BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Thursday May 5, 2011 – Of the 249 places in the world in which human beings live and work, the small Caribbean island of Dominica (751 sq km) ranks at 187 in size.
Even so, it is bigger than well-known Caribbean tourism destinations such as St Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Cayman Islands, St Kitts-Nevis, British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, and St Marten.
Two reasons account for Dominica being left behind by neighbouring Caribbean islands in the development of tourism. The first is that it has no white, sandy beaches – the iconic symbol of “Caribbean tourism”; and, second, it doesn’t have an international airport. It is served by small aircraft operated by American Eagle from Puerto Rico, and LIAT for inter-island transportation.
Dominica is amazing!!!!!!!! At the end of the day, an international airport is not going to change that. People are asking for an international airport…but that’s like trying to figure out which came first, the chicken or the egg!!!!!!!!
First off, Dominica is not promoted properly to the world! If it were, no lack of white sand beaches would keep tourist out! Many a times, tourist are looking for that DIFFERENT experience. No one wants to do the same thing over and over. Vacations are meant to be experiences outside the norm. Dominca can be famous for that. We have many things which the other Caribbean islands do not boast! We have the 2nd largest boil lake…we have fresh water lake, waterfalls, diving places, whale watching, etc….
Do you think the world knows what Dominica offers?
HELL NO – many a times, the world doesn’t know where the hell Dominica is.
I say, before the international airport, perhaps we should focus on what we currently have and fix what needs to be fixed. We should start we ROSEAU…. clean it up, beautify it, make it the TOWN as it’s supposed to be. Then we can start by making all the attractions we have more suited for tourist visits. The roads…esp to Trafalgar Falls..need to be fixed, the roads from the Marigot airport…needs to be fixed….
People will do the stop over to Dominica even without the International Airport…but if we fix what we have, promote what we have…MORE will come. And with the MORE people, we’ll get more money which we can then reinvest into building better and bigger hotels…then we can think big for an international airport.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if we have an international airport, when the world doesn’t know WHAT Dominica is, and WHAT it has to offer!
And i say – if that means using the Chinese money to build and fix Dominica…i say go for it!
tell dem bajan stop bulling!!!!!!!!!!!
i could tell they doh liek DOMINICA they can’t go swiming in our rivers
May is recognized as TOURISM MONTH with the central theme “TOURISM IS EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS…PLAY YOUR PART”.
I am therefore calling on the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica and every Dominican at home and abroad, including second, third and fourth etc generation Dominicans and every friend of the Commonwealth of Dominica to call for the establishment of a DOMINICA AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT FUND to support the development of an INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT in Dominica, and that a bank account be opened up where every able Dominican and friend of Dominica can deposit at least US$2.00, that is equivalent to about EC$5.00, towards the development of such an airport.
It sounds like an ambitious idea but I am sure it can be done if we give it a try…I got my EC$5.00 waiting…
I have my EC $5.00 waiting too, but who is going to manage this project. Will it be the same leaders we have in place right now, who can’t seem to see the need for an International airport for Dominica? Who can’t figure out what we need to do to improve Dominica so we can be undoubtedly the #1 Eco-tourism location in the world. We need to have and maintain a clean and welcoming environment, exceptional customer service, treating our customers and visitors with appreciation, respect that they will NEVER forget. These are the things that is impressed on people when they go on vacation. We need to organize so that we can have a system in place that works to charge a fee to go to our sites like Emerald Pool, sulphur springs, lakes, birdwatching locations, boiling lake, etc. We need to work with and improve what we have, and show the world that it is worth coming to Dominica.
I must also admit it is a beautiful article and truthful too. Most of those so called eco tourists still want same day arrivals in large planes, large hotels, air condition comfort, night life, and all the luxuries they are leaving behind in their metropolis…after all they’re metropolitans first and eco tourists after…
It hurts when I hear tourism officials from the public and private sector lament the low arrivals yet many of them say government cannot afford to construct an airport capable of handling “large commercial passenger aircraft”. Friends of Dominica and Dominicans unless we have what they call an INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT we will continue to compromise the growth of our stayover tourism sector and our trained hospitality and tourism human resource will continue to look outward for employment.
Have a happy TOURISM MONTH Y’ALL… IT’S EVERY BODY’S BUSINESS…
The writer is probably not aware of our White Sand beaches on the North East Coast… as he is about the fact that we do not have an airstrip capable of accommodating large commercial passenger planes… so that makes it one reason why our stay over tourism arrivals is lagging and he’s right on target in that regard. As has been said many times before…investing in an airport capable of accommodating flights from North america and Europe will put our island ahead of many of the other other Caribbean tourism destinations…
we need are int. air port to move forward
Lounging on a sunlounger/towel on a white sandy beach is NOT my idea of a perfect holiday.
