TROTTER
and all them so-call gift shops sell the same products.
From: United States
as i said, danny, a complete lack of planning. as for the cable car...most of the visitors come from Europe, and North America. our cable car is small potatoes compared to what they have seen, and been on.
Written by: DomRat, 22 Aug 2012 7:11 PM
From: Dominican Republic
Ah, the comments about PP central park renamed ‘the park for night people’, believe me most Puerto Plantanos were very upset about the tree cutting, there was to my knowledge, no public discussion about it. The Malecon was a big plus, I have heard that the asphalt surface gives much superior braking especially in PP wet weather so I`ll accept that the resurfacing of the concrete road that did need some repairs with asphalt, I guess due to it being a much used road for drivers instruction it has the most road signs per unit length of any highway I have ever seen, resulting in drivers total disregard for the signs by the way.
Written by: DomRat, 22 Aug 2012 7:31 PM
From: Dominican Republic
The Santiago international airport has taken a lot of flights out of the area causing the casual tourist and second home owner a bit more trouble to get in and out. The port is fine for deep water ships and is not the real reason the cruise ships don`t come. The fact that other deep water ships do use the port without problem work against the cruise industry. Grain ships loose a bit of grain as a natural consequence and this ferments and results in a pig sty odor. The clinker operation has been moved to Manzanillo so there is less heavy truck traffic and a lot less dust and `dirt`. The power plant operations are the biggest eyesores for tourism but even without these the incessant begging by kids whose grasp of English is `Give me one dollar` would destroy the walk around tourist that has managed to shake off the equally nagging `tour guides`. Let the populace know once and for all tourists do not come here to get their shoes shined.
From: United States
First, their stupidity is inbred.
So you would have to relocate all of the populace.
Then you would have to bring in people who see the benefit of the return customer.
From: United States
says gmiller
Then you would have to bring in people who see the benefit of the return customer.
that is a concept which has to be understood . the general mentality is to beat the customer out of 5 pesos, and lose a lifelong relationship. instead of doing the right thing, the rank and file will overcharge 10 pesos for an item, angering his customer, and losing out on all future sales with him. also, they will need to understand that not every tourist is a millionaire, and that a holiday is a sacrifice for most travellers. when an internet cafe charges 120 pesos per hour, then claim that is because it is in a tourist area, then you understand that they do not have a clue.
From: United States, Washington, DC
Dread... I stop going to sosua when I witness 30 or so young asian guys walk into a club together.. I was visiting a friend and we went to some new club close to passions. All of the sudden...I had a flashback of pearl harbor! They were all young guys ... but just like most asians,.. they did everything in groups.... eat... go to the bathroom...etc... Sosua is now on my drive by list!
Written by: Atabey, 23 Aug 2012 10:46 AM
From: United States, NYC
Dready stated:
" it all went south when the number of arrivals outstripped the carrying capacity of the region, and bad things began to happen. sanitation and waste disposal became a problem. the area was beset by hygiene problems. mass illnesses , such as in Cabarete, had devastating results."
The unforgivable mistake was to not take full advantage of the Canadian offer back in the 1970s to convert the place into a well managed destination for mainly Canadians and others to go to during the Winter break and throughout the year. Canada was willing to undertake the infrastructure investments, sewage treatment facilities, etc., and others needed to create a modern, efficient destination. But the old attitudes against foreigners prevailed, and keepin' POP "dominican" was more important than seeing the far richer benefits to be gained from a strong working relationship with a modern state like Canada.
From: United States
so, Atabey, what exactly would that have done? here is how you do an analysis, Atabey. firstly, you try to identify what the problems are. then, you look for the reasons that caused them, or , continue to cause them. then, you look at decisions which were eschewed, and to see if there were better ways to have done the job. your asinine remarks about Canadian offers is yet one addition to the litany of foolish remarks that you have gifted us with, over the years. other caribbean islands are doing fine, tourism wise, without Canadian input. so, what is your point? do you have one?
From: United States
if you had any dignity, like you claim, you would pay for your promotional efforts, by posting this in the classifieds.
