Destination Marketing Manager at the Discover Dominica Authority (DDA), Kimberly King, has publicly contradicted the recent statement by Tourism Minister Denise Charles that she and the DDA had “mutually agreed to part ways” following the end of her contract at the end of September. King, however, has spoken out, clarifying that she was the one who decided to not renew her contract.
Speaking to state-owned DBS radio earlier this week, Charles made the disclosure and mentioned that the country was actively seeking a replacement for the position that King held for the last two years.
“We are thankful to Miss Kimberly King for her service and the time she spent with us. She joined us during the COVID period and she has done her best to represent the country and I wish her all the best in her future endeavors,” the minister stated.
In response to these comments, King, who joined the DDA team on October 8, 2021, issued a statement to clarify her position. She emphasized that the decision not to renew her employment contract with the DDA, set to expire on September 30, 2023, was solely hers.
The statement highlighted the date of her decision, stating, “On August 30, 2023, Ms. King, a Trinidadian by birth and the current Destination Marketing Manager submitted to her direct report and Chief Executive Officer at the DDA, Mr. Colin Piper, a letter indicating her decision NOT to renew her employment contract which expires on September 30, 2023.
The statement noted that there were no consultations or communications with any other parties regarding this decision. In her statement, King also highlighted some of her accomplishments during her two-year tenure at the DDA. These achievements included surpassing the 2022 stayover arrivals target, re-activating the French West Indies post-COVID to achieve an 86% improvement over 2022 figures (YTD) and -25% over 2019 figures (YTD), and improving editorial mentions of the destination by 83% in 2022 as compared to 2021.
She also mentioned successful marketing campaigns, such as the one targeting Trinidad and Tobago, which generated over 19,000 conversions to the website, among other achievements. The statement acknowledged that many of these accomplishments were realized during and after the COVID-19 period, which presented significant challenges, including limitations in both human and financial resources. In closing, King expressed her gratitude to the DDA staff, whom she referred to as “the real MVPs” throughout her tenure and the ongoing transition.
During her interview with DBS radio, Minister Charles issued an appeal for qualified individuals, preferably Dominicans interested in the Destination Marketing Manager position to submit their applications.
“It is a very important role for our country and I want to encourage Dominicans who are qualified because in order to sell the country, we need people who have a passion and who understand the product that we have to offer and I am hoping that we would get a large response, especially from Dominicans,” she stated.
“It could be [a] Dominica national abroad or anyone in the region who would like to help Dominica advance its nature brand product,” the Minister added.
Charles stressed the importance of the role in marketing Dominica as a destination and building crucial trade relationships with travel professionals worldwide and expressed the hope that individuals with a passion for promoting Dominica’s unique natural offerings would step forward to apply.
Chronic brain drain, perpetual talent pool exodus and legacy politically tinged cronyism have conspired to rob Dominica of invaluable and immeasurable contributions from brilliant sons and daughters of the soil.
My statement is not meant to malign my compatriots who have weathered the storms of political divisiveness to serve with honor and distinction on the homefront inspite of obvious partisan politics induced roadblocks and hardships.
On the contrary, I commend those who continue to persevere in a land where one’s allegiance to “Red and Blue” continues to determine your employment fate. All thanks and praise to the Most High for granting me an exit route because I definitely could not deal with all the political favoritism and related BS that is plaguing my homeland.
The Ministry of Tourism and Discover Dominica have been useless for years, but recently they’ve sunk to new lows. Standards are so bad, inadequacy and incompetence so ubiquitous, that it takes an outsider’s rejection of a contract renewal to shine a light on all those people who wouldn’t get past first interview in other countries. Charles is lying because someone is exposing this truth – an act no government employee would ever dare to do if they wanted to keep their job.
Just look at the clowns in charge: Denise Charles, Piper, Walsh… what do you all expect?
Something is definitely wrong here since, as many of you rightly said by looking at it on the surface, there was no need for Ms. King to respond. However, there is more happening on a deeper level, and I think Ms. King stopped short of giving the full story because of her professionalism. We all know that it’s hard for any consummate professional to operate in this current climate of government interference in every decision. No one who has reached the pinnacle of their profession wants to be an errand boy or girl for a block head who is a minister only by virtue of the fact that he ran an election and won but otherwise has no skills or competencies in the work his ministry is charged with.This is not the first time. Remember when the CEO at the hospital cut his contract short and ran away? Something is going on. Alas.
Denise one the worse thing that happen to Dominica is make you a minister especially tourism minister .
Denise ask skerrit to give you and xxxxxxx a caribbean cruise from Tobago to Dominica, then you will see what tourism is, what selling your country is , all these countries have cruise villiages except Dominica. What a damm shame, you all spending money all over the place doing BS and dominica is last in the Caribbean .
I was on a caribbean cruise and i visited all these island and was in awe when i went on those tours to see what they take me to see compare to Dominica . What hurt the most is when i got to dominica we dock at a jetty in 2023 and a shanty town.
