Optimism as tourist season opens

Visitors disembarking from a cruise ship on Thursday morning
Visitors disembarking from a cruise ship on Thursday morning

The Dame Eugenia Charles Boulevard came alive on Thursday morning when Dominica welcomed its first two ships for the 2013 Cruise ship season.

Speaking to Dominica News Online Head of Product Development at Discover Dominica Kathleen Cuffy said that plans have been implemented to make the season as successful as possible.

“We want to give the visitor a sample of our creole culture; we had the conch shell blowers this morning to give them a proper welcome. We are serving fruit juices and we have activities at one of our premier sites the Trafalgar falls. We have also been working with other stakeholders to ensure that our visitors have a welcome experience,” she explained.

Cuffy noted further that issues such as garbage and vagrants have been dealt with.

“We just want to ensure that the entire experience is welcoming because Dominica continues to get flak that the city is sometimes dirty, the people are not as hospitable as they would like there is no welcoming experiences. We are also working with the Forestry Division and the Ministry of Tourism to ensure that the sites are up to speed,” she stated.

A vendor booth on Thursday morning
A vendor booth on Thursday morning

She noted further that although the cruise ships calls are not as heavy as in the past the number of calls continue to grow.

“I urge the stakeholders to continue to exercise good spirits, good hospitality behavior in the way that we interact with our visitors because the impression that they get at first is always a lasting one. We want our tour guides, our hair braiders, our taxi drivers, and others to give exceptional service to our visitors,” she said.

In the meantime, one vendor is expressing guarded optimism that the season will go well although she said the names of the ships that usually generate revenue are not not on the list for visiting Doinica.

“I read the schedule and there are a number of ships but I don’t think it will be that good. According to my experience, the names of the cruise ships that I see I don’t think that it will be very productive. I’m hoping for better but we will have to wait and see,” Brenette Jules-Morehouse, a vendor for the past 20 years, said.

She is hoping that the day goes well.  “The tourists are just coming out now and I’m hoping that today works out for the best but then again the world is in crisis and people don’t have much money to spend but at the end of the day we have to live in faith. So even if we make a little it’s better than nothing,” the vendor said.

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28 Comments

  1. MA
    October 26, 2013

    I always feel hurt when people who visit Dominica say that the place is dirty, rundown, no good welcome, poor hospitality and they need a better place for the vendors, Can this be fixed do not let politics ruin DA

  2. Anonymous
    October 25, 2013

    Good thing tourist season has opened or else the vagrant and garbage issue would never have been dealt with. I’m guessing the health and safety issues of us living here were never an issue. Don’t get me wrong; I’m happy at the fact that we’re trying to depict Dominica as a nature island (which in fact it is) but this should be done all year round, not just to “pretty up” the place when visitors are around.

  3. birdy1964
    October 25, 2013

    Congrate homeland. May the great lord give you all a bright season. remember safety for the people & yourself first. anonymous i love your attitude is business.This country need to change, we are living in a new century. You are the ones to change. So we can come home to build this country.

  4. October 25, 2013

    Please people, the gay people are the ones to spend the most money , why not have the cruse ship come to dominica some people really need to take their head out of where the sun don’t shine! :

  5. pg
    October 25, 2013

    More tourists = more money, (hopefully). People don’t go where they don’t like the sound of, so if you sound like you are unaccepting of people, an don’t care to cater for any of their needs you end wit no tourists. Take ur pick.
    What is with this gay thing?- I’m sure lots of tourists do lots of different things god would not approve of at all. Some people have such a fixation and obsession with gay it makes me wonder y they are so concerned with the souls of others they are not trying to help.

  6. Ben Dong
    October 24, 2013

    Abomination and Money are twin brothers. I’m on the side line.

  7. Anonymous
    October 24, 2013

    Gay people has to answer to God for there bahavior, he without sin cast the first stone.

    If i had my way i would have a gay cruise ship every day in dominica rather than having one once a week from october till january.
    Bring in the gay tourist.

    • Justice and Truth
      October 24, 2013

      Your comment is contradictory. Exactly what you meant by the second and third sentence?

    • reader
      October 26, 2013

      …you sound pathetic!… lets hope IF gay cruise ships start to come DA; our young boys are not as money hungry and allow money to corrupt their young minds! Because money can buy EVERYTHING, and there is nothing more attractive to nasty old white men (who have the lions share of the money) than fresh young black boys!!!!

  8. true dominican
    October 24, 2013

    discombobulatd, I agree with you 1000% I myself I have a lot of my business to mind I not going to waste my time concentrating on peoples private life. This happens in every country but alas it is worse in dominica. That’s why the country not progressing, we spend too much time in other people business.PM trying but our old ways that have the country so…………… Watch and see if the county going to move forward, not until we start to change our dirty ways……….. Like it or not I don’t care.

  9. Negbawi
    October 24, 2013

    I see…this is not political, not roro enuff, so little or no comment.