Written by: Atabey, 24 Aug 2012 1:25 AM
From: United States, NYC
Dready,
As you rightly claim to know little about the DR and even less the nuances of the place, I will let you be. But just one reminder, as you have so eloquently stated:
To wit:
dreadlocks previously said:
"my understanding of the history of Hispaniola is not great,..the extent of my understanding of the nuances can be characterized as limited,."
Truer words have seldom been written on DT.
Why don't you go to that beacon of development and progress, Go Back Man!--Your Jamaica.
I mean, DR has been beating your old Homestead for the past 40 years or so. :)
Written by: jasfalon, 24 Aug 2012 7:45 AM
From: United States
The park was redone and is now ugly. The PP money people have let the Victorian houses disintegrate, and don't care about the town. They just care about money. The Puerto Plata 'big shots' are useless.
From: United States
Atabey, i will excuse your idiocies, as it is evident to everyone that you are a nothing more than a semi literate fool spoiling for a fight. since you are incapable of making any intelligent contribution, you disrupt all attempts at sanity . i pity you.
From: United States
says the mental defective
I mean, DR has been beating your old Homestead for the past 40 years or so. :)
you keep repeating that statement, without disclosing the areas in which it has been beating Jamaica. i have asked you, on several occasions, to give us a list of the areas, but you have never responded. i take your silence to mean you do not know. since ignorance, and lack of information, are your stock in trade, i will excuse your idiotic musings.
Written by: BLANCO, 24 Aug 2012 12:34 PM
From: Dominican Republic
the attitude of the people is only part of the proble
the dominican owners of the hotel properties have no interest in improving the properties because all of tax incentives for the propertiesware gone
e.g. had for 10years + took all the maintenance money no money to upgrade...
everbody on the north coast knows why not the politicos
From: United States, Abajo la Robolucion
Puerto Plata's days were numbered once Punta Cana was given priority and a lot of promotions. Punta Cana was the first nail in the coffin. Second, was the narrow minded-backward and greedy hotel owners in Playa Dorada. You can't get much milk from a cow without feeding it good grass. I have been traveling to Puerto Plata for 20 years, I disagree that is dead or that it is unfixable. The lack of investment in the infrastructure of the city, the rules and regulations by "concern citizens" have turned Puerto Plata into a lack luster destination. The removal of the food carts from malecon in order to make it more appealing to "families" did nothing but remove the "flavor of the malecon " , the law that prohibits the clubs from being opened past 12 o clock on weekdays, are part of the disease that killed Puerto Plata. The hotels in Playa Dorada did not change their mentality and backward policies in order to compete with Punta Cana, their sense of a value vacation was non-existent
From: United States, Abajo la Robolucion
I pledged to never stay in a hotel in Playa Dorada again as long as they have those stupid policies and lack of value in their vacation packages. There are a lot of foreigners with their hands in the cookie jar too, they influence local policies but never really show their face. It is not always the idea of the Dominican local government that is done but the idea of the "foreign ticks" that pressure the local government. The cutting of the trees in the park was done at the bequest of a group of German individuals who paid to "remodel" the park and thus drive out the vendors and make it more family oriented. The local big wigs were also in favor of the idea, saying that the park was more for low level delinquents selling black market dollars and crappy vendors festering the tourist with their cheap trinkets than for families to enjoy.
From: Dominican Republic, Dominican Republic
So they had to destroy the park to save it...
Written by: jasfalon, 27 Aug 2012 7:36 AM
From: United States
Playa Dorada is an all inclusive cesspool. It's gross, and always will be.
From: United States
Written by: jasfalon, 27 Aug 2012 7:36 AM
From: United States
Playa Dorada is an all inclusive cesspool. It's gross, and always will be.
well, they will have to parcel it out, and sell it as condos. it is done for.
From: United States
Playa Dorada was once a great beach front hotel. Unfortunately, like most of the hotels in the area, it deteriorated over the years and it has became what it is today. The original business model used to attract tourists to the area failed to change and adjust to the times. The majority of the ones who came were low lifes and it is no of no surprise how the area turned out.
I use to stay at the Sand Castle near Sosua and it was a great place to stay, it was clean and well managed, certainly a very nice hotel, but that one along with all the rest went down the toilet.
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"Paliza added that while Dominican Republic spends only US$20.0 million to promote the country abroad, “Jamaica invests US$80 million and Mexico US$500 million."
