SANTO DOMINGO – The history of Santiago can no longer just be observed: it can also be explored, viewed from above, and experienced. The Monument to the Heroes of the Restoration has incorporated a virtual reality experience that allows visitors to travel to different locations in the province without leaving this historic symbol of the city.
According to Visit Santiago, the proposal is part of Turismo Santiago 360, an initiative that seeks to bring the main attractions of the province closer through technological tools that allow new ways of getting to know its heritage.
With virtual reality glasses, users can walk among tobacco plantations, explore emblematic spaces of Santiago, get close to the murals of the Spanish artist José Vela Zanetti and travel to scenarios linked to the Restoration War.
More than a traditional exhibition, the experience places the visitor inside the historical narrative.
A city that tells its story through its symbols
According to the organizing institution, the tour begins with a panoramic view of some of the spaces that represent the identity of Santiago: from the Monument and the murals of Benito Monción Street to the cultural manifestations that are part of the local tradition, such as the carnival and the pepineros piglets.
The experience seeks to show that Santiago is not limited to its historical buildings, but brings together cultural expressions that have built the identity of the province over time.
The tour also includes a look at the tobacco industry, one of the productive sectors most closely linked to the international image of Santiago and the Dominican Republic.
From the field to the cigar: the story behind tobacco
One of the segments of the experience is dedicated to the so-called Tobacco Capital, where visitors can learn about the process a leaf goes through from its cultivation to becoming a handcrafted cigar.
According to the tourism entity, this production allows for showcasing stages such as planting, sorting, fermentation and processing, highlighting the knowledge accumulated over generations around this industry.
The proposal was developed together with Procigar, an organization linked to the tobacco sector, as a way to integrate technology, tourism and one of the economic activities that most identifies the region.
The art of Vela Zanetti and historical memory in 360 degrees
The experience also opens a new way of appreciating the murals by José Vela Zanetti located in the Monument to the Heroes of the Restoration.
Visit Santiago explained that through immersive technology, visitors can get closer to the details of these works and understand the symbols present in the murals, related to Dominican history and the social processes that marked the country.
The final stage of the tour takes the user to Cerro de Capotillo, in Dajabón, the setting where the Restoration War began, allowing the virtual experience to connect with one of the fundamental episodes of national history.
Technology to bring heritage closer to new generations
According to the entity, the productions were developed by audiovisual producer Pedro Isern and will be available as part of the permanent attractions of the Monument to the Heroes of the Restoration.
The initiative aims to use technology as an educational and tourism tool to expand the way people interact with cultural heritage.
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