  10. BEN HAYNES
    October 24, 2013

    There are many ports in the Caribbean. People have a right to decide where and when they want to visit. They heard that D/ca is a great sight for visitors because of its natural beauty, and less conflifts amongst its people. Thankfully, we can boast of our naturalness, and cool atmosphere. l agree with those that run the business, and they should get our support on every level. We have seen time and time again that giving local citizens directions and codes of behavior is the best and cheapest way in giving advise hence, first impressions are always fixed. D/ca needs every type of help for recovery and strength of the tourist industry. After-all it is perhaps the best in the Caribbean, and is beneficial to all. Goodluck in this adventure.

  11. face_up+2
    October 24, 2013

    @faceup u must be gay to want gay ship in Dominica
    Dominica don’t need no gay ship
    gays a abomination in de eye of GOD

    • Discombobulated
      October 24, 2013

      Then let that be between them and god. Is people like you who take other people happiness and make it your sorrow. How does what any gay person do in the world affect you? Personally I don’t like nor support the idea but that is none of my business. What another human being decide to do is completely their choice. If is my family I will voice my opinion, but even so, it is your prerogative how you live. No one can tell me how to live my life, they can give advice but that’s it. And that’s exactly how I treat others.

      • Justice and Truth
        October 24, 2013

        This person has much a right as you to voice his/her opinion, to comment.
        The biggest mistake people make is to say, “It is none of my business” while the world goes astray. It is everyone’s business. The only time we should keep quiet is about the goings on of people in their own home.
        In fact, it could concern others and especially those who know them. They have a right to speak to them and even admonish them for their immoral ways. This is for their mortal and spiritual benefit. You are in dire need of learning this. Tell your opinion to God when you stand before him for your judgment and see what will happen to your soul for all eternity.
        We are all each other’s keepers. We have a right to oppose immorality in the land once it comes out in the open for all to see. This includes immoral legislation of such.
        God expects this of us especially if we are Christians and practicing ones at that. We cannot turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to these things which are especially an abomination and highly offensive to the Lord.
        As Our Lord said, “If we do not say/do anything, even the stones will cry out.”

    • faceup
      October 24, 2013

      No wonder things are so bad your PM always out there begging !

      • Justice and Truth
        October 24, 2013

        Some of you always turn good gestures and good deeds into bad ones. This is caused by the type of mentality you possess.
        He has to beg for his people. Consider how many lived leisure lives, never worked, never sought employment, some school drop outs and more… They never contributed to the economy of the country. Some of these same people are crying that they are poor and criticizing all the good the PM does.
        If the PM did nothing and merely sat in office, people as you would criticize him. You cannot be pleased.
        Get with it and do something constructive for your country rather than being a critic. God is not pleased with critics, complainers and negative people. How do you expect to please God and to obtain eternal salvation with that type of negative attitude, undermining and denouncing everything good? What type of person are you? Is this all you are worth? What a shame! :twisted: :mrgreen: :twisted:

      • Discombobulated
        October 25, 2013

        You’re obviously an idiot. Shouldn’t have wasted my time. Good luck

    • Neutral
      October 24, 2013

      You are probably gay too. Dominica has always have gay people. I remember as a boy going to DGS they would talk about the gay guy who fixed bicycles in Roseau.

  12. Roughcake
    October 24, 2013

    Get the beggars that persistently pester tourists off the streets, and get Roseau cleaned up.That would go a long way in helping the situation,

    • Justice and Truth
      October 24, 2013

      Where have you been in recent weeks or where has your mind been? Did you not read on DNO and also heard what would be done to keep them off the streets? Do you have a short memory of what you read or wasting time in repeating it?
      Did you not read this article properly and comprehend what was written and the action taken to keep them off the streets? Read it again. Also go to the archives and read that information.

  13. THE TRUTH
    October 24, 2013

    It is all nice that the tourists are visiting Dominica, but the place should always kept clean. There are no bathrooms to accommodate the tourists. Roseau is filty, and some of the buildings are rundown. In my opinion, Roseau is too rundown for a tourist site. The minister of tourism needs to do a better job.

  14. Jay
    October 24, 2013

    Sorry guys, I braved Roseau today but still encountered vagrants, the pavement outside the courts remains broken up after years and the poor tourists still have to negotiate that unappealing stretch of road through Pottersville, when walking from the deep water port at Fond Cole to Roseau.That is not only an obstacle course but a definite hazard. On top of everything else someone had decided to block access to Hanover Street from the junction with Cork street to the old market, for through traffic, causing even more traffic congestion. My advice, move the cruise ship pier out of town and until such time stay away from Roseau on cruise ship days if at all possible.

  15. faceup
    October 24, 2013

    Yea that’s all good and to make DA even more prosperous, let us accept more GAY Cruises, be couteous and get your money !!

    • susan
      October 24, 2013

      hahahah lol

    • Anonymous
      October 24, 2013

      anything for money!

    • susan
      October 24, 2013

      @ face-up. don’t u think we have enough curses in the land.

      • Justice and Truth
        October 24, 2013

        And more to come with this homosexual and lesbian acceptance. Do they not think that God is offended and that He will punish those who practice it, encourage it, condone it and for the love of money?

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