Plans For Upgrading POP As Tourist Center

Ken said:

From today's Sosua News:

The Tourism Minister Francisco Javier Garc?a Fern?ndez has announced that the construction of an amphitheater at the end of the Malec?n can start. The government has made 252 million pesos available for the theater with 3,500 seats. The intention is that this theater is going to be used for cultural activities. At this time also the largely wooden colonial houses (in Victorian style) are being renovated and painted in bright colors. Puerto Plata is known for its many beautiful buildings in the typical colonial style. With the construction of this amphitheater and the refurbishment of the historic center, the government and entrepreneurs hope to make Puerto Plata more attractive for tourists.

PS: A picture of architect's vision of amphitheater is here Sos?a-News

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why does the construction of the ampitheater fall under the purview of the minister of tourism? surely nobody is insane enough to believe that it will have any effect upon tourism. at least i don't think so.

the gorgon said:

why does the construction of the ampitheater fall under the purview of the minister of tourism? surely nobody is insane enough to believe that it will have any effect upon tourism. at least i don't think so.

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Well maybe I'm insane but I think anything to improve POP can't be a bad thing for tourism. To me it seems so run down now I don't advise any visitors to got there.

They are also going to improve several streets to make them pedestrian friendly complete with added trees for shade. At the presentation at the Meeting Place we saw the plans and it looked very professional. We were told work has started on the street renovation.

retiree said:

They are also going to improve several streets to make them pedestrian friendly complete with added trees for shade. At the presentation at the Meeting Place we saw the plans and it looked very professional. We were told work has started on the street renovation.

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This is the kind of stuff they need to concentrate on. Start with putting manhole covers back on. Do something about that bleak expanse of a Malicon. Why do they always come up with an amphitheater? No one wants to spend time in an amphitheater...put up some street performance areas, keep it small and a draw for the smaller restaurants and bars. KEEP THE BARS AND RESTAURANTS OPEN AIR!!!!! Damn, they don't get that one here in Sosua.....or maybe they do.

With all my respect, the tourists are not going to use an amphitheater .. And what tourists are they thinking about ? The all inclusive tourists? Only a few of those are leaving the hotels during the evening, because they have entertainments, music and free drinks in the hotels. The tourists from the Cruise ships? I doubt they will stay in POP overnight.
Let?s be realistic please!
POP needs new hotels in order to get more tourists and a better quality of tourists, who are willing to spend some money. Without hotels the future looks pretty bad. And only very few hotels in POP can compete with the hotels in other areas, because they are mainly old and not at all up to date?
The amphitheater is going to be used by locals and that is fine.. Music events for example. But don?t tell the population that the amphitheater is for the tourists..

If they want to make the cruise ship tourists visit Puerto Plata, they have to organize the city, educate the people, so they will not bother the tourists. There are soooooo many motoconchos in the city and it is really disturbing and some of them are even thieves looking for their victims.

Using the money to remove the garbage dump would be a much better idea for example and control the traffic at the main road and at the entrance to the city. People are driving like mad men without any kind of police control.
Well, I wrote my opinion already under another topic..

I am very sorry to be negative, however if you build a house you start with the foundation and not with the roof?.

I have also heard rumors, that Carnival Cooperation is going to buy the RIU Hotels or at least the hotel closest to the port. (The hotels have been for sale for a very long time).
The Cruise Tourists are then supposed to spend the day at the hotel and at the beach or pool. The rest will go out on excursions in the apposite direction of Puerto Plata in order to avoid the garbage dumb and the chaos in the city.
Who knows, what will really happen?

i am all for revamping POP city center (i use the word city vaguely here). but the amphitheater? bullcrap. someone is going to pockets lots of money on this project and we will stay with the construction that will be abandoned within a year. it will be a great place for hos from avenida caamano (formerly avenida colon) to suck d**k. well, with some luck it may be a tourist d**k and that's the only contribution to the tourism of POP.

Oh boy.............
More sucking d**k talk..............
you can't get better than this.............lol

B in Santiago