Adventure, new experiences, the ability to walk and explore are what I look for in a holiday, so Dominica is the place that I would recommend to any one looking for value for money and fond memories.
We have so much more to offer than the other islands, but sadly some of us cannot/will not see it that way.
Now who is dat fella trying to waking up Sleeping Beauty? Would it be that dimpled fella who gets blamed for everything around here??
Thank you,merci beaucoup,mucho gracias,SIR RONALD SANDERS for your views.come to DA,man.Nice place to be.you brighten up my day with this one
This is overall a good article. We must realize that white sand beaches we don’t have, but an international airport we CAN and SHOULD have. Why let other hub islands even have our people stop at their airports, when they can fly directly (in most cases) to Dca.
It also takes marketing the country properly and developing infrastructure to attact quality foreign investments. The roads (need 4 lane highwys in some areas), dependable electricity and water supplies and waste mgt, tourist/nature sites are key infrastructural areas which must be brought up to international standards for those areas that are still substandard or nonexistent. Nonetheless, a good article.
As all Dominicans should know, Dominica is the third largest of the West Indian islands. First, Jamaica; second Trinidad and Tobago; third Dominica. I learnt this when I attended elementary school. There are many people as also other West Indians who are not aware of this and I am certain some Dominicans as well. It all depends on the type of education they received from elementary school to high school.
Dominica was not graced with sandy beaches. It was graced with beauty, lush greeneries, sceneries and rivers – fresh water and lakes. The other islands cannot beat us in this respect.
I will further state that some of those other islands are spoilt by tourism and are more expensive, what with casinos, etc.
You know the saying, “We cannot have everything” and we must be satisfied with what we have.
I do endorse tourism and an international airport will serve Dominica well. However, let Dominica remain as is with its endowed beauty. There are good reasons for that which God knows, He who created the world – Dominica, has His reasons for creating it as it is.
Dominica has a lot to offer, bird watchers and those who appreciate beauty – the beauty and quietude of this island and the friendliness of its people. These in themselves are gifts from God.
God bless Dominica.
I am sure you meant 3rd largest of the ENGLISH SPEAKING islands.
yes i was thinking the same thing, isnt’ guadelope and martinique bigger than dominica, i thought so….just by looking at them on the map………………??????????????????????////
And what about the largest three, Hispaniola, Cuba and Puerto Rico.
……..and Cuba, Puerto RIco and Hospanola.
You right.there is haiti,cuba,dom.republic and guyana
@ Jaco – exactly as the name.
@ BB
I am referring to islands in the West Indies as stated. This article made reference to Barbados and Antigua, West Indian islands.
As far as I am concerned these are the ones I care about. There is no need to differentiate between English and French.
It is not necessary to mention Guadeloupe and Martinique because they are French islands. Tell me something, when and if you write a letter to someone in Guadeloupe and Martinique, at the end of the address, do you write West Indies? They are French West Indies. Likewise to the Spanish countries.
In addition to the Spanish islands, it is also not necessary to mention them, whether they are bigger than Dominica and vice versa. They do not belong to the chain of West Indian islands from Trinidad and Tobago up to Jamaica. Dominica is in the centre of those islands.
These other Spanish islands are situated in the Caribbean and are not classified as West Indian islands.
Those who learnt exactly what I learnt are fully aware of it. I was properly schooled/taught from elementary school to high school.
Recall that Dominica was then a sovereign country under British rule. Furthermore, obviously we did not learn geography and the size of Guadeloupe and Martinique. Unless today it is being taught in the Dominica schools and I do not know why since they are French islands under the jurisdiction of France. They are only neighbors to Dominica and vice versa, called Sister Islands. This is as far as they should go.
To my knowledge (ever considered it because they are French islands), I do not think Guadeloupe and Martinique are bigger than Dominica. They are advanced in some respects in comparison to Dominica. France took better care of them than the British did for Dominica.
Prior to criticizing me and correcting me do your homework and research. Many of you just love to analyze and parse what people state and criticize them without first finding out the truth. You comment without first putting on your thinking cap.
If you received such education in school, then you should know better.
When I write/comment I think and according to my learning and expertise.
Where did you guys learn geography? The listing of the three largest islands below does not include Jamaica which is 896 square miles larger than Puerto Rico.
