El Siglo newspaper reports that the Puerto Plata city hall has begun a program to motivate tourists staying at all-inclusive resorts to visit the city. "Puerto Plata de Fiesta" program calls for the holding of a big city center fiesta on Wednesdays. The action takes place at Parque Independencia, where merengue orchestras, a typical "perico ripiao" music group, and folklore dancers perform for tourists that visit the town. In the park, artisans roll cigars, painters carry out their craft and handicrafts are available for sale. Ramon Ripoll, director of the Office of Tourism and International Relations of the Municipality released the information. He said the program has the strong support of the hotel community. The idea is that tourists venture out from the comfort and isolation of their resorts to get to know the city, customs and culture of the Dominican people, said Ripoll.
