The future of Sosua

[KyleMackey]

In part that is true..

The DR is disgusted by the reputation. Who provides that reputation? Foreigners on the internet.

This.

 

[chico bill]

Sosua in the start of high season with the road through town in shambles - where are the paving crews? Did some primary results cause someone to seek revenge?

 

[siamesepat]

We have a rental that was booked full time for 10 years going back 20. They stopped coming due to that great change in Sosua when it became a whore monger town. Had some that rented just to have whore parties and ruin the place in one night.

We don't rent anymore. We save by NOT renting.

My first visit (1994) to Sosua was in an open top jeep that I rented in Cabarete. Within seconds of parking, I was surrounded by young women who were reaching in the jeep trying to grab anything visible!

 

[Cdn_Gringo]

I doubt it. SNAFU.

Might be a function of just waiting for the crew paving towards Sosua from the opposite direction to meet up in the middle of town.

 

[Cdn_Gringo]

If by some miracle, the AI tourists were to return to Sosua, it is doubtful that the spouses and girlfriends would allow their partners to wander around town at night even with a chaperone.

The AI market on the north coast of the DR continues to dwindle. Sosua has never had the resorts and infrastructure to capture a significant share of this market. More choices 15 years ago, but those were not profitable and did not survive. Nothing has changed since then to convince investors that it is possible to operate such resorts profitably in this location. Thus we have only one AI in Sosua that caters to budget travelers of the Groupon variety. Those new properties that have opened up have all subsequently closed again in relatively short order.

Sosua is not a $300 per night destination and its geographic location in the middle of what is essentially a dying tourist area ensures that there will be no influx of new tourist money and any resort development is doomed to fail. If anything, the relocation of the red light district is an attempt to create a more palatable environment for tourists and residents alike, something that should have been instituted 15 years ago; When the authorities recognized that the AI resorts were dying one by one, there were not enough tourists to fuel the local economy, and the Boca Chica model was allowed to take root as a way to keep some foreign income flowing.

After this length of time, the mongering seedling planted so long ago as a stop-gap measure is now a massive tree with roots that extend into every foundation in town. This current approach is too little and too late for any hope of a tourist revitalization in Sosua. At best, this current approach can set the stage for an adult playground in an area that is not considered the main downtown business core.

Issues:

-There are no decent stores in Sosua and thus there is no significant retail opportunities or competition.
-Water & Electricity
-Insufficient cellphone and internet data speeds often at too high a cost
-Playa Sosua is just an unappealing mess to most day-trippers and residents. Some like it, most do not.
-Playa Alicia is melanoma central.
-Sosua smells bad most days and worse after it rains heavily.
-The town is dirty, dusty and not well maintained.
-The only significant green spaces are impenetrable jungle with trash piles about the periphery.
-There is nothing to do but drink, eat mediocre food in mostly mediocre restaurants and play bingo.

So, the true tourists will not come back, expats with means have better options elsewhere in the world and the civic leaders have no plan, no resources and no real political will so they are essentially not playing with a full deck. Until there is a "Walmart, Zellers, Sears, Target" retail environment and at least a McDonald's, Sosua will be nothing but a faded dot on a map, passed over by everyone but those willing to accept mediocrity or less for reasons that are very much their own.

The future is bleak and will remain so until someone with vision and commitment can change the economic reality that is now firmly entrenched in this middle of nowhere hamlet - not an easy task nor one that can be achieved in one or two short political election cycles.

 

[zoomzx11]

If by some miracle, the AI tourists were to return to Sosua, it is doubtful that the spouses and girlfriends would allow their partners to wander around town at night even with a chaperone.

The AI market on the north coast of the DR continues to dwindle. Sosua has never had the resorts and infrastructure to capture a significant share of this market. More choices 15 years ago, but those were not profitable and did not survive. Nothing has changed since then to convince investors that it is possible to operate such resorts profitably in this location. Thus we have only one AI in Sosua that caters to budget travelers of the Groupon variety. Those new properties that have opened up have all subsequently closed again in relatively short order.

Sosua is not a $300 per night destination and its geographic location in the middle of what is essentially a dying tourist area ensures that there will be no influx of new tourist money and any resort development is doomed to fail. If anything, the relocation of the red light district is an attempt to create a more palatable environment for tourists and residents alike, something that should have been instituted 15 years ago; When the authorities recognized that the AI resorts were dying one by one, there were not enough tourists to fuel the local economy, and the Boca Chica model was allowed to take root as a way to keep some foreign income flowing.

