Dominican Republic evolves into a cruise passenger behemoth

Santo Domingo.- As many as 500,000 cruise passengers areexpected to be arriving per year at Amber Cove, Puerto Plata within five years,with a forecast of around 350,000 for this year.

David Candib, vice president of development and operationsfor Carnival Corp. & Destination Development Group, on Wednesday provided thefigures for the cruise port at Maimon Bay during his keynote speech at a luncheonhosted by the Dominican Republic Shipping Association (ANRD)

The executive provided detailed figures on passenger arrivalsat the port in Puerto Plata province, which receives cruise ships for the firsttime since the early 1990s.

With the start of operations of Amber Cover, cruisepassenger arrivals jumped 9.15% to 549,950 last year compared with 2014.

In that regard ANRD president Teddy Heinsen said the projecttook five years to plan, design, build and launch.

He said the facility can accommodate 8,000 cruisepassengers and 2,000 crew.

He called Amber Cove an outstanding reality and an example ofthe results when the private and public sectors work together. "This showsthat when there’ s a will, everything is possible."