Puerto Plata’s remarkable comeback

Two decades ago, Puerto Plata’s future looked bright as it rose to become the shining star of the Dominican tourism industry. The then-new hotels at Playa Dorada and Jack Tar Village, facilities that pioneered the “all-inclusive” concept and the championship golf course that meandered through them, were signs of future prosperity.

In the mid-1990s tourism plummeted, mainly as a result of Hurricane George. While hotel operators were quick to recover and get back to business, government was slow to respond and the town itself still bears the scars. Rafael “Kuki” Silverio, who was serving in the Dominican Congress as a senator from the province of Puerto Plata and a native “puertoplatense,” was frustrated with the slow recovery and decided to drop out of politics and return to his private sector job as a local developer.

“Our economy was stalled mainly because we didn’t have the infrastructure and the necessary services in place, not only to rebuild, but to make it attractive for foreign investors to come in and develop,” Silveiro said.

Silverio and several other local businessmen embarked on a mission to rebuild Puerto Plata and crossed partisan divisions to form an alliance with Puerto Plata Mayor Walter Musa, and Cesar De los Santos, governor of the Province of Puerto Plata, which includes the cities of Mao, Cabarrete and San Francisco de Macoris, to lobby the central government for funding and rebuilding.

“The logic was simple. Puerto Plata is the perfect world-class destination. It has a rich history dating back to colonial times. We have miles of pristine beaches and acres of undeveloped prime real state. It was just a matter of putting aside everything that had to do with politics and concentrate on Puerto Plata, nothing else,” Silverio explained.

Puerto Plata is indeed a unique place. Tucked into the north shore of the Dominican Republic, where the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean lend themselves to amazing beach days, the city has a rich tradition. Brugal Rum, the Dominican Republic’s pride and joy, has its main bottling plant here. The province itself houses not only great beaches and great golf courses, but also an array of natural wonders that has quickly become an eco-tourism destination.

President Leonel Fernandez, who upon his reelection in 2004 placed the development of tourism at the top of his priorities, heeded the call from Puerto Plata and quickly made funding available through the Tourism Secretariat and ordered Tourism Secretary Felix Jimenez to oversee Puerto Plata’s comeback.
Silverio, with the help of Musa and other Puerto Plata developers came up with a master plan to revamp every aspect of the city’s facade. From the main road leading into the downtown area to the beaches that hug the boardwalk, they planned apartment buildings, sidewalk cafes and stately roads in the colonial zone.

For this development plan, Musa committed 8.5 percent of the city’s budget – about $6 million in programs to refurbish sporting facilities and another $3.5 million to establish programs to combat crime, including video surveillance systems to help build Puerto Plata’s reputation as a “safe” destination for tourists. Musa also went international with his campaign to market Puerto Plata. He signed “sister cities” agreements with places such as Rochester, NY; Hamilton, Ontario; Hialeah, FL and even Kuwait City.

The word is out. Puerto Plata is up and running and better than ever.