The Dominica Hotel and Tourism Association (DHTA) has suggested that the government’s recent decision to invest in LIAT can benefit the country if necessary steps are taken.
But it is also expressing concern that the move could derail ongoing plans to encourage other smaller airlines to service the Dominica route.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit announced recently that the island was investing $8 million in LIAT.
According to the DHTA, that decision “has the potential to address several of the current inefficiencies in our air access”.
However it says that this will depend on whether this investment gives Dominica legitimate influence in the decision making process within LIAT.
The association dubs LIAT an essential partner in the tourism sector, pointing out that in 2011 LIAT passengers totalled 71 per cent of all air access arrivals and almost 47% of total arrivals.
It expects the regional airline’s operation in Dominica will become even more essential, “with the upcoming withdrawal of American Eagle”.
“Therefore, this partnership must seek to address the primary constraint of same day access from our major hubs connecting us to North America and Europe,” the DHTA states in its release.
It also cautions “that there is a clear need to address the shortcomings of our air access in order for this partnership to ensure a return on the investment”.
The hoteliers also point to proposed “cost-effective measures, as well as utilization of strategic partnerships working towards becoming a fueling stop for LIAT, which would further strengthen and decentralize its support system”.
In their view, Dominica could be positioned to benefit from and offer additional products and services that could increase revenue and create employment opportunities.
On the minus side of the equation, the DHTA cites efforts being made by the Discover Dominica Authority to develop an Access Strategy Plan.
The association says it is concerned that any investment in LIAT will marginalize the search for other small regional airlines to service the growing demands of Dominica.
“The proposed Access Plan makes it clear that we must look to other partners to meet international banks of flights at our regional airports. It has never been beneficial to consumers to have monopolies in the region, this encourages high fares and inferior service, two things the tourism industry can ill afford,” the DHTA says.
Re international airport …
IF you spend 100′s millions on an international aiport and then who will fly here? Why would they? Because we have a nice new airport?
We are a small backwater. That is the truth. We are what we are … precious, beautiful … but no business potential for airlines.
70,000 people. Not really a big market.
I would love to see us grow but we have to think how? Not just bankrupt ourselves.
Guadeloupe and Martinique airports are the key. Why? They can land a 747 they already havce passenger flow. That means that any flight traffic to Dominica (Via these islands) will have also French citizens and tourists to those islands. Why is that a good thing? So that the flight will make a profit. Then the airlines will want to come. then they will not cancel the flight midway through the season.
ATM … you can fly from Paris (all Europe), Montreal (Eastern US and CA), Miami (obvious), Havana, St Lucia and Santo Domingo (many US cities)for example.
… It is a case to see how we can unlock the puzzle.
Some ideas. We can influence the ferry schedules to meet late flights (no stop overs outside DA = money for us NOT Antigua and Puerto Rico)), cheap shuttle flights with no tax?
Let’s start thinking how we can use what is already there.
You are a fool, a confounded fool at that!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
Dominica is becoming a real laughing stock…
all people just laughing in all kinds of ways… when all stop laughing jets will be landing in st vincent and all you give ok to plant ganja like how ralph gonsalves closing his eyes to his marijuana planters but opening it and telling dominica all you do need international airport while he building his and all still voting LABA POWDA
The DHTA have been run by the same people for years. Some of these people were not originally from Dominica and some of them just recently arrived in Dominica! How can they know what is best for Dominica. They are supposed to be promoting Dominica but have failed miserably as we all of us can see by the lack of tourists visiting our beautiful nature Island. I think the DHTA needs a huge shake up and let some people with fresh ideas and enthusiasm take over.
why dont you make yourself available to serve and make a difference
Before this issue surfaced, all I was hearing was the resignation to the fact (?) that American Eagle was/is going to stop flying to Dominica. I am yet to hear of any other airline going to or thinking of flying to Dominica. Now we are trying to ensure LIAT continuing to service Dominica, people are making statements about other airlines.
What has happened to all the other airline which were flying to Dominica?
