Drop in cruise ship visitors, slight growth in stopovers for Dominica in 2016

Visitors arriving in Dominica from a cruise ship

Dominica experienced a drop in cruise ship visitors and a slight growth in stopover visitors in 2016, statistics released by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) have shown.

This is the second year that the island experienced a drop in cruise visitors.

The statistics, released in February, show in 2016 Dominica received 277,132 cruise ship visitors as compared to 279,341 in 2015.

This represents a 1.6 percent drop for the island.

In 2014, the island received 286,575 cruise ship visitors.

In terms of stopovers, from January 2016 to November 2016, 69,988 came to Dominica as compared to 48,154 in January to July 2015 (CTO has statistic only for January 2015 to July 2015).

Of these visitors in 2016, 17,525 came from the United States, 2,722 from Canada, 13,049 from Europe and 36,692 from other markets.

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34 Comments

  1. televangelists are false prophets
    March 6, 2017

    Give incentives for nightlife and entertainment. after they hike and snorkle what is there to do? create more attractions. expand on and develop existing attractions. Emerald pool and trafalgar are becoming too populated. many tourists want an exclusive feel to their experience, not wait in like to see waterfalls. empower communities to develop their ow tourism packages PROPERLY apart from their village feasts. We need to stop thinking seasonally. Barbados and other islands lke st. kitts have tourism YEAR ROUND. It is one thing to build hotels and hundreds of rooms and accommodations, but what is there to do on the island that will appeal to everyone? Also we need proper road signs that guide you around the island like in st marten . I fear for tourists who drive here.

  2. Shaka Zulu
    March 5, 2017

    When monkeys running a country this is the kind of stuff we will see. Two things that cause increase tourism are attractions and access. The stats above show a decrease in cruise and an average of 192 tourists per day. This is a joke. I can tell the existing hotels in Dominican must be in serious competition and operating on a thin thread. Yet, the government is trying to build more hotels. What do you think is going to happen to the private hoteliers in the. Country when that happens. Prior to 2016 stay over tourist was even lower. After 16 years the gov has done nothing to increase that stats and thinks building hotels will help. Hotels don’t bring tourist cause if they did people would simply all go to Florida. When will Dominicans see they have elected a bunch of failures? Here is a report card after 16 years, agri, tourism, manufacturing, retail, fishing, all underperforming or dead, salary stagnant except for politicians, passport sales financed by criminals. Change is a must.

  3. Driver
    March 4, 2017

    How can we really expect visitor arrivals to grow when we do not make a bigger effort to improve our product? Same old, same old. The Cruise Operators are busting their chops trying to develop new tours. But, how can they go full tilt with a SEASON which lasts less than six months?

  4. just the facts.
    March 4, 2017

    How can the CTO say ” there was a slight growth in stay over visitors’, when they tell us from January to November 2016, 69,988 came to Dominica. From January to July 2015, 48,154 came to Dominica. The CTO has no statistics for August to November 2015, how then do you determine there was a slight growth in 2016. Ask the hotels and guest houses, you are telling us 17,525 visitors came from the united states, 13,049 came from Europe, but 36692 came from other markets? using simple maths its inaccurate to say there was any growth in stay over visitors. For 11 months in 2016 average amount visitors per month is 6,362. For 7 months in 2015 the average amount of visitors per month is 6, 879, so there was actually a drop in overall visitors in 2016, both cruse visitors and stay over visitors.

  5. Anonymous
    March 4, 2017

    Whichever way you want to put it, our performance is deteriorating. It is not me saying that but the figures are. How do you spin that into a positive story?

  6. Curious... and want to know
    March 4, 2017

    DNO reports slight growth in stop over tourists and then states this: “In terms of stopovers, from January 2016 to November 2016, 69,988 came to Dominica as compared to 48,154 in January to July 2015 (CTO has statistic only for January 2015 to July 2015).”

    DNO please note that in order for the people to know if there was an increase in stop over or stay over tourist in 2016 then the same period analyzed in 2015 would have to be analyzed in 2016. Your statement says January to July 2015, 45154 stop over tourist arrivals were recorded compared to January to November 2016 when 69,988 stop over tourists were recorded. What happened to the figures for August to November 2015, why is that data not available? Are you suggesting that no stop over tourists came to Dominica between August to November 2015?

    What is the reson why the Ministry of TOurism or the Discover Dominica Authority or the Central Statistics Office is unable to provide the people with the missing data? :lol:…

  7. Rasta 4 weed
    March 4, 2017

    That must happen when we have a bunch of morons on the media painting Dominica as the worst place on earth. #Who THE CAP FIT LET THEM WEAR IT.

    • Greg possie
      March 5, 2017

      Not q95 alone kairi too!!!

    • %
      March 5, 2017

      @Rasta 4 weed You are so correct..Those greedy,inept,corrupt morons have tainted the island to the core,by selling our passports to crooks and criminals from all over..Thats why those idiots and academically deficient imbeciles SHOULD GO!

      • Lang Su soon
        March 6, 2017

        It have one that trying to be pm lol …. In his dreams.

      • Rasta 4 Weed
        March 7, 2017

        Go and them out % lol.

  8. CariGone
    March 4, 2017

    Stopevers? Hmmm. Where are they stopping over from?

    • Driver
      March 4, 2017

      That should have read… stayovers

  9. just the facts.
    March 3, 2017

    poor performance!!!!

