On Wednesday, 21 August 2024, President Luis Abinader was in Puerto Plata to preside over the groundbreaking ceremony for the Punta Bergantín public access and the start of construction of a Hyatt Zilara hotel. Punta Bergantin is located to the east of Costa Dorada with easy access from the main north coast highway. Once again, President Abinader brushes aside difficulties and pushes for stronger public private alliances.
The Presidency reports that the Hyatt Zilara will be the flagship of a broader tourism development effort designed to position the area as a premier destination for both local and international visitors. This ambitious project, spearheaded by the government bank BanReservas with a US$150 million loan, includes the construction of 2,000 hotel rooms, 600 residential units and an academic campus, in a first phase.
“Today marks the beginning of a robust relaunch of Puerto Plata,” President Abinader declared. “While this is not an immediate transformation, it is a firm, confirmed, and solid step towards restoring this region’s former strength and development.” The Hyatt Zilara would be the newest major hotel chain to open in Puerto Plata in the past two decades. Major hotels in Puerto Plata, mainly in Playa Dorada, have been reconverted to residential properties attracting thousands of domestic tourists and investors.
Samuel Pereyra, CEO of Banreservas, highlighted the project’s alignment with President Abinader’s vision and the expected positive impact on the tourism sector. The development will eventually include 6,000 hotel rooms, 1,500 residential units, an academic campus, a film studio with One Race Films (headed by Vin Diesel), and an 18-hole golf course.
The 2,100 hotel rooms, 300 rooms in vacation houses and apartments and the golf course in a first stage are the minimum to ensure there are the flights that bring the tourists and make it attractive for tour operations. The developments will happen in a simultaneous manner over a five-year first phase.
The master plan also encompasses the construction of the Amber Highway, a ground link to the Santiago Cibao International Airport that receives around 16 daily flights from the United States. The hotel rooms are intended to make it attractive for airlines to add more direct flights to the Puerto Plata Gregorio Luperon International Airport (POP).
Hyatt hotel executive Antonio Fungairino called the resorts a high-profile anchor for Punta Bergantín’s development. Hyatt opened its first hotel in the DR in the Punta Cana area in 2002. Fellow investor, Enrique Martinón of Grupo Martinón will be branding its investment as the Hyatt Zilara with 700 rooms to be followed by a Hyatt Ziva. Martinon has praised President Abinader for his perseverance in bringing the project to fruition. Both groups have invested in resorts in the Punta Cana eastern coast area. Martinon says they have been bringing tourists to their hotels in Punta Cana since 2006. They praised the public-private close relationship in the tourism industry in the Dominican Republic.
Andrés Marranzini, director of the Punta Bergantín Trust, thanked the President for choosing this project as his first major initiative of his new term, highlighting it as a testament to his commitment to Puerto Plata.
In recent years, Puerto Plata has been living off the added tourism revenues brought by cruise ships that regularly dock at Amber Cove and Taino Bay ports. Punta Bergantin would be the next real estate and land tourism venture.
According to the Presidency news release, the President said talks are ongoing to attract major American brands to Puerto Plata. He cited Hyatt, Meliá (a Spanish brand with strong US market connections), Hilton (currently in negotiations), and Karisma (a Mexican-Dominican company with extensive US marketing reach) as key players in this effort.
“This project extends beyond the substantial development of hotel and residential areas,” Abinader added. “It includes an innovation hub and film studies, all integrated to foster regional growth.”
The Abinader government is also investing heavily in another new area on the southwest of the country, Pedernales. In Pedernales, the government decided to build the first two hotels and reach agreements for their management with major hotel companies.
Read more in Spanish:
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Me Gusta Puerto Plata
27 August 2024