That has been the norm for as long as I can recall. DR has done a very poor job of advertising itself aboard.
As for getting PP back on track, that's a very tall order. It was allowed to go under because of very poor planning and administration. Lack of good educational foundation has greatly hampered developments there and across much of the DR. So the human capital is far below the standards one would expect when travelling and visiting there . Massive numbers of poor people have streamed into the place looking for any opportunity; many coming from Haiti. Dingy barrios have developed and the place looks less inviting over the years. Should have allowed the Canadians back in 1970s to develop the area. At least that would have guaranteed a huge annual travel pop and retirement community to offer opportunities.
"Lack of good educational foundation"
Oh, really and hear I thought all they needed was an USELES METRO!
The statement above is ambiguos and I think they need to make up their mind. Base on the topic of the article, I ask, which of the two is most important, invest resources to develop the potential of "the people, the “puertoplateños” themselves or spend millions on promotions.
This is the reason why tourism in Pto Pta is screwed up and has deteriorated over the years.They can't seem to agree on what to do.The only thing that promoting a destination achieves is to create trafic and generate short term business. It does not long term continue to achieve comparable results unless the product is good value for the money. Promotions in and of itself without the quality in its people is an unsustainable methodology unless we adjust the business model
They need to focus less on short term profits in favor of sustainable long term gains.
Breaking News>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"Danilo will take "transcendental measures for the political history of the country""
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic.-The President Danilo Medina will announce this Wednesday "far-reaching measures for the political history of the country".
Expected are strong measures to control public spending and prevent acts of corruption in the Government, sources revealed to Acento.com.do
Reat the reat at:
Danilo tomaría “medidas trascendentales para la historia política del país”
Se esperan medidas fuertes para controlar el gasto público y prevenir hechos de corrupción en el Gobierno, según dijeron fuentes a la redacción de Acento.com.do
acento.com.do/index.php/news/20608/56/Danilo-tomaria-medidas-trascendentales-para-la-historia-politica-del-pais.html
Does this mean Lie-onel and Felix will be tried?
In Sto. Domingo the rich people like him, cause of the useless metro.
1. Someone had the bright idea of mooring a barge-mounted electric power generation plant in the harbor. The incessant noise and fumes from the oil-fired plant pretty much destroyed Costambar as a place anyone would want to visit, not to mention the Fortaleza San Filipe. It would have scared of most cruise ships too, but they had already left. It's gone now, but the damage has been done.
2. Someone had the bright idea of "rennovating" the charming (and shady) Parque Central by cutting down most of the trees (some hundreds of years old), removing all grass and shrubs and turning the place into a desolate sun-baked expanse of concrete with a few uninviting benches that no one uses because they would be risking sunstroke to do so.
continued...
continued from above...
God forbid that the same "architects and politicians that destroyed Parque
central in Puerto Plata never get their hands on Parque Colon in the Zona Colonial, especially after the destruction of Parque Independencia as a place to hang out and enjoy, which is what parks are supposed to be.
Not to end on a negative note, I have to say that restoration of The Fortaleza San Felipe and creation of the park surrounding it at the end of the Malecon in Puerto Plata shows what can be done. I remember seeing it in 1970 when it was still a feared National Police prison and off limits to civilians. It brought a lump to my throat a few years ago when I visited again after almost 40 years and saw families strolling and kids flying kites there.
As for getting PP back on track, that's a very tall order. It was allowed to go under because of very poor planning and administration
one hundred percent right. actually, because of NO PLANNING WHATSOEVER. it was all a numbers game, to get as many heads on a bed. no strategies whatsoever. that is why, after the destruction of the Twin Towers, the DR lost 837 million dollars in tourist revenues the following year, while Jamaica managed to weather the storm. as soon as the incident had began to cool off, the Jamaica Tourist Board sent 60 guys to the states, to promote the island's tourism, while the DR did nothing. there was an attempt to promote the entire caribbean area as a single destination, and the cost was to have been split between all the 37 states. only two countries refused to chip in money to get it done. one was Haiti, who pleaded poverty ( justly so), and the other was the DR. the DR has no concept of planning.
