Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Dominica Air and Sea Port Authority (DASPA), Benoit Bardouille, has explained that the V.I.P facility which is currently under renovation at the Douglas Charles Airport will facilitate the implementation of COVID-19 safety protocols by the Ministry of Health.
As reported by the Government Information Service (GIS), the V.I.P facility is being reconditioned at an estimated cost of 1.6 million E.C dollars, and upon completion, will create a luxurious atmosphere for visitors and citizens.
“We have had to make some changes to what was already there to ensure that the persons from health can be accommodated. So those persons would not be bypassing any of these protocols, they would have to meet these protocols but in a more private sense,” Bardouille stated.
While the Government is in the process of constructing a multi-million dollar international airport, the DASPA CEO notes that there is a need for the VIP lounge at the main port of entry to meet the expectations of incoming visitors.
“The airport will be constructed, but it might take another three years before we can fully occupy the new facilities and in the interim, we are now ensuring that our tourism product is now of a higher standard. People are coming to Dominica with expectations and we want to exceed those expectations,” he said. “So we have the Kempinski and the Jungle Bays and the like with more under construction, we want to ensure that their five-star guests are treated like five stars throughout their journey into Dominica.”
With the investments made in the hotel sector in Dominica, Minister for Tourism, International Transport and Maritime Initiatives, Denise Charles is of the view that the new addition will attract a new niche of visitors to the island who would require luxurious service, GIS further reports.
Charles explained that there will be an agent to facilitate the immigration process for visitors.
So when the visitor lands, you go straight from the aircraft, you enter the lounge, the agent will take your document and bring it through the immigration process, while the visitors just sit and relax after their long flight, have a drink, and just experience the Nature Isle,” she said. “One of the features in this building I’m really excited about is the plantar area where we are going to have a lot of plants representing the beauty of Dominica.”
Charles also believes that if Dominica’s tourism product is improved, the Ministry of Tourism will accomplish its goal of welcoming two hundred thousand visitors annually compare instead of the usual 80,000.
The project is expected to be completed by April 2021.
The 1,600,000 EC$ cost is 590,000 US$. The new international airport will cost 300,000,000 US$ (experts and experience say likely more than that). The new international airport is estimated three years away from being operational.
This is solely for the benefit of Skerrit, his wife, ministers and the entire cabal. They want to travel in style and don’t want to mix with mere mortals at the airport. It also facilitates the fast ‘clearence’ of certain things that arrive in a plane.
Correction! St.Barth airport had 200 take-offs and landings DAILY in that week, with a peak day of 245.
You think that was fantastic? Not really! Actually, it was a 17% dip compared to last year.
A rate of US$ 80,000 per week for a villa is not unusual. Daily hotel room rates can go in the thousands. The most expensive hotel on the island only has 12 rooms. New Year’s Eve dinners cost from US$ 1,000 to 3,000 without wine or drinks. St.Barth doesn’t have any financial problems and doesn’t need subsidies from France. Now start asking yourself why these people like to visit St.Barth and how did the island get this far? Organized tourism and hotels began in the 1960s and developed in the 70ies onwards. The simplest answer is that you have to know your clientele, treat them as they like to be treated, and the island economy will be flourishing for all members of the community.
Just an example what these VIP or high-end clients can mean for an island. St.Barth airport is too small for jets. It is one of the 10 most challenging airports in the world. The island doesn’t want a big airport. These people fly to St.Maarten as a hub and then transfer to a smaller island-hopper or a helicopter to get to the island. 65% of the private jets arriving on St.Maarten are passengers or owners of yachts and on usually on their way to St.Barth. Over the holidays in St.Barth, 277 yachts were anchored, six of them with a length of more than 100 meters. In the holiday week 198 boats arrived with 2,371 people aboard. All hotels, villas and private accommodation were booked out. St.Barth doesn’t have a cruise ship pier and doesn’t want big cruise ships. Back to the airport. 4,355 passengers arrived in the last December week. There were about 200 take-offs and landings in that week. Without a major international airport.
Correction! St.Barth airport had 200 take-offs and landings DAILY in that week, with a peak day of 245.
You think that was fantastic? Not really! Actually, it was a 17% dip compared to last year.
A rate of US$ 80,000 per week for a villa is not unusual. Daily hotel room rates can go in the thousands. The most expensive hotel on the island only has 12 rooms. New Year’s Eve dinners cost from US$ 1,000 to 3,000 without wine or drinks. St.Barth doesn’t have any financial problems and doesn’t need subsidies from France. Now start asking yourself why these people like to visit St.Barth and how did the island get this far? Organized tourism and hotels began in the 1960s and developed in the 70ies onwards. The simplest answer is that you have to know your clientele, treat them as they like to be treated, and the island economy will be flourishing for all members of the community.
A bunch of jealous and backward-thinking UWP ……. Always something negative to what the PM is doing. A bunch of Desparadoes in the country.
