Tourism stakeholders in the accommodation sector met last week to discuss how they can work to develop Dominica’s tourism product in accordance with local and international standards.
The one-day workshop was organised by Invest Dominica Authority, Discover Dominica Authority, the Ministry of Tourism and AID Bank.
Minister for Tourism, Ian Douglas, described the forum as another manifestation of the government’s unwavering support and belief in the tourism industry.
“This workshop was called in recognition of the need to place greater focus and attention in deepening the level of partnership between investors, public sector agencies and one of our key financial institutions, the Dominica AID Bank. It is our belief that every effort must be made to begin a dialogue that will lead to our collective action on strengthening and enhancing our efforts in the accommodation sub-sector,” he said.
Key on the agenda was the need to upgrade existing rooms and make arrangements to increase the number of export-ready rooms on the island.
“Both the Tourism Policy and the Tourism Master Plan state clearly to the need to the upgrade of our rooms and to create conditions to further investment in an area of tourism that is pivotal to its further growth and long-term sustainability. The mission, therefore, must be to ensure that we not only have a full complement of rooms that is fully upgraded and available to international guests and visitors, but to create a condition for establishing a critical mass of new rooms in the sector,” Douglas said.
The minister told the tourism stakeholders that it is imperative that they understand the global tourism environment and must work to adjust in order to meet the demands of the international market place and sophisticated guests.
“Tourism is seriously competitive business. We must always ensure that every time we step forward, every time we put our product out, it must be world-class. It must be first class and we must be able to withstand the competition from the other areas of the world, not only those areas in our region, but non-traditional areas which are now beginning to put a product out there. These are posing serious competition and are taking away from our market share. We must constantly be innovative and constantly think of ideas and other mechanisms that will always make our product fresh, exciting and new, allowing our visitors to come and come again,” he said.
The Invest Dominica Authority and the AID Bank are now in the process of developing a series of incentive measures which will assist tourism investors in their efforts at developing greater levels of quality and excellence.
As someone, who has work in the Industry for over half of my life. All I have heard about Toursim in Dominica, is talk and not enough action for the past 20 yrs or more. I remember about 16 yrs ago, Someone set-up a meeting with me, and asked me to provide afeed back on ideas how to move the Dominica’s toursim forward, I informed the then Minister of Tourism, that in Dominica we must focus on systems and processes, and we must create our own niche.
The man start talking to me about 5 star hotels, in the pipe lines, I think two were scheduled to be build and open within a year. that was in 1995. In the Soufriere and Scotts Head area. showing me me paintings of what they were going to look like. Its been 16 yrs now, I have yet to seen these 5 star hotels in Dominica. I guess they are still in the pipe line. Garcon, that pipe line has a long way to go still, I must say.
Although I understand my good friend FET’s point about the International Airport, and yes he and I have discussed it at great length, I am still of the view that the demand is not there for such undertaken.
I think we need to focus on providing Dominican’s who are in the diaspora, an incentive to come and invest in Dominica. Not what is curently being offered to foreign investors. A tax holiday, and duty free concessions, is not enough to get a serious investor to come and invest in Dominica. Everyone is doing it. We in Dominica should stop copying others, Lets come up with something unique. Something Dominican!
For example: If you Invest in the Tourism Industrythe sum of $1-2 Million Dollars Government Should provide the land, (3 -4 Acres) as co-partner in the project. If you invest $3-4 Million in a Toursim Project ;government would provide Land (5–6 Acres). This policy would only apply to Dominicans ( and Not to foreign investors). I will not go the route of FET, and criticise Mr. Ddouglas, I believe his intentions are good. I hope he gets the support to move the industry in the right direction, but in order to do that we need all hands on deck.
A well thought-out contribution. We need to turn our perceived disadvantages, such as lack of beaches and difficulty of access into unique attractions. This means that there is little point in competing with a “me too” product in areas where other destinations have natural advantages. Let’s accept that we will never be a volume package-tour destination for Joe Public and turn this into opportunities rather than waste time bemoaning this fact. You are right, we should present something to the market that is unquestionably Dominican and different, targeting a well researched specific clientele that is not only looking for such an experience but willing & able to pay for it!
Some observations:
– the incentives currently on offer make no distinction between local or foreign investors, except that the latter are restricted to a max. land holding of three acres for commercial purposes.
– in practice restrictions on “foreigners” are easily circumvented by purchasing citizenship under the Economic Citizenship scheme.
– offering land as an additional incentive has been tried and not proven to be a deciding catalyst for the success of an investment. In fact some never materialised in spite of this.
In addition to developing the various aspects of the tourism industry, we need to learn how to market Dominica in its entirety (culture, cuisine, sites, music, etc). Presently I am living in Trinidad and I am always bombarded by ads from Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia to name a few. Except for the man (forgot his name) and his parrot brief promotional pieces hardly anything is shown on Dominica. However I can guarantee you soon as creole festival (not independence celebration) is around the corner you will see ONLY THE CREOLE FESTIVAL PROMOTION. The promoters or those responsible fail to promote DOMINICA, the nature isle.
So after all is said and done if we fail to implement and execute effective market strategies the Tourism Industry will go only one place – no where.
” Minister for Tourism, Ian Douglas, described the forum as another manifestation of the government’s unwavering support and belief in the tourism industry.” ( Ian Douglas).
Ian Douglas, I don’t care how much you or anyone in Dominica talk about Dominica’s tourism, and international standard, you and all the rest are simply blowing in the wind!
