La Romana is a city at the southeast end of the Dominican Republic. The area along the coast is mostly taken up with various resorts, most notably Casa De Campo Resort. Cruise ships also port here.

History

The city of La Romana was founded in 1897 as an oil town. After 1917, with the construction of a large sugar-mill (owned by Italian immigrants in the region of Rome, Lazio), the economy quickly shifted to sugar production. The commissioning of the sugar mill coincided with the rise in sugar prices worldwide, prompting the sugar industry to welcome workers from other parts of the country, many poor families from the Dominican countryside moved to La Romana in search of a better life.

In early 1960, Gulf and Western Industries, Inc. purchased the sugar mill and started to invest in the livestock industry which was cemented in the province. Meanwhile, $20 million were invested to rebuild La Romana and build schools, clinics, housing and other infrastructure for workers. During the mid-1970s the American conglomerate began selling its Dominican assets, and at the same time built what is now one of the largest exclusive tourist resorts in the Dominican Republic, Casa de Campo.

Tourism

Casa de Campo resort complex is the flagship of the La Romana All-Inclusive Resorts area. Built in 1975 by Gulf+Western to be the premier destination in the Caribbean, it has lived up to the hype. In 1984, Casa de Campo was purchased by the Central Romana Corporation which is co-owned by the Fanjul brothers. Altos de Chavón Amphitheater. Altos de Chavón is a replica of a 16th-century Mediterranean village located just minutes from La Romana.

Casa de Campo International Tourist Port (Muelle Turístico Internacional Casa de Campo), located on the West Bank of La Romana River or Rio Dulce, has been utilized primarily for the docking of commercial ships, primarily for the transport of sugar and molasses. Upon exceeding the capacity of its port, the Central Romana Corporation built its new tourism-focused port on the east side of the river. The platform on the western bank was renovated and the river channel was dredged to a depth of 10.50 meters (34.4 ft).

Inaugurated with the arrival of the vessel Costa Marina on December 2002, the Central Romana Corporation invested US$12 million to extend the existing port by over 40,000 square meters (430,000 sq ft). The port is a modern platform and harbor terminal, with a capacity for two large modern cruise ships.

Today the new facilities boast two docking platforms (East Dock: 255 meters (837 ft) in length, West Dock: 225 meters (738 ft) in length), a 1,000 square meters (11,000 sq ft) passenger terminal and parking facilities which accommodate 24 buses.