After this length of time, the mongering seedling planted so long ago as a stop-gap measure is now a massive tree with roots that extend into every foundation in town. This current approach is too little and too late for any hope of a tourist revitalization in Sosua. At best, this current approach can set the stage for an adult playground in an area that is not considered the main downtown business core.

Issues:

-There are no decent stores in Sosua and thus there is no significant retail opportunities or competition.
-Water & Electricity
-Insufficient cellphone and internet data speeds often at too high a cost
-Playa Sosua is just an unappealing mess to most day-trippers and residents. Some like it, most do not.
-Playa Alicia is melanoma central.
-Sosua smells bad most days and worse after it rains heavily.
-The town is dirty, dusty and not well maintained.
-The only significant green spaces are impenetrable jungle with trash piles about the periphery.
-There is nothing to do but drink, eat mediocre food in mostly mediocre restaurants and play bingo.

So, the true tourists will not come back, expats with means have better options elsewhere in the world and the civic leaders have no plan, no resources and no real political will so they are essentially not playing with a full deck. Until there is a "Walmart, Zellers, Sears, Target" retail environment and at least a McDonald's, Sosua will be nothing but a faded dot on a map, passed over by everyone but those willing to accept mediocrity or less for reasons that are very much their own.

The future is bleak and will remain so until someone with vision and commitment can change the economic reality that is now firmly entrenched in this middle of nowhere hamlet - not an easy task nor one that can be achieved in one or two short political election cycles.

So you did not make the "save our paradise" meeting?

 

[lifeisgreat]

So you did not make the "save our paradise" meeting?

It sounds more like he is packing and moving out of Sosua!

 

[cobraboy]

If by some miracle, the AI tourists were to return to Sosua, it is doubtful that the spouses and girlfriends would allow their partners to wander around town at night even with a chaperone.

The AI market on the north coast of the DR continues to dwindle. Sosua has never had the resorts and infrastructure to capture a significant share of this market. More choices 15 years ago, but those were not profitable and did not survive. Nothing has changed since then to convince investors that it is possible to operate such resorts profitably in this location. Thus we have only one AI in Sosua that caters to budget travelers of the Groupon variety. Those new properties that have opened up have all subsequently closed again in relatively short order.

You miss a key component on the travel issue: travel agents.

Until travel agents are confident Sosua is no longer Sosewer, they will not turn that spigot.

They are the #1 driving force for travel for the vast majority of tourists except for Americans.

They are the ones driving the bus.

I deal with these folks all the time. 75% of no non-American guests (and return alumni) come from travel agents. And they can be tough to please.

 

[Cdn_Gringo]

I agree CB. For lots of reason the NC of the DR is no longer able to attract and keep the interest of tourists and those companies that make it possible for them to come here cheaply at an appealing level of quality. I glossed over those reasons intentionally so as not to irk mangu brains with a post that was longer than necessary.

 

[Cdn_Gringo]

So you did not make the "save our paradise" meeting?

Didn't even know about the meeting. With the loss of dv8 and her advanced notices of important upcoming events I mostly find out about things after the fact. It's my fault so not seeking that info out, I just can't be bothered to anymore.

 

[Cdn_Gringo]

It sounds more like he is packing and moving out of Sosua!

For sure the nails are being driven into that coffin one at a time. Eventually, if nothing significant changes, that process might be complete and it will be time to move along. Further reduction in my ability to travel between POP and Canada will shorten the time frame. I await developments from WestJet resulting from their somewhat recent transfer of ownership.

 

[Big]

...hey what about the Ritz Carlton that is coming and supposed to save Sosua

 

[jd426]

Time to close all the hotels in town and move them to the new improved red light district as well.

I mentioned this same exact thing before, and NO ONE answered it ..
If Bars are allowing Prostitutes to congregate , and are guilty of "Promoting Prostitution" ie " pimping" .
Use any Bar on Pedro as an example ..
Then HOW are Hotels ( which allow the actual ACT of Prostitution to take place) then NOT also Guilty , and the NEXT Likely targets ??
No one even touched the question .. because they know it makes no sense and the Lawless Dom Govt can and will harass them next ..
No Business owner is safe .
Its a very slippery slope .

 

[Sosua Sonny]

I mentioned this same exact thing before, and NO ONE answered it ..
If Bars are allowing Prostitutes to congregate , and are guilty of "Promoting Prostitution" ie " pimping" .
Use any Bar on Pedro as an example ..
Then HOW are Hotels ( which allow the actual ACT of Prostitution to take place) then NOT also Guilty , and the NEXT Likely targets ??
No one even touched the question .. because they know it makes no sense and the Lawless Dom Govt can and will harass them next ..
No Business owner is safe .
Its a very slippery slope .

