On Sunday the MV Mein Schiff 3, of TUI Cruises, sailed into the capital of Dominica making it the first cruise vessel to drop anchor in Roseau following the passage of Hurricane Maria.
Tourism Minister, Robert Tonge said a lot of “extremely hard” went into making the port call a reality.
“The Ministry of Tourism, the Discover Dominica Authority, the Government of Dominica, the Ministry of Forestry, the Ministry of Agriculture, everyone has done a tremendous amount of work to be here,” he said at a welcome ceremony for the ship. “The cleanup crews, the contractors are doing a lot of work.”
He thanked officials of the ship for having confidence in Dominica.
“Thank you for the relationship you have with Dominica and we really appreciate you coming back here, signaling that Dominica is ready for business. As you can see the many people who are here, their livelihoods are dependent on tourism, so you being here gives them that strength that they can begin to earn income and begin to take care of their families and their loved ones.”
CEO of the Dominica Airport and Seaport Authority, Benoit Bardouille, said the cruise line has seven more calls slated for Dominica.
“We are indeed very pleased that they have put those calls into Dominica to signal their strong partnership with Dominica in terms of rebuilding the economy in Dominica,” he said.
Am I the only one who is thinking that the country as demolished by
Hurricane Maria months ago Dominica belongs to all of us
Roseau is a depressed and depressing city. There is no evidence of any attempt to improve its appearance even from a pedestrian point of view. And the mode of dress, hygiene and mannerisms of the citizens reflect the jumbled mess. People who have adapted to the chaotic mode of existence have become difficult to control; to them neither morals nor traditions exist. We must start to work on this city, one street at a time for it has become a hideous hazard to locals and visitors alike.
Dominica needs all the help it can get. It is incumbent on all Dominicans to make the country as welcoming as possible. The ministry for tourism must educate the nation on the etiquette relating to this vital source of revenue.
The ministry of tourism has no time for things like that. They are to busy to listen to calypso songs and then censor them on behalf of Skerrit. Tonge and Piper are utterly useless. What are we, the taxpayers, paying them for??
Some German friends of mine are on this ship. They Whatsup me today and their comments were disturbing. They only ventured of the ship for half an hour and were met by totally desperate taxi drivers, tour operators and vendors. They felt intimidated and mobbed. I was so embarrassed for my home country.
and that is the reality of it all. these matters need to be addressed. Taxi drivers must stop acting like savages in front of these guests. there must be some order and decency.
Clean up the city. It is too disgusting. Don’t you guys know that the first impression is a lasting one..Do things correct
Less not rush it now. Better we go another month or two and fix up the place. We need to keep up the good reputation
at least fix the gardens road nuh alas so many potholes….
Them people doh worry, people like to say what they want about countries like North korea but at least they smart, they making sure their capital pyong yang nice so nobody cannot bad talk them when they come and visit
i have recommended that they do a brick or cobbled road as that area gets potholes quickly. Maybe i was too young, or not one of the boys or just a voice falling on deaf ears. Cobbled streets and brick roads can last a lifetme without repair. also look good.