  10. only time will tell
    March 3, 2017

    Come on my people that’s not new some of us know better nothing is working not even the fast passport selling that can go right what a big JOKE . and again the pm say is passports selling that’s the go now in d/a

  11. March 3, 2017

    When the tourist will get the first taste they will not return because as long as they will make a few step they will be tired of looking around.There is only sun and sea to offer.

  12. Michael Emanuel
    March 3, 2017

    This minister of tourism continues to under perform, two deaths of cruise visitors in one year, a wooden bridge broke in Wotten waven with over ten visitors, no access to wotten waven from Trafalgar even with a bridge for almost two years. There was no work on the wotten waven Road until the cruise season started, and the road to Trafalgar, he waited until it totally collapsed before giving it any attention. While there was no access through Trafalgar the only road to the most visited sites is wotten waven which is being repaired, what a mess. Only in government one can be so incompetent and still be in office. Please PM get rid of this guy to save the embarrassment. Are we surprised that since this guy became tourism minister the number of cruise visitors continue to go down?

    • Driver
      March 4, 2017

      Why blame the Minister. It is like blaming the Operator if his driver has an accident. How does he become responsible for the two deaths? OK the other stuff may have some validity, but he again is not solely responsible. . So Ian Douglas was more on the ball, but he also had to rely on his colleagues for support which was usually withheld.

  13. Zandoli Claywat
    March 3, 2017

    Barbados just recorded record numbers in tourism arrivals in 2016, but the minister of tourism and PM keep saying Dominica is doing the best. GIVE ME A BREAK, we are last kaka rat in everything in the region!

    • Let The Truth Be Told - Original
      March 4, 2017

      You compare B/dos to D/ca and vice versa? You should know better that B/dos has an international airport and also has many hotels and sandy beaches. It is a popular tourist attraction with many visitors year round.
      Tourists have been going there in droves for years. It is not unusual and surprising that B/dos will record numbers in tourism. It is to be expected. It goes without saying.
      Dominica is doing as best as it could under the circumstances. For a change you should comprehend that and not bring it down nor the government authorities. This is what many of you are doing, bringing down your own country and demeaning the government. You project that you lack patriotism. All you do is to criticize. Think of your future and what it will be like for you with this type of attitude.

      • Zandoli Claywat
        March 6, 2017

        Well its time we realise that WE TOO need an international airport, every other island has one and they are decades ahead of Dominica.

  14. from london
    March 3, 2017

    in the meantime st lucia can be seen advertising on the electronic lager than life posters in London her twin peak so green and inviting

    • SD
      March 3, 2017

      1) you can fly directly to St Lucia
      2) though smaller than us have a bigger population (larger economy more taxes means more revenue)
      3) oh those white sandy beaches….can’t beat that.
      4) Dominicans are busy trying their best till destroy Dominica with their foolishness.

      • Malatete
        March 4, 2017

        Just an observation.
        – cruise passengers arrive here by boat, not place
        – a lot of stay-over passengers also arrive by boat, particularly from our French neighbouring islands.

    • Mau
      March 4, 2017

      So true….I have seen it also…So sad I have not seen any about Dominica….???

  15. LifeandDeath
    March 3, 2017

    Well good to know, but where is the expenditure figures? Less Visitors don’t always mean less expenditure..Especially given a rise in Stay Overs..Cruise Expenditure is usually a fraction of Stay Overs..

  16. The sinking ship
    March 3, 2017

    Dominica in review in 2016:

    Drop in crusie ship visitor
    No banana sale
    No copra
    The two ships Skerrit was bringing sank
    Banks freeze CBI money
    Our billionaire citizen Aliereza Monafared Jailed in Iran
    NG Lap Seng under arrest in New York
    Allison Madueke awaiting trial for fraud
    Barones Scotland sucking salt in the UK
    All of us susaying cell in Dominica

    • Tjebe Fort
      March 4, 2017

      Ah garcon but you forget we have the wisest P.M. in the Caribbean. You think that makes a difference???

  17. weh
    March 3, 2017

    Does the stopover figure 69,988 include Dominicans from the diaspora coming home to visit, or is this figure strictly visitors staying in hotels guesthouses etc?

  18. Malatete
    March 3, 2017

    I don’t know how the data for the stay-over visitors are collected but I suspect the forms submitted to passport control upon arrival form the basis of this. It is important to distinguish between visitors , who actually stay at commercial establishments such as hotels, and guest houses and those , who lodge with family or friends. It would be useful if our tourism authority (DDA) would publish this information, rather than having to rely on an outside source. We badly need a freedom of information act.

  19. Paul George
    March 3, 2017

    Thank you Discover Dominica Authority. The most diligent tourism authority in the Caribbean????

    • Tjebe Fort
      March 5, 2017

      Ha,ha, ha!!!!

  20. One plus one =2
    March 3, 2017

    Thursday, June 9th, 2016
    Tonge predicts increase in cruise ship passengers
    Dominica News Online – Thursday, June 9th, 2016 at 11:29 AM
    “Tourism Minister, Robert Tonge, has revealed that despite negative reports and rumours, there will be an increase of over 15 percent in cruise passengers to Dominica for the 2016/2017 cruise ship season.”
    https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/news/tourism-publicity/tonge-predicts-increase-in-cruise-ship-passengers/

    Today March 3,2017
    Drop in cruise ship visitors, slight growth in stopovers for Dominica in 2016
    Dominica News Online – Friday, March 3rd, 2017 at 12:55 PM

    Growth in stopovers in 2016?

    Well I am a Dominican residing in the USA, with a US Passport; I am considered a stopover visitor lol

    • Me
      March 4, 2017

      Excellent observation! Any comments Robbie?

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