Denise go and you will get better eyelashes and weave , Who’s that better in the pal a ment i want to know?
Dominica have dillions of passport money out there we need some to build a state of the art cruise villiage then you will start talking tourism hopeless bunch of you know what.
Denise Charles you so dumb and full of it , all the people you all bringing down to vote every time there is an election, their is none thats qualify to give the job , alot of them out there struggling to make end meet .
Denise Charles the way you express your self, and talk the way you do, you alone that know what happening behind the four wall .We will hear more later, concern Dominican.
This administration has an incurable lying disease. Even the most mundane pronouncement, like this one, has to be untruthful.
Lies and corruption are Siamese twins. Any government built on lies is like a house built on shifting sands. It cannot be good.
The present Roosevelt led aristocracy is a real and dangerous threat to the existence of Dominica as we once knew it.
Could not have said it better! What a bunch of lieing cabalists
For the people who say the minister didn’t say anything negative, mutually agreed to part company means in industrial relations that the employers are highly dissatisfied with the employee, calls the employee in and says we want to fire you but it would be best for everyone if you sign this resignation letter that we have drafted and we’ll issue a statement saying we have mutually agreed to part company. The fact is that the minister lied, tried to paint Ms. King as incompetent and ineffective and lacking passion for Dominica because she is a ‘foreigner’, so it was important that Ms. King clear the air. Kudos to her for standing up to this (DNO won’t publish the words I’d like to use to describe her, so I’ll say} character.
The previous marketing manager, Malinda Hassell, quit after just four months because of Denise Charles. Malinda is a highly qualified Caribbean citizen and was appointed director of tourism in Saba, where she’s doing an outstanding job. Ms. King was being frustrated by Denise Charles and Colin Piper and she only stayed this long because her family and confidants in Dominica encouraged her to hold on and persevere. I have no doubt that it won’t be long before we read, maybe even here on DNO, that she has another job in a place where professionals are allowed to thrive. She made strides for Dominica in spite of Denise Charles. And when her contract was expiring she advised the DDA that she did not intend to renew. And instead of having a conversation with her, Denise went on radio and made it appear that Ms. King was not doing a good job so the “mutually agreed” to part company. For the people who say the minister didn’t say anything negative, mutually agreed to part company means…
@Point, how dare you jump on someone’s opinion yet you have the gall to opine that “King perhaps expected to be serenaded.
@Johnathan Y St. Jean, did Miss. King give any reason for her not renewing her contract? She seems to be upset that the minister did not highlight her achievements during her two year employment, so what! This is a big non issue but political idiots like you want to turn it into a national emergency. So go ahead serenade her and make her a national hero because she did not renew her contract with Government……
Pointless as usual. The good lady is the one who voluntarily decided not to renew her contract. Why would she want to be showered with praise? Such gibberish could only come from Roosevelt’s rabid spin doctors.
Due to entrenched politics and a social hierarchy that resembles a caste system, many educated individuals, whether born in the country or immigrants, find themselves compelled to leave in search of better job opportunities. This was the case for me; I left the island years ago because I couldn’t secure employment, despite being qualified, while less deserving candidates were given opportunities.
The country’s governance, led by individuals with misplaced self-confidence, has had a detrimental impact on both its reputation and its citizens.
While Dominica is home to many educated and hardworking people, they remain hindered by those in charge. Fortunately, I was able to apply my Dominican education and skills to lead others in a different country, finding personal and professional success.
In a continuing atmosphere in Dominica where the bloated minister count is a drag on the economy of a third world inept country, these government ministers think they know-it-all. There are so many of them that means there isn’t much to do but interfere with real professionals who are doing their jobs. The work environment is one where the minister decides everything rather than manage towards meeting the objectives set forth by the parliament. Most hires in the police service are persons who the minister sends for a job irrespective of competence and qualifications. Therefore when Ms King got fed-up with the small town political showboating and realize she could do much more elsewhere, then the circus for her had to end. The spin doctors try to shrug off Ms King but facts speak otherwise. How can we talk of CARICOM integration yet the minister is pushing non Dominicans to the back of the line. Wouldn’t it be nice if a Dominican got a good job in another island?
Dominica has the largest Cabinet per capita in the world.This is no exaggeration. In a country where the main sources of revenue for the government are passport sales and taxes & fees, the economy bound to tank.
With the Roosevelt’s regime, there is nothing more uncommon than common sense.
@Jonathan, seldom do I agree with you. This is one of the times that I wholeheartedly agree. The previous holder of the position, a highly qualified and skilled professional from Aruba, Malinda Hassel, quit after just four months because of Denise Charles. Since August 2021 she has been the director of tourism for Saba where she’s doing an outstanding job. This minister is toxic and is at the top of the pole among the confederacy of the dunce running the country. And the troubling this is they are all much too stupid to realise how stupid they are. I’m confident that it won’t be long before Ms. King emerges in a similar position but in a much better place where professionals are appreciated and respected.
Based on what DNO is reporting I do not see any reason for Ms. King to issue a rebuttal. Maybe DNO should report the full text of Ms. Charles’ comments.