Based upon Goebbels' Principles of Propaganda by Leonard W. Doob, published in Public Opinion and Propaganda; A Book of Readings edited for The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.
GOEBBELS WAS THE PROPAGANDA MINISTER FOR HILTER, MOST SAY HE WAS THE BEST IN THE WORLD AT THIS.
BUT THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN NOR HEARD THE S....T THAT COMES OUT OF THE MINISTERS OF THE DR GOVERNMENT.
CHOO CHOO TRAIN.
COME RIDE WITH OUR CHOO CHOO TRAIN WITH THE EXPERTS WE HAVE ON THE LION FISH U CAN ASK THEM ANY QUESTION U WANT TO AND THEY WILL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER U.
ALL ABOARD
in the 1st place every little english spoken, yes many blacks are coming for the the young ladies, smile at the hotel? u need more then smiles to get familys to come over there.
used to speak with the tourists at the hotels years ago when all was open.
many said they where warned not to travel in the city they might get robbed or even killed {the local dominicans that worked in the hotels told them this to keep them on the hotel grounds to spend their dollars over there}
yes counterfeit.
try the gift shops all aound central park.
cant keep ripping off the tourists 4 ever u know.
trip from the hotels to see the amber museum in pop? give me a break,
cable ride great but any thing else to do over there?.
girls and more girls.
killing of the tourists many have been in the last few years in pop.
many have been robbed by the young mafia guys {john would roll over in his grave if he heard they called them selfs the mafia]
they treated the tourists like "prey" in the pop area.
maybe we can build a small choo choo train and take them for a ride.?
First, their stupidity is inbred.
So you would have to relocate all of the populace.
Then you would have to bring in people who see the benefit of the return customer.
Then you would have to bring in people who see the benefit of the return customer.
that is a concept which has to be understood . the general mentality is to beat the customer out of 5 pesos, and lose a lifelong relationship. instead of doing the right thing, the rank and file will overcharge 10 pesos for an item, angering his customer, and losing out on all future sales with him. also, they will need to understand that not every tourist is a millionaire, and that a holiday is a sacrifice for most travellers. when an internet cafe charges 120 pesos per hour, then claim that is because it is in a tourist area, then you understand that they do not have a clue.
Dready stated:
" it all went south when the number of arrivals outstripped the carrying capacity of the region, and bad things began to happen. sanitation and waste disposal became a problem. the area was beset by hygiene problems. mass illnesses , such as in Cabarete, had devastating results."
The unforgivable mistake was to not take full advantage of the Canadian offer back in the 1970s to convert the place into a well managed destination for mainly Canadians and others to go to during the Winter break and throughout the year. Canada was willing to undertake the infrastructure investments, sewage treatment facilities, etc., and others needed to create a modern, efficient destination. But the old attitudes against foreigners prevailed, and keepin' POP "dominican" was more important than seeing the far richer benefits to be gained from a strong working relationship with a modern state like Canada.
As you rightly claim to know little about the DR and even less the nuances of the place, I will let you be. But just one reminder, as you have so eloquently stated:
To wit:
dreadlocks previously said:
"my understanding of the history of Hispaniola is not great,..the extent of my understanding of the nuances can be characterized as limited,."
Truer words have seldom been written on DT.
Why don't you go to that beacon of development and progress, Go Back Man!--Your Jamaica.
I mean, DR has been beating your old Homestead for the past 40 years or so. :)
I mean, DR has been beating your old Homestead for the past 40 years or so. :)
you keep repeating that statement, without disclosing the areas in which it has been beating Jamaica. i have asked you, on several occasions, to give us a list of the areas, but you have never responded. i take your silence to mean you do not know. since ignorance, and lack of information, are your stock in trade, i will excuse your idiotic musings.
the dominican owners of the hotel properties have no interest in improving the properties because all of tax incentives for the propertiesware gone
e.g. had for 10years + took all the maintenance money no money to upgrade...
everbody on the north coast knows why not the politicos
From: United States
Playa Dorada is an all inclusive cesspool. It's gross, and always will be.
well, they will have to parcel it out, and sell it as condos. it is done for.
I use to stay at the Sand Castle near Sosua and it was a great place to stay, it was clean and well managed, certainly a very nice hotel, but that one along with all the rest went down the toilet.