A treasurer’s report has revealed that the Dominica Hotel and Tourism Association has recorded a positive cash flow after grappling with a deficit in its last financial year.
Treasurer of the DHTA Sarah Slanetz disclosed this at a DHTA bi-annual meeting last evening.
Slanetz said that a recent cash and kind injection of $30,000 from telecommunications company Digicel is expected to help in further keeping the association afloat amidst operation costs.
“DHTA is still doing well managing its budget; we are actually realizing positive cash flow right now, which is great coming from a deficit last year,” she reported.
It was announced that telecommunications company Digicel’s contribution will come in installments of $2,000 monthly along with $500 phone credit per month for the next year.
“Right now the bank balance is in excess of $11,000 and we are grateful that we are gonna start receiving the money from Digicel which will help offset our operating costs… The general monthly expenses are the payroll, the rent, and the utilities and that comes to about 2,800 a month to operate the office. So the Digicel contribution will help our set back so the fund-raising activities can now go towards…going about dealing with issues, helping promote Dominica more, helping promote our members,” Slanetz said.
She said that the association is also expecting $15,000 month-end from the Experience Dominica Magazine, and is hoping to collect at least $16,000 from the upcoming National Tourism, Cocktail and Hike fest.
She also reported that membership had grown in the last two years and that there has been a 25 percent increase in income from the DHTA magazine from last year.
If they want to increase tourist traffic in Dominica, why not invite Nate Berkus (oprah’s design expert) to Dominica. He just did a full show on Dominica with two Dominican ladies. We would be please to have him explore our culture and our natural beauty and I am sure he would love dome R and R in Dominica, the most unspoilt place in the Caribbean.
I have to agree with you. It was a great show about relationship, but it also featured Dominica so beautifully. This is the best feature Dominica has had on television. Yes, Dominica was the setting for Pirates of the Caribbean, but you would never know. It is rarely spoken bout. I live in Ontario Canada and saw the show and was completely blown away with pride. It was comforting that a birthday party can be decorated around a Dominican theme. Who would have thought? I lovvvvveeeee Nate Berkus, was a fan since he started on Oprah.
He would love Dominica. He loved Thailand, but now it brings back such terrible memories for him. I know that Dominicans would love to see him. The sad thing is that the show which normally airs in Dominica, awas not aired that day for some reason, Marpin had something else on NBC. This is like dejavu…when Pirates was being released, it could not be seen in Dominica because the movie theatre was broken. Oh well, maybe Marpin will get a tape.
Dominican to the bone, hopefully the Government and DHTA likes your idea.
Is there a way in which the DHTA could operate and generate money?
In addition to Hike fest and an annual dinner more activities need to be planned… like a beach jazz festival, or a corporate track and field event etc. Don’t know… but sometimes u gotta spend to make.
thats interesting what those people saying about growth in the hotel industry in dominica now, some hotels strugle to pay there bills some have plans of closeing down what those people talking about we have been faceing had times in our country economcaly for some time now ask any honest business person how there business doing we have to get serious in this place the local economy is not one sided its total growth.