Lip service that fosters bad word of mouth promotion

Following my departure from the former National Development Corporation, I was encouraged, sometimes pressured into writing tourism related articles.  I chose not to as I always felt that whatever I said would have been regarded as “sour grapes” among other things.  Instead I chose to stand back and give the new arrangement its chance to make its mark. A recent incident compelled me to put my fingers to the keyboard.

On Wednesday, September 1, 2010, I traveled to Guadeloupe for business purposes. Prior travel dates had to be canceled due to the unavailability of ferry and airline services. I was and still am surprised at just how difficult it was/is to travel to Guadeloupe from Dominica.  One would expect that an Island less than 100 miles away would have relatively good air and sea access especially as, for as long as I can remember, the French Islands have always been hyped up as the most obvious tourism source market for Dominica. Our “window” to Europe was a popular idiom used.

A trip, by ferry, which was supposed to be a more relaxing, less stressful mode of travel between Dominica and Guadeloupe, turned out to be one of the most horrific travel experiences I have ever encountered.

Tourism is my background.  As a tourism professional, and especially given the very fast paced evolution that is now the order of business where tourism marketing is concerned, there is not one tourism expert that will not whole-heartedly agree with the fact that word of mouth promotion has and will continue to be the most powerful and effective form of promotion.  Today, it is given more savvy terms like viral marketing.  Bottom line is that there is power in the spoken word – negative or positive.

Before I begin to give an account of my horrific experience leaving Dominica last week, I want to preface my comments by saying that as a tourism professional, and a frequent traveler, I am well aware of the fact that a typical routine day could go wrong at the “flip of a switch.”  I am also acutely aware of the fact that with very limited air and sea access, ground handling agents and the port authority should be masters at managing flight and ferry cancellations.  They should be able to write and own the manual on how to handle cancellations – regardless of the circumstance. Far too often we are given the excuse that a day gone wrong is not common.

I along with my two travel companions were advised to arrive at the Roseau Ferry terminal at 5 pm.  We did as we were told.  Upon arrival, and as expected, we met a very large and anxious grouping of passengers who were also expecting to travel to Guadeloupe.  The gate leading to the check in area was still closed but opened just past 5 pm.  I immediately observed that there was only one port officer on duty.  He was totally ill-equipped to handle the next 2.5 hours.  He obviously did not see it fit to immediately call for additional help.  Try and imagine 250 plus people forcing and fighting their way to and through one entrance, less than 5 feet wide.  Tensions immediately began to rise.

I witnessed at least five vicious arguments that stopped short of all out physical showdown.  Bags were being thrown, pushed and shoved like sheets of paper.  Children were crying, people were all sweating profusely.  I witnessed one young man faint.  Fortunately, the crowd was so thick that it prevented him from falling flat and causing himself serious harm.  There were nationals traveling to Guadeloupe for medical attention.  Imagine the additional anguish such persons had to endure.  There were no lines, no semblance of law and order for what should have been a very routine procedure. Seats in the departure lounge were not wet from spilled water but rather from dripping sweat. The chaos was caused by the cancelation of ferry service two or three days prior due to inclement weather caused by the passage of Hurricane Earl.  I am certain that this was not the first time that the ferry’s agent in Dominica had to deal with cancelations.

All over the world there are standard procedures for how to deal with confirmed passengers and those placed on a standby list.  An agent who has been in business for as much as 100 years should have anticipated the frustration, raised tempers, pushing, shoving, and anxiety of the travelers and put a comprehensive plan in place to have avoided the horrific experience for both Dominicans and visitors alike.  I saw the horror on the faces of the visitors departing Dominica.  I took time to speak to some of them and was not at all surprised to hear them express the fact that they would NEVER RETURN TO DOMINICA.

The aforementioned forces one to assess the importance of Dominica as a destination for Express Des Isles. Perhaps the persons who use the ferry services are not considered important enough customers to warrant ‘excellent and professional’ service as those coming through on the cruise ships or travelling on the airlines.   It certainly is grounds for a discussion as to whether ferry passengers often profiled as hagglers, hucksters and miscreants of society who have run away to “Gwada” to commit crimes are being treated as second class visitors to Dominica.