Yes I made the same point and some goober answered with the Promoting Prostitution shtick. You will not get a valid response to your logical thinking.

 

[windeguy]

As far as I can see this is orchestrated by a bunch of bitter women and their hangers-on who have no clue about plans or futures for the town and care nothing for the residents or business owners.

Or maybe someone with more money has plans? The first reason is the problem is the disgust Dominicans have over how Sosua is portrayed on the Internet.

Many honest businesses are already suffering from these misguided ideas but have no recourse to fight back against what could be considered illegal actions by a corrupt and incapable cabal of folks who never even visit Sosua proper.
As for the red light district etc.,who will compensate those forced against their will to move and what provisions are being made to transport tourists from the hotels,mostly all situated around the PC area?

Nobody is going go to compensate anyone. This is a banana republic. You take your chances. Of course many people will still insist nothing is going to change. I think they are incorrect.

Would you fancy walking or moto-conchoing with a skinful of beer and rum all the way back to Casa Marina or New Garden?
Not me,and I live here and know the area.

Oh well, it will be what it will be.

No-one has asked us residents living at this far end if we accept the vice zone close by when many of us live here to be far away from it.Who will compensate us for the noise and added traffic??

Why would anyone be compensated if a red light district is established near High Caribe?

Let's cut the moral issues BS. It's somehow about money somewhere.This is the DR.
She is killing the town and somebody is waiting for the remains,-- cheap.

It is not about moral issues. It is about being disgusted with the way Sosua is portrayed on the Internet. Dominicans will carry on discreetly as they always have. Some people just cannot seem to understand that simple set of facts.

 

[windeguy]

...hey what about the Ritz Carlton that is coming and supposed to save Sosua

There was never a Ritz Carlton coming to Sosua. So there is nothing to say about it. There is work being done on a building at the end of the road by Bologna that is licensing Marriott's name. It is not a Ritz Carlton.

 

[windeguy]

I mentioned this same exact thing before, and NO ONE answered it ..
If Bars are allowing Prostitutes to congregate , and are guilty of "Promoting Prostitution" ie " pimping" .
Use any Bar on Pedro as an example ..
Then HOW are Hotels ( which allow the actual ACT of Prostitution to take place) then NOT also Guilty , and the NEXT Likely targets ??
No one even touched the question .. because they know it makes no sense and the Lawless Dom Govt can and will harass them next ..
No Business owner is safe .
Its a very slippery slope .

If the hotel room is paid for by the John or Hooker directly , there is no problem. If the hotel collects the money and then pays the hooker a part of the sum, there is a problem. If the bar provides a location where the hookers can "advertise" their wares while making a profit off such a "display", then it can be considered the promotion of prostitution. The bar provides the locale for the business negotiation between the John and Hooker and is compensated by any drinks purchased. That is my logical response to your question.

 

[lifeisgreat]

For sure the nails are being driven into that coffin one at a time. Eventually, if nothing significant changes, that process might be complete and it will be time to move along. Further reduction in my ability to travel between POP and Canada will shorten the time frame. I await developments from WestJet resulting from their somewhat recent transfer of ownership.

The west jet scenario has me watching too..looks light slight price increase also...I fly in out 4-5 times a yr with them..

 

[chico bill]

I mentioned this same exact thing before, and NO ONE answered it ..
If Bars are allowing Prostitutes to congregate , and are guilty of "Promoting Prostitution" ie " pimping" .
Use any Bar on Pedro as an example ..
Then HOW are Hotels ( which allow the actual ACT of Prostitution to take place) then NOT also Guilty , and the NEXT Likely targets ??
No one even touched the question .. because they know it makes no sense and the Lawless Dom Govt can and will harass them next ..
No Business owner is safe .
Its a very slippery slope .

Shut down the pharmacies for selling Viagra to tourists too?
They are the over 50 enablers

 

[Seamonkey]

It is not about moral issues. It is about being disgusted with the way Sosua is portrayed on the Internet. Dominicans will carry on discreetly as they always have. Some people just cannot seem to understand that simple set of facts.

I told guys 7 years ago to stop posting their **** online, because it was being talked about amongst the Dominican business men on the north coast. Nobody listened. I was sitting in a Sosua town meeting when it was first brought up from a lawyer by the name of Britto. He was disgusted by what his kid found online in regards to a huge party at the Victoria House and its ajoining resort. It has gotten worse on youtube. Everybody wants to be famous and discuss how little they paid for a puta. Promoting prostitution is not cool....but these warriors like to brag. Now you reap the rewards.