PUERTO PLATA.- Fernando Cueto, one of the pioneers in promoting the tourism development of this province, attributes the collapse of that sector in this province to the fact that the State has not made enough efforts to sustain it.
One of the region's major weaknesses, he cites, is the lack of infrastructure, such as roads and efficient water and electricity systems. "So investors stay where those facilities exist," noted one of its main proponents.
He also understands that Puerto Plata needs authorities capable of managing tourism development programs; and that those who managed INFRATUR did not give it the character that the North Coast deserved in its origins in the 1970s.
“There has been no effort by the State to develop this, there couldn’t have been because it was in the hands of those who weren’t interested in this,” declared one of the founders of the birth of tourism in this region.
Cueto asserts that Puerto Plata boasts the best conditions in the country to be the premier tourist destination and that less than 50% of its potential has been realized. “Puerto Plata is a formidable competitor; it has unparalleled resources in the country. Here, not even half of its potential has been exploited. Estero Hondo has more top-quality beaches than the entire Dominican Republic combined, and nothing has been done there,” the businessman declared.
“Paradise is in the North, not the East; the coastline of Puerto Plata is enviable.” He was referring to La Ensenada beach, which he said boasts between six and seven kilometers of pristine beach.
“And there you have Cayo Arena in front of La Ensenada, which nobody else has. It’s an island in the ocean, considered among the most beautiful beaches in the world, but getting there is terrible because there are no roads,” he explained in a conversation with El Inmobiliario.
He mentioned the seaside city that President Abinader had visited and that had been abandoned. “No one else in the Americas has a bay like Luperón.”.
Cueto insisted that Puerto Plata has sufficient potential to experience a great rebirth because, in addition to beautiful beaches, it has a rich culture, historical museums, abundant water sources, among other interesting attractions.
He believes that if the Punta Bergantín project is given the necessary infrastructure, there is no doubt that it will be a successful project
