Santo Domingo - tourist destination?

[bigbird]

Originally Posted by RonS

............Because of its close proximity, Boca Chica would help make the capitol a true tourist destination if it could get its act together,...............

Originally Posted by Chirimoya

.....Santo Domingo has the potential..........

Both very good points but I doubt I will live to see the day when this happens.

[Yayow]

You are right about Punta Cana, and the number of tourist that go there, but that has more to do with marketing, etc. that the big Corps. that own and run the A.I.'s in Punta Cana put out there. I know when I used to live in the States, and would get on the travel sites for destinations, for my vacation dollar, Punta Cana was the place that came up, no doubt about it. It also was much cheaper, as they were able to subsidize your flight and your stay, of course that is all about good marketing, the same as Vegas does it, first let me get you there (make it affordable and attractive), and once you are there, I will get into your pocket.

Also we all realize that once you are there it is to the benefit of the A.I.'s to keep you there and have you spend your dollars there, thus all the stories of how dangerous it is to step off the A.I.'s property. God forbid you found out that Santo Domingo or other places had many things to offer as far as your vacation. Can't blame them if I took less money to get you there, when you are there I would do whatever I could to make sure you stayed there and spent your money there.

Most don't find out about Santo Domingo, Santiago etc. until they have spent some time in the Country and have been around a bit, and under stand the culture a bit and language. So having said this I believe your statistics will remain the same, because it is to the benefit of those with the most money to keep it that way.

[mountainannie]

I was actually startled to see that SD was second in foreign arrivals. I am sure that many if not most of these are either business or returning Dominicans.

However, my point was also directed to the expats who live out in the Beach communities and only come to the Capital to do their business with the State and-or perhaps some shopping ... and do not, for instance, stay for the weekend, go to a museum, take in a ball game, a carriage ride through the Zona, a concert at Bellas Artes....... It just seems that you are selling the country short when you don't include the Capital as part of the perks of the country.

One of the great pluses that the DR has is that it is a nation, not just a small sand spit completely dependent on tourism.

[dulce]

In the 90's, before PC had resorts, Santo Domingo was advertised as a tourist destination. The companies such as Apple,GWV,and others advertised Juan Dolio and Boca Chica as Santo Domingo. The first time I went to Juan Dolio I thought I was in SD. DUH The tour reps all promoted SD day tours.They went to the cave disco,Columbus lighthouse, the Cathedral,Colonial Zone and shopping with lunch included.
Most flights landed at SDQ and then buses took tourists on long bus rides to thier real destinations.
SD still has large arrival numbers because sometimes the flights are cheaper or the only one available. People fly into SDQ but travel to other destinations upon arrival.

[windeguy]

I, personally, do not feel I miss anything by not living in Santo Domingo. I do agree that it is not a vacation destination. That said, I just spent a week in a big city. San Francisco, not the one here, but in the US. Now that is a vacation destination city.

[NALs]

Originally Posted by dulce

In the 90's, before PC had resorts, Santo Domingo was advertised as a tourist destination. The companies such as Apple,GWV,and others advertised Juan Dolio and Boca Chica as Santo Domingo. The first time I went to Juan Dolio I thought I was in SD. DUH The tour reps all promoted SD day tours.They went to the cave disco,Columbus lighthouse, the Cathedral,Colonial Zone and shopping with lunch included.
Most flights landed at SDQ and then buses took tourists on long bus rides to thier real destinations.
SD still has large arrival numbers because sometimes the flights are cheaper or the only one available. People fly into SDQ but travel to other destinations upon arrival.

They still do that.

Plus, its also done with the Punta Cana tourists. Little do they know that the only times they are in the real Punta Cana is when they are at the airport!

Santo Domingo needs a nice long white sand beach. Once that is in place, the rest will follow.

[London_Calling]

Santo Domingo has the potenial to be tourist destination in its own rght - but some care is needed in publicising it else tourists are going to be disappointed. The colonial zone is the USP but except for the cathedral most of the churches are closed.

"SANTO DOMINGO is a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE site" "FILLED with colonial architecture" - true but only realy applies to a very small part of the city and even then it does not compare against Havana, San Juan, Quito, etc.

Best to think of it as a good weekend break - and build on that.

[mountainannie]

I think that the Zona is bigger than the colonial district in San Juan.Have not been to Havana. But there is more than the Cathedral open-- at least one other.

For Americans, whose idea of old is 1700, SD can be really a taste of Europe. As another poster said, it is all in the packaging....

I often think of how gorgeous it would be if there were some way of getting all the dangling wires off the streets...and it is much cleaner now that they have posted trash pick up times.

I can"t imagine a beach here with all the trash and sewage run off.... yeuch. There are a couple of little sand areas where some of the locals swim but with the run off from the Ozama, it is pretty gross.

If they got some of the big trucks off the Malecon.. or at the VERY least got some way of having people cross the street without being killed... THAT would be a great thing.

And I know that at least the Primavera section of Gazcue has a number of colonials that cannot be torn down but somehow the people here do not seem to value them.... many are run down or just abandoned

[London_Calling]

One of the good things IMO of SD over San Juan is not it is not yet over restored.

"And I know that at least the Primavera section of Gazcue has a number of colonials that cannot be torn down but somehow the people here do not seem to value them.... many are run down or just abandoned "


Agree - they should also not just concentrate on the Spanish colonial period -Santo Domingo has some impressive Art Deco buildings that should be maintained better + others from the 19th century (not strictly colonial).

[greydread]

For my money there is something very primal about Santo Domingo which has attracted me since my first visit. Born & raised NYC (just North of Mt. Morris park) the place has a flavor that reminds me of the old neighboorhod back in the 60's, complete with familiar sights and sounds and smells of my childhood. Santo Domingo, roughly the size of Philly is full of commerce and attempts at modernization in some areas and stuck in time in others. There is always excitement in the air and one's radar gets a good workout as you never know who you'll meet or what their angle will be.

The beaches are close enough so that's not really an issue from my perspective. I've been to the aquarium, zoo, botanical garden and just about every other attraction in the city and they're all unique from others in other countries as they are very "Dominican". By that I mean that in the very complimentary sense that you never know exactly what to expect on any given day and there's never a dull moment. I've been to many cities in many countries in the six continents I've travelled to and Santo Domingo ranks right up there with my favorites. I recommend it.