Tourism Minister Ian Douglas left Dominica on Monday with a 40-member delegation to Guadeloupe as the island seeks to develop closer ties with the French West Indies.
The four-day trip was organized by the National Export Council and is expected to explore links in the area of tourism, agriculture, culture, industry and trade.
“We will explore ways and closer collaboration with Guadeloupe. We want to continue to market Dominica there. Our closest markets are the French and we have to continue to find ways to promote Dominica,” Douglas said.
According to Douglas, the French islands are the gateway to Europe and that area has to be explored.
Douglas is expected to return to the island on Thursday.
Well they certainly are exporting from Dominica. Is E.C. Dollars they are exporting. They know a good thing. Point-a-Pitre was listed this week as the city having the best standard of living in the whole Caribbean and central America.
40 people to do what? Very very expensive
Did the French islands recently pop out of the ocean? The French islands have as much relationship with Dominica as THEY want, we have always been here, we have always been neighbors. We send delegations there all the time. They know all about Dominica and what we offer. They have TOLD us what they want – a piece of the geo-thermal action. We have something the French really want so lets negotiate from a position of strength.
!40!40!40!MYSTIQUE NUMBER!AFTE THE TRIP WE MUST KNOW THE LEVEL OF GOV’T FINANCIAL PARTICIPATION!AND WE HAVE A MINISTER FROM PORTSMOUTH WHO CANNOT EVEN SPEAK LANG MANMANii.CREOLE
dem man go on a french exchange man like high school. 40 negotiators
I thought that Dominica had already established concrete ties with the French West Indies, being our sister islands, neighbors.
If Guadeloupe is the gateway to Europe that gate na work cause is always back door I taking into Gauda eh. So Ian keep talking cushoniii. Lost sheep of Israel.
All of us know that this is just another smokescreen .. fishing expedition without no bait !
40 member delegation. Are these people serious. In these harsh economic times. Was it necessary. Dominica has always had close ties with the french isles. What were they hoping to achieve with a 40 member delegation, that they couldn’t have acheived with, less say 10 persons. It really sounds like a christmas expedition. And who is to be held accountable. And it has nothing to do with who is in support of the gov’t or not. Some persons need to take off their political blinders.
seems like another whiskey and food eating liming aspects.
the tourism Minister can’t stand on his own, he is not forceful and assertive in his delivery..
as i said maybe a few blacks or gamzo rum will be the source of the trip…lol
It seems to me that many Dominicans are allergic to the Internet.__ Whenever some of you go there, your act as ‘creatures without a brain’.___ I came to this conclusion based on the comments some of you posted.
Those from DNO could do a great service to Dominica, by not letting such idiocity included in their ‘Post a Comment’ section.
Having a computer or access to one, does not mean you should type something to show just how stupid you are. LET THOSE WHO HAVE SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE TO SUBMIT POST COMMKENTS. Folks from other Caribbean conutries don’t act the way you do. ( I bet you, that very soon, if it’s said that a Govt. Minister has the flu,someone might place this comment: “How much money was spent to lower the Boiling Lake’s temperature? Could’nt they give me $100 from that to drink my kubuli?)
I somewhat agree with your comments that people should write intelligently for their nonsense is a waste of time to read. This includes their time and to write them. The primary purpose of comments is to offer an intelligent, educated opinion that could benefit others.
However, as you stated, “Folks from other Caribbean countries don’t act like that?” Are you sure? Do you read their comments on their Websites? If you do, you probably would be surprised and take back those words, if you could.
From my experience with people of different countries, I have concluded that people are people everywhere, identical to a certain extent, wherever they reside and whatever country they originated from.
Garçon you never hear about “freedom” of Speech,,,
Leave dem people say what dey want to say nuh,,, If you doh like what dey say just doh read,,,
Post your comment make your constructive suggestion and leave people alone nuh,,,
Shate-man!!!
Now Ignus, I have carefully read your posting, word for word but casn’t find anything positive in there. On the contrary, by labelling other Dominicans stupid you are doing the country a great disservice. Lead, by example and give us, at least one uplifting message for christmas.
Really, things are tough in Dominica but we are not all morons or negative thinkers.