To the ferry company they may be, but to us in Dominica they should be regarded as men and women of the soil, those who work hard to send back remittances for their families left back in Dominica.  They are to be respected just as much as those of us who dress nicely to travel to the United States and further afield.  They are to be given international check-in procedures and safety screenings, and an air-conditioned departure lounge. It is they – the very Dominicans living in “Gwada” –  that also have the power to spread the word to French nationals, who ordinarily do not see Dominica as possible close and different vacation option. It is only the French market, out of all the markets that Dominica promotes itself on, that has two access options – air and sea.  If the ferry agent, port authority and Express Des Iles saw these passengers as important travelers, they would insist on the same procedures that govern passengers traveling on American Airlines, simply to avoid the negative backlash from angry passengers who would not hesitate to put pen to paper or call on prominent international media outlets to make them aware of the way they were being treated in a foreign land.  This disparity in procedure only serves to reinforce the fact that the French market is not seen as an important market for Dominica by tourism officials and that lip service is all it is given.

What about our Air and Sea Port Authority?  Should they not have been working hand in hand with the ferry agent to implement a plan of action that would have avoided last evening’s mêlée at the ferry terminal?  The powers of each sit on boards together.  Not only do they sit on the same boards, they are also charged with the development of tourism in Dominica.  Stop paying lip service to tourism development in Dominica.  Roll up your sleeves and get to work. The French market is in your backyard.  You have a captive audience of about 1 million people that are less than 2 hours away from Dominican shores.  Stop using a plethora of fluffy adjectives to describe your commitment to service and improving the tourism product in Dominica and make your actions speak louder than your words.

I read yesterday (September 1st, 2010) that one prominent business house marked a mile stone in its existence.  I read about the company’s commitment to good customer service.  Over the years I have listened to the expressions of commitment to tourism development in Dominica. My experience last evening at the Roseau Ferry Terminal confirmed that this commitment may very well be lip service that definitely continues to foster negative word of mouth promotion for Dominica.

Three years ago, a former tourism colleague and I were told that we were mere technocrats.  We were told by the righteous dollar man that we needed to become traders.  We needed to pick up our brief cases as if they were filled with cloth and head into the market to effect change and sell.  We have a new tourism entity.  The master minds of self-proclaimed tourism experts.  It replaced a top heavy, bureaucratic machine that was obsolete and self-absorbed.  The new entity promised positive change.  I have been looking for that change.  I want to learn something new from that change.  Regrettably, thus far it has not taught me anything new.  I remain hopeful nevertheless. Hopeful that I will be taught something new and that Dominica could one day soon enjoy increased foreign exchange earnings from visitors that are within our immediate reach.

I call on the boards of the agencies charged with tourism development to use their supposed additional resources, skilled work force and more efficient systems and procedures to foster one of the basic ingredients of any marketing mix – positive word of mouth.

Former secretary general of the Caribbean Tourism Organization Dr. Jean Holder, in one of his many speeches, had rightfully said that no matter how skillfully crafted and funded a sound marketing plan was, it could not sell a poor product twice.  As a tourism marketing professional I endorse those sentiments and would go on to add that no amount of lip service will bring Dominica one step closer to realizing the true potential that lies just north and south of our shores.

We recently read of the cancellation of weekly calls by Carnival Cruise to Dominica.  The reason given by the cruise line was the high cost of fuel.  The average Dominican does not believe this to be the true reason.  I listened to the cruise line’s representative in Dominica during a radio interview, giving what I believe to be the true reasons why the line decided to cancel calls to Dominica.

Such honesty in my view is good, but is “too little too late.”  When one was/is charged with being the custodian of the Roseau bayfront and more importantly still has representation on the entity charged with tourism development in Dominica, it begs the question: why weren’t these important issues raised publicly before now?

Far too often we are happy to report good news and accolades.  We remain dumb, we choose to be like ostriches and bury our heads in the sand when it comes to the real truth or the hard painful facts.  Again, lip service that in the end will cost the average person his or her ability to make a sustained livelihood.

The issues raised were a very accurate account of why Dominica is losing appeal among cruise lines.  Let us accept them, address them and stop paying lip service to tourism development in Dominica.

