What first catches your eye as you descend into Puerto Plata are the majestic mountains looming over the roads. Next you will see gleaming waves that inspired the name of the province — plata means silver in Spanish.

What most tourists miss in this resort town are the people who keep it humming along. Most of them moved to this region from other small provinces because they could find work in the resorts and hotels, and some make the four- to five-hour daily commute from Santo Domingo to Puerto Plata to run shops, which are more profitable in this area.

Tourists may soon see more of the locals. Carnival has built an $85 million port, Amber Cove, from which it will operate a nontraditional cruise line called Fathom. The line, which is to begin service in April, aims to appeal to travelers who might shun standard Caribbean cruises by offering volunteer trips to the Dominican Republic and people-to-people tours of Cuba. The 710-passenger Adonia will alternate destinations from Miami. Weeklong trips to the north shore of the Dominican Republic include four days on the island with opportunities to farm, teach English or make water filters (from $974). It is meant for people who are seeking to travel and have a positive effect on the area, said Tara Russell, the president of Fathom.