As usual, the citizens of Dominica have only been told half of the truth. I knew we were at a stage now where information is heavily censored by the government apparatus. Strangely enough, DNO is quite happy to indulge in this monkey circus.
Exactly i agree. Because we know what was said on DBS and how she said it. that woman is too uncouth. Unless she is reading from a script she can say anything.
I am not surprised at all. This situation has been going on for about 20 yrs now. Why do our politicians always think that they have to interfere in these institutions? The CEO of DDA should tender his resignation with immediate effect because in reality, he does absolutely nothing to enhance Dominica… not at home nor abroad! It´s time people speak out about these terrible things that are going on in our country. When is it ever going to end? Please people, wake up!!
They are micromanaged by the Minister and the PS who are NOT trained in Tourism.
As soon as they put proper professionals in these jobs that are capable of marketing Dominica properly and the way it deserves, the for ever interfering politicians start interfering. Now, Dominicans would put up with this in order to kept their job. People like Ms. King don’t have to. I bet she could walk into another job tomorrow, purely based n her knowledge and merit in the field. That leaves Dominica with the nodding politically influenced donkeys but unfortunately with people that don’t have a clue what they are doing or talking about.
Kudos to you Ms. King for standing up for yourself and debunking the false narrative they would have us believe. They have a track record.
And what is the false narrative? Did the minister say that king was fired? The minister said not one negative word about king. King perhaps expected to be serenaded. And by the way since when some of us like foreigners…….much ado about nothing.
Charles made out it was a mutual decision, but it wasn’t. King wanted out of there, just like all the others who have gone before her. No-one with expertise gets any job satisfaction working at DDA and the joke that is the ministry of tourism. Charles is lying to save face. That’s why it matters.
“And by the way since when some of us like foreigners……”
Therein lies the problem. The lady is a national of Trinidad and Tobago, a member of CARICOM, just like Dominica. The CARICOM Free Movement Regime allows for free movement of people for gainful economic activity within the CARICOM Single Market and Economy. Therefore she is not a “foreigner” within CARICOM.
@Point, how dare you jump on someone’s opinion yet you have the gall to opine that “King perhaps expected to be serenaded. Hog wash.
I don’t understand the need for Ms. King to issue a statement to “clarify her position”. It’s not like she wanted to remain but they fired her and are publicly claiming it was a mutual decision.
Ms. King resigned, they accepted her resignation, and the minister thanked her for her service, wished her the best, and made an appeal for candidates to apply for the now vacant position.
Unless there was much more said than what’s in this article then there’s nothing that needs to be clarified.
The statement seems more like an ego boost/brag to highlight Ms. King’s accomplishments more than anything else.
Oh but I believe there is. There is a huge difference between someone deciding not to renew their contract and the non renewal being on the part of both parties.
It seems to me that the lady is walking away, but the minister is trying to make it look like this is not the case. Simply put, the minister is a dam blasted liar.
Grayson I thought you was smarter than that. Can’t you see that the minister is trying to save face and say they mutually parted ways, but Ms King is letting it be known that she was the one who did not want to return. Why are so many of DDA and DFC staff resigning?
One can also make the argument: why didn’t the minister just say the lady opted not to apply to renew her contract.
Most times it is not the act that takes you down, it’s the cover-up.
In business, I have also made it my policy to take the hit upfront. It might appear to be painful, but it is significantly more painful when you are caught in a lie. Your credibility goes down the toilet very quickly and it is almost impossible to regain it.
DDA and Tourism Ministry are a shambles. None of them know anything at all about travel, and many of them don’t even know thieir own country. They sit behind desks in their designer clothes, keeping their heads below the parapet, taking home a salary they haven’t earned nor deserve. All they do is plan fetes. They don’t hike, they don’t diver, in fact the only time they go out is for fete or to pose for photos. All should be kicked out. Whenever someone comes from overseas to work in Tourism, they leave as soon as their contract is up. Has anyone ever asked why? The answer is simple and nothing ever changes.
Thanks for de clarification!
It appears that you walk out on Dem…. completely by surprise eh because is now alone they looking for a replacement.
You are a non national…..but I like your style.
They can’t just go in their little bag to replace you with another competent person before creole festival gets here.
Best wishes on your future endeavors!!!!!
Denise Charles is a joke……hahaha
Poor DOMINICA! When some means well, those above are frustrating the system.
I know the young lady means well. Dominica, I know you are crying.
You sleep with dogs you catch the fleas. The Tourism Minister lied. She used the state propaganda machine (DBS Radio), as usual, to propagate her falsehood. When the head of government is an unrepentant LIAR the whole of the public service lies.
If this lady can’t even speak the truth about someone who decides not to renew a contract, just imagine the lies she tells on more weighty issues. The Dominica government is comprised of a den of LIARS and cartoonist characters.
The state radio station is not being used to transfer reliable data and information. Its purpose is for Roosevelt and his adherents to dupe gullible Dominicans and spread false narratives.