Written by Steve A. Johnson B.Comm, M.Sc. (Tourism)

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15 Comments

  1. Private
    September 9, 2010

    Congratulations Steve! It is not because of the great writing but being honest about a sentistive and urgent situation we have on our hands. I am shocked that we get responses on radio about how vendors and txi men behave on the bayfront, how dirty the shores are and the island hoping selling the destination at the same time when we get the news that cruise lines are pulling out. The DDA budget was cut by more than 25%, tell me who cares about tourism. The boards are made up politically default persons who have no sense and passion for the sector? Isn’t if obvious that some persons are in the wrong jobs and on the wrong boards and others on too many boards? I wish some one would show the public what part of the tourism master plan is being followed now – show me the page please. The heads and directors of these authorities are like the blind leading the blind. They only react to things and do not have the least sense of being proactive or learning from other countries. It does not matter whether this started when STeve was at NDC or whether it started five years ago, let us deal with it now and someone come out and give a public apology for treating travellers that way, the port, the agent and other tourism officials should be ashamed of this.

  2. Reader
    September 8, 2010

    Oh dear! I was actually thinking of taking the ferry over to Guadeloupe on my next trip home. Guess I need to rethink that!

  3. Norman Clinton Shillingford
    September 6, 2010

    Steve I am very much impressed, this article speaks the truth and was very objective. They figure if you dont sing their tune your not part of their games. When I speak I speak with authority. Its time that we take back our Dominica from those chauvinistic pigs. Keep up the good work and hope to see lots more of those articles.

  4. teej34
    September 6, 2010

    Someone asked the question which piqued my curiosity, when the writer was part of the system, aka the problem, did he notice it? If so, did he address it? If he did, what was the response from his bosses, i.e. the politicians? By the way, waiting for ferry in St. Lucia is only slightly better, and the madness that ensues at boarding time there is ridiculous. Then arriving in St. Lucia and trying to go through immigration is reminiscent of rushing to go into Pit at the old Carib cinema. People were pushing and spoiling for a fight, and the F bomb was dropping from everywhere. Soooo I am wondering what is wrong with the ferry business in the region. Also, and most importantly as the writer noted, why isn’t the ferry circuit in sync with the airline schedule? Powers-that-be need to address those things. I mean, how long can DA go?

  5. Dr Geoffrey Lafond
    September 6, 2010

    Steve

    Well said. Dont give up the fight for progress in Dominica. Dont only criticize but encourage and compliment as well when good things do occur .

  6. Semi Returnee
    September 6, 2010

    Fantastic, fair and “wake up call” article. I can almost feel your frustration on the day from your article. It literally brought me back to the same bad customer care I continuously experience travelling via Antigua to Dominica. Disgusting. I’ve also questioned myself as to whether they view ‘us’ as not worthy to receive good customer care. But I believe the answer lies with we black people accepting anything thrown at us without questioning or challenging it.

    One of the problems in Dominica is lack of good customer care and no accountability.

    [PS: on one such bad customer care in Antigua – which was the last straw for me – I challenged the bad service my children and I received. I was awarded full refund on our tickets. It is good to complain if you feel you are treated appallingly].

  7. Anonymous
    September 6, 2010

    Everyone knows about the bad state of our country. I think we just have a really bad tourism office. So many people have complained about the state of Roseau, the sidewalks or rather the lack of them, not suited to groups of tourists, not suited to even a family walking together, the half asleep sales women in the old market, the cheating vendors, the rude service, the tacky souvenirs at sky high prices…and the list goes on. Steve couldn’t have said it better. Your last sentence says it all – we choose to ignore instead of acknowledge the problems, and therefore can never get them fixed. Maybe we just need more competent officers but Dominica chases away all its educated people. I remember the problem week after week at the bayfront where bus drivers were harassing tourists, and after that had been going on ridiculously long, Sharon comes on tV with this bright idea that they have come up with a roster. Something so simple couldn’t be figured out earlier??? This was embarassing. The level of the work done was so basic. Thankfully at least the much needed tourism centres were built at sites, but still with sloppy service for eg at the Emerald pool. Further it is not right to discriminate against a Dominican living overseas when visiting these sites, as opposed to a Dominican resident. Small island thinking. I wonder how they would execute that in the UK. Dominica has a long long way to go. I wonder why something as simple as treating customers right cannot be executed in our country.

  8. Theo
    September 6, 2010

    Great article! It is informative, very well written, and brings truth to light. You have so much potential, hope this is the first of many more atricles.

