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Dominican Today reports that the hotel Bahia Principe, in northern Río San Juan, announced a halt in operations in the wake of plummeting guest figures in the entire tourist region, situation that has been affecting a large part of the Dominican Republic’s northern zone, including Puerto Plata, Sosúa and Cabarete. The region’s tourism sector immediately blamed the shuttering of the hotel- located at Playa Grande, Maria Trinidad Sanchez province- on sagging activities, the lack of incentives and unfair competition with resorts in Punta Cana.
The problem isn’t just isolated to the Bahia Principe. A spokesman for Asonahores (The D.R.’s National Association of Hotels and Restaurants) revealed that 15 hotels in the northern zone have closed in the last two years.
Asonahores vice president Arturo Villanueva said the public and private sectors need to create a joint effort to deal with the situation. He said the northern area’s tourist zones not only have a problem of promotion, but also unchecked sprawl, which in his view also led to the decrease in cruise ship arrivals to North coast ports. |