Where and who are the persons who will want to invest in an airline in this global crisis?
I think itis a case of ‘damned if I do, damned if I don’t.’ Choose!
LIAT will come out with larger planes soon just wait and see. God Bless LIAT and bless all haters too. All criticisers will be cursed.
Yes $8,000,000.00 will buy bigger planes to land where??? Melville Hall???
The only thing interesting right now is the transparency of that investment, all these d* organisations just there with fancy english and ‘plans’ and tourism is just going from bad to worse. People are being paid to market this country, the PM has no business having to go pay tax payers $ to beg liat to come here in the first place when people getting salaries to ensure tourist arrival, choops, is a d* ring a ring of roses that going on there nuh
“But it is also expressing concern that the move could derail ongoing plans to encourage other smaller airlines to service the Dominica route.”
Here we have it, and that is why Dominica will probably fail one day to exists as a nation, and that will be caused by the small minded who has some sort of strangle hold on progress in the country!
I do not understand that at this point and time of our nation history, there are low level thinking people contemplating smaller aircrafts serving Dominica, rather than hunting for an International Airport that will indeed cause larger commercial carriers to bring more tourist to the country, thus the tourism industry will become more viable, and profitable.
What do these people have against progress?
Derail what?
Plans for introducing more Cessna , and beach pipers: for four, and eight seater aircrafts that came to Dominica prior to LIAT?
The first LIAT which came was out of Montserrat, and it was a Beach Piper, today right here in California, I can buy one a flying one at that for approximately eight thousand dollars, and if I go out to California City on a scrap heap, I can buy one for less that, and it restored.
Have you people no pride?
It seems to me as if some people spend their every waking moment wrapped up in their delusions planing the best route to take in order to bring the country down.
We are in the twenty-first century, in a time of technology, progress and advancement, however; Dominica is the only place on earth where people yearn for the days of the fifteenth, and fourteenth century, how backwards can our nation remain?
These people who are babbling this , about derailing ongoing plans, are out of touch with the times, they are like children who wish for a toy when they were toddlers, so they have arrived in an immature body, they look like men and women, however, their mind causes them to think as two and three year old, still wishing to own that toy, and that is why today they are concentrating on the smaller things for the country.
Some day in the not to distance future, all the lights in Dominica will automatically go out, the darkness has begone overshadowing the country!
It appears as if the entire crew of the Dominica Hotel Association are walking upside down or perhaps they existed in a state of drunkenness!
They do not make any sense whatsoever, with people like that talking tourism, one does not have to wonder why the tourist industry is doing so poorly in the Dominica.
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
I will surely NOT be surprised in the near future when the only way-out/into Dominica will be this miserable waste of time airline that this “bankrupted of idea government” has fallen in love with.
Mark my words, not too far from now, the two other butterflies that are coming into the multi-million dollar spanking Melville Hall International Airport will be shot down.
Look at LIAT’s schedule! Hardly a flight scheduled after 8 p.m.
What crap! Only in Dominica.
Who flies after 8PM anyway. Where do you really want to go after 8PM…lol…Not America, where will get the connection…not Europe…where will get the connection…
Now really, where do you really want to fly to at 8PM??
When the hotels in Dominica start closing down one by one like the tram. KFC and Rituals in Possi and all the small businesses you will wake up from your stupidity Labourite!
pardner go guadeloupe and martinique, st maarten, trinidad and the list can go on and you will get the answer.
Be careful that some of the very intelligent blokes, such as those in the Dominica Hotel Association does not take you seriously and say ” we have an International Airport already at Melville Hall, we doh need another one oui!”
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!
I read where an Indian boy wrote the other day; that he left India, at a certain time, arriving at Dominica International: someone in Dominica may have influenced him to write that pile of garbage with the hope of fooling those who have never traveled out of Dominica into believing that Melville Hall Airport an international airport.
The members of the ” DHA” are nothing more than a pile of jokers; one time I read where the head of the association, a man named Walsh, and by the way even if he has a popular Dominica name such as Walsh, he ” ain’t no Dominica born!
