Ken said:
You are too late, as others have indicated. Judging from the number of internet stores/cafes, everybody and his brother had the idea this was a good way to make money. Because there are now so many, I don't see how any of them can make a profit. If we don't start seeing some of the closing their doors, I'll be very surprised.
The suggestion about staying near a university and offering typing besides internet sounds like a very good idea. Certainly better than the tourist areas.
While the internet stores/cafes market has been saturated, this does not necessarily means there is no chance of making money. Let me explain:
The only difference between before and now is that before the market existed for internet cafes, where as now there could be a market for a certain type of internet cafe customer within the current market of internet cafes customers.
More emphasis on the ambiance of the place, whether the place is chic or not, to whom the place may be geared towards (funky surfers, old money, new riches, the local middle class, the average joe, etc) are some forms of creating new possibly profitable niches within an industry that has been saturated.
Now is the time for creative peoples/entrepreneurs to put on their thinking caps and begin to profit from a possible profitable niche that may exist within this saturated market.
As is the case with all business indevours, location location location is extremely important and this is highly dictated by the market segment being targeted, traffic around the preferred location of the market segment being targeted, and a host of other things.
My suggestion for those of you interested in creating a venture of this type, go to the DR and asks customers of Internet Cafes what they like the most and hate the most or want internet cafes to improve on. Listen carefully, write down what they say, and give the customers what they want via a new business model of internet cafes geared towards satisfying what people want.
Also ask them direct questions to give you an idea of what might work. For example, ask them "would you pay x amount for the service of an internet cafe if the place offered a relaxed, cozy ambiance with soft music, and excellent first class food/service?" or you could ask them "would you feel more comfortable in an internet cafe that has white walls and tile floors and slightly alive or in an internet cafe with soft color walls, and cozy seats and nice furniture?" in addition, "how much would you pay for the former vs. the latter?" etc. DO YOUR HOMEWORK before going into any business venture anywhere, not just in the DR. KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS and if you fulfill their desires and are on top of the competition, you should be doing well.
When a community doesn't has electricity, the first thing they complain about is the lack of electricity. Once they got electricity, what they complain about is the service of electricity. Two ways of making money from the same industry, but only those with an open eye and a creative mind will reap the benefits.
-NALs