Roseau, Dominica, August 18th, 2011: The first Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Dominica Community Tourism Association Inc. was held at the Public Service Training Centre on Thursday 18th August 2011. This historic meeting, held with the full support and collaboration of the Ministry of Tourism & Legal Affairs was attended by over ninety percent of Community Tourism Organizations/Groups from all over Dominica.
Representing the Ministry of Tourism & Legal Affairs were Permanent Secretary Mrs. Claudia Bellot and Mrs. Melvina Walsh- Leslie- Tourism Technical Officer (Ag.)
Through the European Union Funded SFA 2006 Tourism Sector Development Program, support was provided for the expansion of the Rural/Community-based Tourism sub-sector.
According to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism & Legal Affairs, in brief remarks to the gathering, the Ministry of Tourism needs to work closely with the Community Tourism Organizations through the National Community Tourism Association Board of Directors in an effort to empower local communities by providing them with the tools and support necessary to improve competitiveness of the Tourism Sector of Dominica.
The Ministry presented a Community Tourism Draft Action Plan and Draft Management Agreement which will assist in ensuring greater focus on the overall objective of sustainable community ecotourism in Dominica.
The highlight of the meeting was the election of a Board of Directors for the Dominica Community Tourism Association Inc., for 2011-2013.
The newly elected members of the DCTAI Executive Board are:
President – Mrs. Josephine Dublin-Prince
Vice President – Mr. Petronald Green
Treasurer – Mr. Roy Ormond
Secretary – Mr. Lazare Charles
Asst. Secretary/Treasurer – Mr. Rudolph George
Public Relations Officer – Ms.Claudette Rolle &
Three (3) other elected board members – Mrs. Gilles Carbon-JnoBaptiste
– Mr. Smith Prince
– Mr. Andrew ‘Cobra’ Obrien
It is envisaged that the newly elected Board of the Dominica Community Tourism Association Inc., will work with all the Community Tourism Organizations/Groups around the island, to build the necessary linkages between tourism and especially the agricultural and rural sectors.
For more information on Community Tourism, visit the website at: www.communitytourism.dm or follow us on Facebook.
These things are really monotonous. We always hear of meetings, elections of new boards and plans. What ever happens to the implementation process? Our tourism industry has taken so many blows withing the past few years that I am seeing a knock out punch looming in the shadows. If we are doing something for the last forty years (environmental/nature tourism) and it is not working, then we need to change/shift gears. Take a page from the book of the more successful islands in the caribbean. Tourists with money to spend are not the ones who come to watch birds, walk to emerald pool, sleep outside in a tent and eat pre-packaged dried beef jerky. They are the ones who are looking for some entertainment. We need to provide the entertainment. Air access is not the main issue with tourists coming in. If you tell a tourist to climb over a rock, swim through a pond and swing from a vine to get to a location where they are guaranteed a good time, they will come.
My point is, I was pleasantly surprised to see what all the ruckus was about Gros Islet in St. Lucia. Gros Islet has nothing on Pointe Michel or Mahaut. What brings tourists there night after night? Entertainment!! And it is nothing fancy. It is just something to do. Nobody leaves New York, Paris or anywhere in Europe to come sleep in Dominica. No!! They need action. And I do not mean once a year Creole fest. I mean year round, every weekend. We have a few hypocrite people whose opinion is that some things (like slot machines) may ruin Dominica socially. I have news for you; Dominica is already socially rotten. We need to provide the entertainment that spending tourist crave. We need to encourage them to stay by providing a reason for them to stay. Everything else will fall into place when the money begins to roll in. Hotels will be able to expand and provide the accommodation, banking institutions will be more willing to lend for investment in tourism, small business will get more business which will lead to growth, the country will benefit to such an extent that it may want to make the investment in air access.
I do not think that tourism is rocket science. We make an issue of tiny matters because we think big. We figure we need to go big or don’t go at all. Thinking big has to be the big picture. Before you get to the big picture you need to work on the small one.
Where can one find a copy of the Community Tourism Draft Action Plan and Draft Management Agreement.