Minister for Tourism, Hon. Denise Charles-Pemberton, is reporting that 9,300 visitors arrived in Dominica in the two weeks leading up to Carnival 2026, representing a 13 percent increase over the same period in 2025.
Air arrivals increased by 14 percent and sea arrivals grew by 11 percent, while arrivals on Carnival Friday alone rose by 38 percent compared to the previous year, indicating that more visitors are travelling specifically to experience Dominica’s Carnival product.
The Minister attributed the success to government’s investments in access to the destination.
“Upgrades to the Douglas Charles airport and increased flight capacity from 5,379 seats to over 8,000 have strengthened our ability to welcome visitors for major festivals such as Carnival,” she said, adding that deliberate investments in marketing and product development have also bolstered the festival’s impact.
“Our Bouyon artistes continue to carry Dominica’s culture to regional and international audiences with recent recognition by BET,” she noted.
She added that as festival tourism expands, its economic impact is being felt across the country by micro, small, and large businesses in accommodation, transportation, food services, retail, and entertainment.
The Minister commended the Dominica Festivals Committee, Discover Dominica Authority, the National Bank of Dominica, sponsors, the Dominica Police Force, NEP workers, event organizers, volunteers, carnival groups, costume bands, and carnival patrons at home and abroad for their collective contribution to the success of Carnival 2026.
Upcoming events on the national festival calendar include the Gospel Festival on February 28 at the Windsor Park Sports Stadium and Jazz ‘n Creole on May 3, 2026, at the Cabrits in Portsmouth.
instead of boasting fix up Roseau as it has been promised for a good while and not all tourists like what they see in the capital. put your shoulders to the wheel .less talk and more 🎬 action 🎬 please. lol 😆 🤣 😂
when your neighbour beard catches fire 🔥 don’t stand there and laugh catches water and wet yours . There is lots of hard work to be done in tourism but true it’s going great.
it’s apears there are a lot of cacadore holding office in Dominica…even with those increases…is cost of living really dropping for Dominican? I mean..power…water ect…what are you really talking about? did skerrit blow in your nostrils? talking just like him…belching bubbles..
The just concluded carnival seemed to have been fairly successful with the number of locals and visitors that participated.
However, the tourism product needs some adjustments. Firstly, Roseau is not aesthetically welcoming or inviting. A tourist/blogger on his Facebook page, bemoaned the decrepit, unsightly and odorous state of Roseau. He opined that Roses I was among the three worst cities he has visited in the Caribbean. He even lamented that he is not coming back to Dominica as there is not much to do.
What has happened to the long touted revitalization of the main city? All we get from this inept government is false promises. A change of government is urgently needed.
you do know that if 113 people arrived this year over 100 last year that is 13 percent
we want actual numbers my lady hard facts not percentages and averages that can be faked easilly
To hmmmmm: Will that make you sleep better at night?
When a mind like yours is hard-wired and fixated on partisan hatred this is the output you get, silliness. The reality is more people came to Dominica than last year.