I beg to fully concur with you Sir.
first tell us what “idiocity” means? feel dumb yet?
idiot
What’s with this. Seems every few months there some trip to the FWI? Ever since…. way back. Dominica gov’t needs to take care of a lot of domestic infrastructure issues to be able to team up with these other countries.
the french can come open up some malls like carrefour and help us put up some speedometers and street lights. the french islands are very developed and their imput and contributions or investments here would be greatly appreciated.. dont worry with the negative remarks. they themselves will be enjoying it all they got it talk. tell them dont go guada…am very sure they there in guada every vacation….haterz cant stop development…forward we go
Their Mother Country, France, took good care of them. It is a good thing they did not secede from France. They would not have been so progressive. I have always stated that if Dominica was a French country, it would have been better off. In addition, if it had not seceded from Great Britain it could also have been better off. After obtaining Independence, where is the progress of its own dating back to that day? It did not become better off without Great Britain. I do think that it is more of a curse and based on the unruly and un-peaceful conditions in which it obtained Independence. Although this occurred some years ago, I state this with sadness.
The French in Gaudeloupe and Martinique could also go to France without a passport. Of course, I would think that they should travel with it for obvious reasons to show Immigration that they are valid French citizens. They could migrate there with no trouble.
Since Statehood and Independence Dominica has forfeited its right to travel to the U.K. as people of a sovereign country. Today, they need a Visa if this is not yet reinstated.
Remember in those days how easy it was for Dominicans and other islanders, all countries that were sovereign countries to enter the U.K. and reside there. Food for thought.
but do you need 40 persons for that trip?
A 40 member delegation!!?. For what!?. The Minister and his cronies are going on an early christmas shopping exursion.
I dont see why you need 41 Dominicans to hold discussions on tourism, culture, argiculture and industry in Guadeloupe. Why not send a delegate to each of the islands and beyond to promote these things?
I thought of this. A 40-person delegation to Guadeloupe? Next door? For what? Why so many of them? I think only a handful of them would have been sufficient. To be fair, consider the cost.
Upsite down, back to front. Going to Guadeloupe to promote export from Dominica but coming back with your christmas shopping from there? Forty people away from their desks for the best part of a week? Who is paying for this?
And they say public servants greedy for asking for a measly 3% yet the brokes country can send a 41 man squad can get hotel accomodation out of pocket allowance and travelling allowances.
the money there so stop squander it and give it to the poor people that working for it
NOT EVEN OBAMA HAVE A 40 PEOPLE DELEGATION WHEN HE TRAVEL……LORD DCA FINISH
Really finish on account of this? Please do not make me laugh! I did!
Dont forget to offer them Geothermal Energy. Lol boy what a waste of money and time. Ever since I was a little boy we have been trading with Guadeloupe. Rosie Douglas preached his foolishness about gateway to Europe and now Ian is repeating the same nonsense even after 10 years since Rosie passed.
Note this bunch cannot provide any specifics. What it is exactly we are trying to market? Duty free shopping, agroprocessing, tourist attraction?
Is the minister of trade on the trip?
Ian and his government waited 3 years to tell us that things must be done quickly to satisfy the Arnival Cruise corporation. They made a trip to Miami and they came ack with nothing but doom and gloom Putin a basket of pawol enitil and lies.
This guys got to go . Tiwais yo yo pas Bon.
Another waste of personal time, at the expense of the Dominica treasury and the tax payers of our country!
I mean if we are still seeking closer ties with Guadeloupe, and Martinique, that is an indication we ran out of options, there is no place else to go! There are more Dominicans residing in Guadeloupe, and Martinique combined than the sixty or so Dominicans residing in Dominica, so how much closer can we get?
These politicians and private citizens such as Piper keep tooting their horns, in an effort to impress the gullible people of the country into thinking that they are seeking to do wonders in Dominica, the whole thing is a hocks
People eyes should have opened when Piper claimed that association with St. Kits will provide easy air access to Dominica by air, when in fact he should be thinking of influencing the powers that be to build an International Airport in Dominica which will resolve the air transportation problem we are faced with.
Now this other waste of time so called minister of tourism is talking about closer ties to Guadeloupe!