He or she is right. But you must stress on British West Indies. which is generally called West Indies anyways. French West Indies don’t consider them self West Indians. Also Spanish West Indies they dont call them self West Indians. Bermuda and the Bahamas exempt them self from the list as well..So PR DR Cuba and so on are out of that list.
So there is truth to the original post
what the writer meant was english speaking… u all should concentrate more on the positive things that were said and not on the mistake….gosh man
To all of you, it was not a mistake to say West Indies. Dominicans who were well-taught about the West Indies should know the three largest islands in the West Indies. When we speak to Dominicans and other West Indians who were well taught they should be fully aware of that. There is no need to specify English and French West Indies for we are not referring to the French islands. Do you comprehend the sense of this?
When I am asked where I am from, if it is someone who is not specifically West Indian, I will say West Indies. Those who have been to the West Indies will ask what country. I will not give them that information if they do not ask for it is futile. When I reply to West Indians, I inform them the name of the country.
Do not deceive yourselves. There are some people who are not West Indians who know about the West Indies; some have visited there. They will never ask me if it is the French or English West Indies. They are not interested in that. They are interested in the name of the island and area as the West Indies and the Caribbean.
Sorry, I missed out “POSITIVE” before “ENVIRONMENT”
Agreed. However we as a people need to appreciate the “specialness” of our country and take responsibility for keeping it CLEAN!! We also need to discourage the negative attitude that seems to be engulfing our people. While progress may seem slow, we need to be patient, maintain a more positive attitude and work together for the development of Dominica. The MEDIA IS POWERFUL INSTRUMENT FOR PROMOTING A MORE ENVIRONMENT!!
There is no need for Dominica to build an international Airport since the island can be served from Barbados, Martinique, Antigua and Guadeloupe. Dominica cannot afford such a facility.
Yah we keep your planes full so you guys need us to depend on your airports. Don’t come in here and tell us what we need or don’t need.. Thanks.
Excuse me sir but we have tried this and it has failed us. We need our own…we all know that such capital projects cannot be repaid over night. Antigua and Barbados are still repaying the airport debt but they have theirs. While we are a bit late on the scene, we expect to repay ours too and we may be in a better position to repay since we have the type of tourism product todays’ tourists are looking for…just ask Sir Ron Sanders…
About Guadeloupe and Martinique…they are departments of FRANCE. They can afford the airports they have… but we need our own.
You bajans always frrl you know best right. Think of your backyard and what you need to take care off we know what we can afford. That is very insultive
My!My! Aren’t we like the proverbial crabs in the barrel? As one late Caribbean Prime Minister said, Its all about who is going to buy my grey sand,and who is going to buy my white sand.”
I can still remember when President Clinton invited the Caribbean leaders to the White House, and they all started off with “My island is the best.”
Nothing changes
THIS IS SUCH GREAT NEWS FOR DA..
WE SHOULD LEARN TO DEAL AND APPRECIATE WHAT WE HAVE.. WE DO NOT HAVE THE WHITE SANDY BEACHES BUT WE HAVE THE WATERFALLS, RAINFOREST, LAKES, SULPHUR SPRINGS ETC..LET US ALL COME TOGETHER AS A NATION AND PROMOTE OUR BEAUTIFUL NATURE ISLE..
WE AS CITIZENS SHOULD KEEP OUR COUNTRY CLEAN AND WELCOME AND TREAT VISITORS WITH RESPECT..
TRUST ME ONE DAY DOMINICA HAS TO BE THE # 1 ISLAND IN THE CARIBBEAN.. WE JUST NEED TO MARKET OUR COUNTRY MORE TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD AND EDUCATE THE WORLD ABOUT WHAT OUR COUNTRY HAS TO OFFER..
IF U U LIKE ADVENTURE, COME TO THE NATURE ISLE!!!
The man took the time to do his research and analyzed ways for Dominica to generate more money but its people like you VAN & NH that love to see the country staying broke. Dam@sses! You should read the whole story that this intelligent man took his time write instead of being ignorant.
How were you able to translate ‘broke’ into my agreement with the article that Dominicas strengh is in its ability to become a leading eco-tourism destination?
For your information this is not the first time I have read the article. Look closely at yourself before you judge others
keep all you international airport and white sandy beaches but i still getting there when i have to go and we will always remain beautiful bon chance
Many ways to define greatness. When it comes to culture, nature, natural beauty etc, we remain top. Other islands can keep their iconic symbols and let their country continue to be destroyed.
we will keep the natural beauty, water and culture instead of the white sandy beaches and international airports..thank you!!
@ van
amen