  9. September 6, 2010

    this is a well written article by someone who knows the industry very well. Dominica needs more people like you who are unbiased and frank in telling it like it is. Hope somebody pays close attention and take some damn action. In the words of a famous writer “no one cares how much you know until they realize how much you care”. Could not be said any better. The so called “higher uppers in the Tourism industry need to take note.

  10. truth
    September 6, 2010

    hmm2, what happen you didnt’ go to school? it’s obvious you didn’t read or understand the article…sad

  11. Watcher
    September 6, 2010

    Yes Steve something has to be done as I was also on the Express Des Iles on Sunday. On Saturday, the area before departing, prior to being screened by DASPA security guards, who took such a long time and I do not know how the persons in line could stand that heat. I can really understand that a man fainted because I felt that way myself. What about children? They can get so irritable that the Agent and the other like DASPA need to treat persons well and I quote from your article above ” saw these passengers as important travelers, they would insist on the same procedures that govern passengers traveling on American Airlines, simply to avoid the negative backlash from angry passengers who would not hesitate to put pen to paper or call on prominent international media outlets to make them aware of the way they were being treated in a foreign land”

    We need to be serious as Dominicans and if we need to see what we can do as individuals; train our children to keep our surroundings clean and green. Littering is a problem in our country. If we want to promote our country as a place for others to visit, we have to do what is right at all times. Be courteous, stop all these foul language anytime and anywhere. We also need to clean the area of those who loiter the bayfront. We need to look at a social program for these persons. It is sad that they are someones child as well. But we have to keep away from the Bayfont. We may have to do rehab and at the same time use them to do something worthwile – like as we have seen – many are engaged in washing vehicles. But the Board members on the Tourism Board need to come foward with solutions to combat these problems. They cannot see themselves as only the important persons.. You need to look at other persons interest including the misfits since if you do not have a programme, then they will be there roaming the street and giving a bad impression.

    Recently I saw with my eyes two (2) French nationals from Martinique and guess what, they are roaming our streets up and down and sleeping on the roadside. I understood (cannot verify since I am reporting from someone who claimed that they spoke to them) that these two persons have their return ticket to Martinique and because of being displaced on account of the storm warning, they were not able to meet their departure tax. Can we not use initiative sometimes, they are gooing back to their country. Are there not things in place to deal with such situations?? No leave them to be added to the numerous who are roaming our streets.

    On the other hand when will our immigration officers or the Police Commissioner allow us returning Dominican (nationals) to follow one queque so they can deal with the non national in a much more speedier time frame. After travelling, one can get very tired and need (want) to get to their destination as quick as possible.

    All these negative impacts – long waiting /checking in contributed to the cancellation of Carnival Cruise lines in Dominica. A Question though, I hope that this cancellation is not due to some persons here who are bent on seeing things fall down so these things can affect election to come. We know of those persons who will do anything to destroy as long as their party(or the persons they can manipulate) is not in power and what does the Agent have to say about that?

    Is this about the ambience of the Bayfront?? What can the big wigs do to assist the vendors in probably getting the vendors stall to be presentable. Can the vendors also do something different like having more local crafts and not the chinese stuff??

    Hello we need to take a collaborative effort to look at the issues. The business men should not fight the small vendors but look at ways and means to assist since in truth and in fact they need to have better looking stalls and removable? Can someone design something. They have families to feed as well and they are assisting in the economy of the country. They created an employment for themselves. We need to make them do better and be more presentable.

    We all have to protect tourism industry in our country.

  12. September 6, 2010

    @hmm:WHAT IS YOUR POINT

  13. hmm
    September 6, 2010

    i guess when steve was part of NDC that problem did not exist…..

  14. Hit the mail on the head in one motion
    September 6, 2010

    Well, I must say reading your commentary is a breath of fresh air. While reading I put myself at the location and go through the motion. I hope that every Dominican will realize how your call for action and less talk is what’s needed to make things right. We need more people to speak up not just to bash political parties, but to provide solutions on real issues.

  15. Cyril Volney
    September 6, 2010

    Well spoken sir.

    The mele at the ferry departure point, and sub human conditions for ferry traffic were described to me by my brother Dr. Ronald Volney. He was travelling back to the USA with our sister, and with three young children in tow. A mosquito infested shed at the port, with no cold drinks, no toilets, and a three hour wait for departure were his lot to bear.

    Why did it take so long to complete the departure lounge on the bayfront? Does anyone give a damn? Who is responsible? HELLO!

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