These people can gallivant the entire globe, talking, and spending the treasury money and utilizing it for personal gain will not change anything in Dominica!
Their idea is that if they travel the world and talk nonsense about nature island, somebody will feel sorry for them and start poring money into Dominica; it does not work that way. In the first place when you impress on someone that our island is a nature island, you are simply telling them that Dominica is yet a primitive place.
And indeed we are, if in the twenty-first century we have rejected an International Airport in favor of an municipal outdated runway which they say is equip for night landings, which thus far has not changed anything as far as the number of visitors to the country, that should be a concern to anybody who may have thought of investing in Dominica.
A long time ago in one of my Sociology class in collage I learnt a great deal about the ” Push and Pull ” I will not detail that however, most people by now even without a collage education should understand at least that Dominica has nothing to pull anyone into our country, and everything that pushes people away from the country.
Commence should dictate we need to change the status quo if something significant is going to happen in the country, we have to start developing the country on our own, thus when outsiders notice a slight change they may become interested in Dominica.
We cannot even attract an International Chain of Hotels in Dominica.
Why there could be many different answers, which all would be negative.
However, development pulls in more developers, when some hotelier take a look at Smugglers Bay Hotel in St. Lucia, and the other large tourist resorts on that island, they go there to get piece of the action, plain and simple. Dominica is a waste of time the way it is right now.
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
why dont you run for the next election seeing that you have all the ideas. i think you would be an asset to the country. who knows maybe a liability. there is one thing to talk the talk and walk the walk
Francisco Etienne Telemacque, you were in a Sociology class at one time and you cannot spell’ college’ among other simple words? Weh papa.
By the same token you do not know how to spell Telemaque, I am prone to errors as most people are.
However, I am certain that your educational background is below my own. In the event you were more capable than I am; you would have known that ” Telemaque ” is distinctively French, it’s a French word, therefore the ” que” in French is silent.
Hence one does not need a “C” in Telemaque for pronunciation!
Anybody in Dominica you find writing the word Telemaque with a “C” within is a fool, and someone who just don’t know very much, and I do not care who that person may be!
” Telemaqu,” pronounces Telemaque okay, and that is because “que” is silent!
Which of the two of us are the smartest now?
Anytime you idiots pick on me you only exposes your very own lack of knowledge and stupidity.
For your information; professionally I am an Electronic/Electrical Engineer, so at least give me some credit, I only took Sociology, and Cultural Anthropology because those disciplines were part of the perquisites Health Science when I majored in Health Science as I said when I was in pursuit of a medical degree.
Again you have nothing to say to me, their are lots of people who cannot spell properly, but that does not make them a dumb person.
State you profession let’s see if you have an academic background such as mine!
Please do not try to open the Pandora box, because what comes out of it might eat you up for breakfast, and spew out at dinner time.
By the way what is Weh papa?
What does that mean?
What form of linguistics or linguist that derive from?
You see how dumb you are, pick the mot out of your own eye before you tackle someone else
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
Mr. full of himself eh…see how he get on about his whole history of his surname. stupes.
Ok. So someone commented on what you said. Big deal! Do you always have to answer in such an agressive manner? Seriously you come off as being extremely angry. Please STOP THAT. Like my mother would say ‘Let a ball pass’
that would be lovely…indeed
40 member delegation -I do not care who they are but 40 wow you all are interesting people. What happen you all have ten people per sector. It takes 40 for this mission just to explore.
One senior person from each sector cannot amount to 40. This is like the entire cabinet going to explore relations with a country.
This is mass wastage. Three quarters of these people could have been at work being productive instead of tagging along for the photo op.
I need a four day christmas shopping excursion to Guadeloupe all expenses paid too, since I would like some apples, grapes yoghurt and and nice thick codfish.
Are those not sold in Dominica. Since a child, I recall apples were sold in Dominica. They were tasty.
Its all well and good to develop these ties. But what can we offer Guadeloupe and Martinique that they do bigger and better than us.
DO you know that Guadeloupe no longer needs us for Agriculture..the French man eats alot of fish, rice, leafy vegetabels….less Dasheen and Yam..gone are those days
So what can we offer them…a primitive and savage musuc called Bouyon???
