President of the Dominica Hotel & Tourism Association (DHTA), Arienne Perryman, has reported that hotel occupancy for the first half of 2017 increased to 61.2 percent
“We recognize that the government is paying attention to the role that tourism plays in our economy and we have seen a progressive incremental budget allocation towards marketing, 2014-2015, $4 million, 2015-2016 $6 million, 2016-2017, $8.5 million and 2017-2018 $12 million,” Perryman announced at the DHTA 48th Annual General Meeting (AGM) & Corporate Cocktail on Thursday.
“Can you believe a budget has almost tripled in the span of less than 5 years? Tied to marketing increases, the sector is experiencing growth as well…over 14 percent increase in visitor arrivals, increase in hotel occupancy at 61.2 percent,” Perryman exclaimed.
She described those figures as “record breaking” for Dominica for the first half of 2017, and said the DHTA expects that this positive trend will continue.
She went on to say that operation rebrand Dominica is underway, “source market representation in all of Dominica’s major markets and in Canada to further open and develop a new niche.”
Meanwhile, Perryman called on government and stakeholders to remember that Dominica is still the nature isle.
“While we await Dominica rebrand we must implore upon the government and all of our stakeholders and country that who we are has not changed,” Perryman stated. “Dominica is still the nature isle, therefore everything we do impacts who we are and how we are seen.”
“We must continue lobbying for the ban on plastics and styrofoam which was committed to in the 2016/2017 budget address,” she added.
The hotelier stressed that in order to ensure the continued success of the industry, it is essential that the country’s leaders be held accountable for the commitments they make, “and this can only be done if we are aware, educated of the matters affecting our industry. If we fail then our nature island fails.”
The DHTA 48th Annual General Meeting (AGM) & Corporate Cocktailunder as held under the theme: “How Technology is transforming the Guest Experience.”
If 5 visitors came to Dominica last year and 8 came this year, this would represent a 60% increase. So what is this dunce woman talking about, sounding like the propaganda machine of the government. $15 Million were made available to the Hotel industry and after a year they cannot touch it, did she make mention of that. This is the same woman who advised employers to break the law by not paying employees for Sundays. She is re-elected DHTA President because she has an accent?
61.2% is impressive! Can you give us the number of occupancy for the first half of 2016 and the numbers for the same period this year so we can see the real picture here?
Been reading a lot of the Caribbean news sites lately and it seems to me that Dominica has less crime than many other surrounding islands. Looks like a wonderful country to visit. You must be doing something right. Now I just have to convince my wife to go there on vacation next winter. Her heart seems set on St. Lucia (partly because of ease of access from Montreal). Well if it isn’t next winterI hope to visit sometime soon. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Linton deserve the credit he promote Dominica when he appeared on CBS.
only tow small hotet of course it will be full foolish
Which hotel? fake news!
61% and you guys are celebrating?, I see it does not take us much to celebrate in Dominica, bring on the Rum.
He fact that less than two rooms out of every three are occupied is a record? Alas!
That is a lie. Dominica has only the sea, mountain walks leading to the lakes, river, volcanoes, and waterfalls to show the tourists.During the nights should tourist go to bed? What is the government putting in place as night activities for tourist? Why not advise the people who are receiving financial handouts to create businesses for night activities? Stop trying to fool the public for your own interest. When tourists will come to Dominica they will see for themselves and after their return will make more bad publicity for Dominica.
Occupancy % rate with so few hotels does not say much. What we need is a report of the activities of the Tourist Board. What have they been doing with all those millions. Have the Tourist Board ever publish a report or have the tourist minister ever “lay a report on the table” in Parliament. I think it is time the board raise its own revenue, finance its own budget. The money government spends on them is just a waste of tax payers money. Because they are doing nothing.
That hoopla about 61.2% is much ado about nothing compared to our neighbors. Why didn’t Ms Perryman give the actual figures so that the more discerning reader would be able to make a more sense of her revelation???? Dominica’s tourism industry is still eons away from countries like St. Kitts, Antigua, St. Lucia and even Grenada!
Jeez! At least it’s a start! They all started somewhere!
Dominica’s tourism industry cannot be compared with that of our neighbours. We have a completely different product. The problem is that we are not being creative enough, our strategic marketing is way off target, and there is not enough collegiality in the sector.
You know; one of the stupidest argument one can get into is to quote percentage when they cannot present a number on which this percentage derived.
Watch this now!
I am going to rock her world. The # 1(number) is the figure we start counting from to reach any number in the trillions, or even an infinite number: we can also calculate 62.2% of number one which the result should be approximately .621 so what is this woman talking about, because 1+.621 = 1.621, so the increase here is actually less than one (< than one).
Explain to me what amount of occupancy you had prior to this 61.2% increase in occupancy! S,o assuming there were five (500) hundred occupancy, prior and we see an increase of 61.2 % in occupancy that would result in an increase of only 306 more people, dog, cat or what have you!
So! Tell us on what prior occupancy you derived at an increase of 61.2% let's decipher the truth form the lie!
The Occupancy is 61.2% it did not increase BY 61.2%, it increased TO the amount stated. Before you comment understand industry lingo.
Why don’t you shut your dirty pig mouth, can’t you read, you stupid idiot! What kindergarten class did you attend?
I think you did not read Sir.
President Perryman did not say there was a 61,2 % increase , but she said the hotel average occupancy increased to (now) being 61,2% . That means that as an average, hotels had a 61,2 % occupancy for the period.
You can continue to say bad words about Dominica, but we are happy with this increase, and it shows a good trend.
Occupancy figures can be manipulated to anything – they are irrelevant. What we need to better understand are the travellers behind those figures so that we can better target our strategic marketing efforts and budgets. At the moment, all we are doing is broad brush marketing and comparing our island to the others, which in itself is also irrelevant because our product is entirely different. We need creative people with independent travel experience.
Occupancy increased TO 61.2%. Key word *TO*. So it went from somewhere TO 61.2%. It’s strange that they don’t quote the previous rate and I can understand how that would cause confusion but paying attention to grammar can make things clearer.
FET
The hotel occupancy rate is at 61%. She did not say there was an increase of 61%.
An increase is a trend in the right direction. This requires a commendation, not condemnation.
“Arienne Perryman, has reported that hotel occupancy for the first half of 2017 increased to 61.2 percent”
Well, it is either I have a problem understand the English language, hence I am wrong, and everyone else is correct; but as far as I see, you all have made it even worst.
What does she mean increased to 61.2%?
That is ratio, so my question is what was the prior amount of people occupying before it increased to 61.2%? It went from one figure to another, so maybe I might be simple dumb or my comprehension of the English language is warped!
Francisco, there is no need for mathematical formulas. You completely misunderstand what the lady said. The 61.2% occupancy figure does not represent an increase of 61.2% but rather an increase in the number of hotel rooms occupied, resulting in the current 61.2% over say 59% for the same period last year (I don’t know the exact figures for the preceding year). The actual percentage increase may be 5% or less. In simple terms, if the total number of hotel rooms in Dominica is for e.g. 100 then 61. % was occupied over a certain period. The average occupancy rate across the Caribbean for 2016 was 66.7%. In terms of the total number of stop over visitors Dominica ranks low and an additional 3000 or so visitors would of course raise the occupancy rate close to the average rate across the region. Send some friends to Dominica and stop being such a critic.
Ok Ari. I hope the government addresses the Loan facilitation that many hoteliers are not able to access through the AID Bank because their requirements may be too stiff in addition to the fact that you cannot refinance with it.