Not: I have a niece who’s name is Maria Walsh you see; I do not know if he is still alive, but the old shoemaker Austin Walsh is her father.
Nonetheless, this man Walsh in question was ranting and raving that the handouts they were receiving from abroad, perhaps the United States was about to dry up; petty stuff like that are what the members of the Hotel Association are after, they do not have ability to promote tourism.
They do not have any clue of how to generate income to even keep their office doors open, they cannot survive begging for handouts.
Some of them called themselves Hoteliers, they are nothing more than laughing jokes of the Caribbean, if I invested into what remotely resembles a hotel in Dominica, I would do everything within my power to influence that backward government of ours to invest into an International Airport, and even now that Skerrit has decided to waste some money in LIAT, in order to try to ensure that LIAT keep flying to the Nature island of the world, the Dominica Hotel Association appears to be undemanding his efforts.
Their backward mind is in action, anybody who claims to be a hotelier in Dominica, and get involved in even discussing the introduction of smaller airlines into the country, is certainly not wise, they lack commonsense, and I do not care who take offense to my opinion; no love lost.
You need to suffer in your backwardness!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
Well it about time that the DHTA put pen to paper – I am shicked that this response did not come the day after the PM’s announcement.
Hoteliers in Dominica are sleeping. The tourism sector in Dominica has been dealt some major blows over the last 5 years. Never have they been more silent. In the days of the former NDC – they could not wait to criticize the efforts of the NDC – division of tourism. Today we have a DDA and ministry of tourism that is totally non effective and absent – but no one says anything.
Could it be that they realize that they were part and parcel of the major mistakes that were made?
Could it be that the dismantling of the former NDC was really not the solution to the perceived problem?
Could it be that they placed unfounded hope and expectations on a Minister of Tourism that did not understand tourism or was in it for the personal gain of his families interest.
For a signature attraction such as the Aerial Rain forest tram to have closed it doors due to a sizeable lack of interest is to realize the true state of the tourism industry in Dominica.
Tourism in Dominica is near dead. Arrivals from international destinations are either decreasing or stagnant. There is no signficant investment in tourism infrastructure in Dominica.
The Government has taken on a gift from the Moroccan government that will itself become another statistic in Dominica. Since when does a Government indertake the development of a hotel without a management company behind it? What does the goverment know about hotel design, and functioning? This ia another disaster to be added to the long list of failed projects in Dominica.
This is VERY sad since Dominica has tremendous potential.
LIAT: Look Into Alternative Transportation
I am in agreement with this article here, and it supports earlier concerns and suggestions to the Prime Minister. He mentions that discussions are on going with little said of what topical areas are being overviewed as relates to LIAT’S services.
This article is a key reminder that there’s need for consultations with key people in the tourism industry. It’s a serious decision to invest 8M in LIAT and the nation really needs to know the full detail of such an investment decision.It should not be a one man show!
I agree with DHTA’s stance. State monopolies have never been, and never will be a sound business model. Invest by all means but also ensure vigorous competition. Believe me, it will be to the benefit of LIAT’s long-term survival.
boy in my humble opinion…. let that dominican do whatever he please, since at the end of the day that’s just what he is going to do….
his way of doing things just indicates to me where I will be putting my X when the time comes.
Does the DHTA know something that the rest of us do not know? I was never reported that the government was making an investment in LIAT! All we heard for gonsalves, is that skerritt told him “I know de fire put you guys in a whole, so i am making a contribution of $8m” does that statement indicate that an investment was/has been made? Furthermore, if they(DHTA) recognise that having a stake in LIAT will deter other small airline and agree with the Discover Dominica Authority that “The proposed Access Plan makes it clear that we must look to other partners to meet international banks of flights at our regional airports. It has never been beneficial to consumers to have monopolies in the region, this encourages high fares and inferior service, two things the tourism industry can ill afford,” what exactly are they in agreement with?