You can talk international as much as your tongue, and lips will allow you, however, unless there is an International Airport up and running, on the Nature island, you may as well save your breath, and your balcony talk!
First things first; you will never realize a viable tourrist industry, and trade in Dominica as long as we refuse to construct an International Airport on the island!
When you criticized and advised Rosie Douglas, and the rest of your colleagues that the already commenced International Airport, was too expensive, and what was needed was a soft loan to build one in our country, therefore the project should be shut down.
Rosie Douglas, crowned your foolish idea, by saying, you all could get an International Airport built for a fraction of what the UWP was spending on the project that was already in progress, you guys shut it down.
How come to this day, you Ian Douglas has not yet got that soft loan and used it to build the International Airport that you and the rest of the coalition could have built for a fraction of what the UWP was spending on the one that was already under construction?
Have all your soft loan institution disappeared under some rock in your back yard in Portsmouth?
And by the way what have you done with the information I passed on to you years ago, regarding the movie producer, and director who wanted to utilize Dominica for an annual film festival?
Remember I ask you to pass the information on to Roosevelt Skerrit?
What have you done with that information?
I will remind you: you did not pass the information on to Skerrit, neither had you the discipline, and courtesy to even respond to me in acknowledgement of my E-mail to you!
You need to shut your mouth boy, people like you are nothing more than a total waste of time!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
For your information, we have two international airports, Canefield and Melville Hall as the only destinations served by them are foreign! The volume of air traffic today does not even allow them to break even. Anguilla (39.4 sq.miles) has one airport with a runway similar to the one at Melville Hall, which can handle narrow-body jets such as the Boeing 737 (Melville Hall can too). It has no direct flights to either N. America or Europe. Yet, this has not stopped it developing a tourism industry, far superior to ours by concentrating on the luxury end of the market. In their wisdom they have christened their airport “Clayton J.Lloyd International Airport” and perhaps we should be bold enough to incorporate the “international” moniker in Melville Hall also. Of course, Anguilla is a British Overseas Territory but whether this has anything to do with their success I frankly don’t know.
My friend Anguilla going in Dominica umptin times. Anguilla population is abouta fifth of Dominica’s. Why embarass Dominica by comparing it to Anguilla. Instead compare Dominica with St Kitts, Antigua, St Lucia, St Vincent, Grenada… and you will understand why we need an airport capable of accommodating long haul flights from North America and Europe.
And yes we have two international airports with regional flights…you have an ostrich head or what
@ Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
What an inordinately rude comment. I wonder, are you sane?
I do hope that Ian Douglas and everyone connected with The Department of Tourism reads your comment here and directs all further prepubescent correspondence from you, straight to the junk mail folder.
The reason for your stupid comment is because you revere Ian Douglas, and you a little weasel, and would be afraid to speak out as truthfully as I did.
I do it without fear of reprisal, or victimization from any anyone in Dominica, especially Ian Douglas.
So what’s your point, if you hope to gain something from him politically, or otherwise, then you have a right to make him your god, nonetheless, Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque is his own boss and God Jehovah my provider, so I can talk to the clowns such as Ian Douglas in any way I deem fit!
And to the person who mentioned Nevis, and their airport, bare in mind that Nevis is a dependent of ST. Kitts, about one hour away from Nevis, sailing in a canoe.
There is an International Airport on the island of St. Kitts serving Nevis, and that’s the difference between Nevis, and Dominica.
And by the way, in the event DNO pile all of my comments into the garbage bin, Francisco Telemaque will not be silent, because, I have my personal Website http://www.yvonnedods.com which I can go into my very own message board and write anything I want about Ian Douglass and all the little weasels like you.
For your information, we have a forum, one of the most popular used by many of us in the diaspora, and Dominica, where we poure it on: on the likes of Douglas, and the rest of the clowns operating in Dominica, every single day of the week, don’t ask how can you get on that list because, since you have displayed an inferior mind here, I doubt you would be welcome.
So, even if DNO did not print this, you can be assured, I am going to disseminate in the way it is written here.
If and when we are censored, in one forum, we have several others that will publish our opinions!
Have a nice day, you political poppet.
If you think I am rude, perhaps it is time for me to recommend some psychological therapy for you, so go and visit with Griffin Benjamin, he is my cousin, tell him Son sent you!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
… I’m not aware that anyone mentioned Nevis in this blog thus far. Could it be that your bile troubles your eyes and prevents you from reading other people’s comments properly?
I understand from operators in the hospitality industry that we already have standards but that they are not enforced. Anyway:
– forget local standards. They mean little to the seasoned traveller.
– we are a small nation and don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Apply recognized international standards.
– all accommodation for rent and restaurants to be vetted, rated and licensed without exception.
– those establishments who don’t meet these standards to be given a limited time to fall in line before they are issued a license.
– no unlicensed establishments allowed to operate.
– regular inspections to ensure standards are maintained.
– suggest something similar is put in place for vehicle rentals also.
I realize some of our operators will scream and holler in protest and bring various objections to bear but we have no choice if we are to make our mark as an international destination of “International standard”.
You can blah blah all you want … until you recognize that tourism has long outstripped bananas (and agriculture in general) as our most important source of foreign currency. Not taken seriously Dominica will be in very big trouble. Tourism is now Dominica’s heartbeat …and if it fails … well you know the rest!
All talk, no action. We dont have to go far to start initiating quality standards. Lets have the bayfront vendors in more presentable booths, whether we move them to another location or not. First impressions say alot.
So true!
Blah, Blah, Blah…