Puerto Plata landmark: receives 10,000 cruise passengers in a single day

 The new port Taino Bay streamlines operations.

 Virgin Group of Richard Branson joins shipping company.

The arrival of the Carnival Mardi Gras and Carnival Liberty ships probably makes Puerto Plata the first tourist center to receive more than 10,000 cruise passengers in one day in Dominican history.

This was indicated by the regional director of tourism in Puerto Plata, Stephani Kfouri, through a message on her Twitter account.

“Today (Tuesday) we are visited by the Carnival Mardi Gras with 5,316 passengers, 1,741 crew members and the Carnival Liberty with 1,468 passengers, 1,179 crew members. They will be around 6,784 just tourists from the port Amber Cove , if we add cruise passengers aboard the Scarlet Lady of Virgin Group, owned by Richard Branson through the port of Taino Bay for the first time we will have around 10 thousand tourists cruising in one day in our town,” she posted.

Kfouri also indicated that “Let’s Puertoplateños all unite to welcome visitors with affection in our little silver cup!”

It is recalled that the cruise industry in the Dominican Republic had its beginnings in 1993, with the arrival of only about 60 ships in the developing national port system. Then, the ports used were Santo Domingo, Puerto Plata, La Romana, and a few arrivals to Samaná.