Ventura Serra, head of Occidental Hotels operations in the DR, announced the closing of the Caribbean Village Playa Grande (Maria Trinidad Sanchez province) and the Club on the Green (Playa Dorada) for remodeling. The hotels will be closed for four months. The announcements follow the closing of the Puerto Plata Beach Resort in Puerto Plata City and that of several small hotels in the Sosua and Cabarete area. The lull in visitors to Puerto Plata is attributed to the consolidation of tour operator and airlines in Europe, the slowdown of the European economy and the weakening of the Euro versus the dollar. In addition, Puerto Plata, the first Dominican tourism destination has fond it hard to compete with the popularity of the Punta Cana and La Romana areas where tourism is booming. The Ministry of Tourism has started an advertising campaign to point out the multiple attractions of the North Coast. (9 July 2001)