Oh shoot, maybe we can do some high tech stuff or some light manufacturing and develop our Music to match theirs.
Good Luck Minister and maybe we might have some good luck
Nothing Beats a Trial
o please I think you all really need to grow up! I live in gwada I know the domincan help gwada very good with the same you say they don’t need
how we help gwada, after foolish dominicans sold our plants they dont need anything from us only GAS intime of strike.
maybe we dont have much to offer like u said but we can benefit when they come to invest……thus bring job creation when they construct businesses here
What are you stating? Dominica needs job creation and construction for its unemployed nationals. It needs new businesses. Why give it to Guadeloupe? Charity begins at home.
The delegation went to Guadeloupe to promote business for Dominica.
we can offer lots of purified water.
This seems like all “Hot Coffee, with a lot of sugar.” Where do these guys get their rediculous ideas on how to improve Dominica’s ties with its neighbours?
Small minds do small things.
why some of us dominican don’t sit back and let the government do their work every thing is an objection well sir is we all that cann’t even be in the front row is we always have to comment about matters
What work. They have been pretending for too long. Where are the positive results. We have been sitting back for 12 years and all we see is growing poverty and retrogression. So if you want to sit back keep doing your do .
I agree but what is so surprising is, individuals like criminology, what have they done for the country rather than object without a solution.,
Are you really serious about us Dominicnas seating back and allowing the Gov’t to do it’s work?
Well my friend, news to you, this is exactly what we have been doing thats why Dominican is in such a bad state of affiars. And if we keep on doing that the “physical cliff” is not too far away
What work? The economy is crashing with absolutely no sign of relief. What work?
@heavy guess what this is why they are in the front row or on stage so they have to show they deserve to be there. These people are being paid to perform value for money
Because I cannot do my accounting does not mean I have to let you steal from me and I am aware of it and do nothing about it.
Did you say a 40-member delegation? If so, Mr. Minister, I want to know who are they? What is their role as part of the delegation and most of all, who is picking up the tab?
if u been keeping tabs online and on the news reports when all this was going on . .. u woulda know that this includes cultural groups, persons directly involved in craft and small businesses dignitaries in tourism, culture and the likes…ppl listen and stop being negative….accept change damnit…..y’all want us to just stick to us and its goin nowhere…try to make ties with others y’all pisssed then come make noise about the govt this and that….talk talk talk alot but we still moving up…who vex loss cus is all y’all gon benefit too.
But it is still unnecessary spending. In this age of advance technology – live video feed , high speed communication, notwithstanding thousands of Dominians in Guadeloupe why do we need a 40 man delegation to Guadeloupe.
What d we hoe to achieve with quadrill group- note cultural grous from Domiica have been performing in guadeloupe and Marigalante from since the 80. In fact I have been to Guadeluope and Marigalante several times to perform cultural dances. Fete Gwabu was my favorite. People from Martinique, Gauda, Les Saint, Tewdi Ho and Tewdi Ba.
What else ? Agricultural products? Well there are Dominican hucksters selling agricultural products every week. Just ast week the PM spoke about cutting unnecessary spending and ere it is we are wasting money on trips.
Who else but the government of Dominica?
FORTY people???? Who exactly are these 40 people? Who paid for the trip? What was the cost to tax payers? And a cost/benefit analysis better be submitted to the people using media outlets like DNO and The Chronicle and MARPIN/SAT etc.
I know none of DEXIA’s staff was included on that list.
Actually the national export council consists of a few Dexia staff members get your information correct
You serious? Dexia taking part? They have a monopoly on the importation of our rice and sugar and cant’t even get that right. God only knows what they exporting to Guadeloupe.
leave it to the opposition and its slaving followers to comment negative…..its obvious on their return they will report back on what happened….how it went and whats to follow….only money on allu mind….its obvious the fees were paid by the french…duh….
It’s obvious they will report back? really? Since when? When have they ever reported back to the people on anything? The person said specifically report back to the PEOPLE!!!!
In fact I remember the PM saying its none of our damn buisness but you are calling those asking questions the slaves??? hahhaaahaaaahh pot calling kettle isnt it?
Go look up the dictionary for the meaning of slave. You do know what a dictionary is right?
stupes…….until next trip