Honesty speaking I don’t believe anything that comes from the mouth of Alibaba and his forty thieves. After all, we read the stories of Alibaba from childhood and kenneth Rijock keeps reminding us of them: so what next we expect to hear nou? By now we should know that anytime Alibaba and or any member of the forty thieves club opens their mouths it’s either to mislead us, cover money that’s u der FBI investigation or a business for their corrupt friends
But what madness is that? Bard Will and Deh Nise have good head? The averaged traveler DOES NOT COME THROUH VIP!!
Who the heck all you trying to fool? Dumb arse ki zor yay
How about buying some vaccines for the population instead of begging all the way in India so you. Cannot pay students tuition but finds money to spend on non important items. Talk about a government that is delusional and have priorities twisted.
Doesn’t seem logical! If you are about to build an international airport as you say, then why would you invest so much into Douglas Charles which will effectiely become obsolete once the new airport is functional?
Hm, what they going to do with the old airport when the new one open? Valuable land that. Sell it to the Chinese?
Your priorities are soooo screwed up. It is unreal. Nuff said. VIP lounge? Ki sa?
There is no doubt about it. Absolutely no doubt. There must be a confinement of money money money somewhere in Dominica. I cant believe in these times of struggle and uncertainty that Master Roosevelt Skerrit can waste so much money on nothing else but building. Why can this man bring some real manufacturing to Dominica? Why can he buy a Dominica airways jet? Why cant he construct decent parking facilities in Roseau? Why cant he provide $1000.00 to each citizen? if you are building an International airport, why not upgrade Cranefield? Where is the new Roseau that was promised 8 yrs ago? Magua Sa. Man…..its knots in Dominica. Knots
Hey, dont worry about all the children who sometimes have to go without food forca day, or the impoverished, abused, or abandoned. And dont worry about all the unemployed, the illiterate, the victimized, the infirm or the mentally ill. No dont worry about them. Build a VIP lounge for 1.6 million because tourism is everyones business.
There is nothing in this report that explains how a $1.6 million VIP lounge will assist with covid-19 protocols.
What exactly de ministry of health officials will be doing there that will be different from de experience of an ordinary Dominican?
You have to understand that skerite and his cronies are part of a secret society..a lodge evil group of people who claim to be a brotherhood.. .. The way thee guys operate is like a group of men who are considered the “Elite” they use the poor people to maintain there supremacy… Skerite has to use 1.6 million to upgrade the VIP so that when his lodge brothers come to dominica they are treated like elites .. that’s what it’s about … An evil group of people who rule the world .. They all work together as a global group to enslave poor people and maintain there level… Dominicans get these people out of office!
Dominica’s potential and repeat long term “niche of visitors” are not likely to be the guests of five star hotels, nor are they likely to be “excited about…the plantar(sic) area” at the Melville Hall Airport. They would however be impressed if given a safe environment from which they can explore the natural beauty of Dominica.
Roger, I must disagree with you here. The visitors using this VIP facility by you want above all security, privacy and discrete service and are willing to pay for it.
You will hardly see them on Roseau market I’m afraid. There is a danger that some of our beaches will become out of bounds for the public when In order to get there you have to trespass on private land.
To clarify: the niche visitors I have in mind are those willing to accept what Dominica can best offer, that being the island’s natural beauty. Yes, they would expect security, and that should be a foregone conclusion, but I doubt that they would be overly concerned and willing to pay for, privacy and discrete service.
My type of niche visitor would certainly visit an improved Roseau market and be as concerned as you and I that some of our beaches may eventually become out of bounds.
I wrote my books “Virgin Island Sketches” and “Caribbean Sketches” forty years ago with the intention of encouraging islanders to have confidence in their own identity and to encourage visitors to accept the individuality of the island’s people and places.
The moral being: it is the islanders who are the VIPs.
To clarify: the niche visitors I have in mind are those willing to accept what Dominica can best offer, that being the island’s natural beauty. Yes, they would expect security, and that should be a foregone conclusion, but I doubt that they would be overly concerned and willing to pay for, privacy and discrete service.
My type of niche visitor would certainly visit an improved Roseau market and be as concerned as you and I that some of our beaches may eventually become out of bounds.
I wrote my books “Virgin Island Sketches” and “Caribbean Sketches” forty years ago with the intention of encouraging islanders to have confidence in their own identity and to encourage visitors to accept the individuality of the island’s people and places.
The moral being that it is the islanders who are the VIPs.
The squandering of the people’s money continues unabated under this corrupt, truth-bending regime.
This project is exclusively geared towards accommodating Mr. Skerrit’s billionaire buddies. Ordinary Dominicans would not even be afforded a glimpse of the interior of this VIP lounge.
Reading between the lines, all the talk about the new international airport is just that, TALK. The reason why the construction of this international airport is headline news fur so long, Mr. Skerrit personally and politically profiteers from this decades long, unfulfilled promise.
Don’t believe anything said by Mr. Skerrit, his cabinet and this loyal enabler (Mr. Bardou-ill) as they all have an ADVERSARIAL RELATIONSHIP with the TRUTH.
i wonder what the money will be spent on. Seems the structure already exists, unless the picture isnt of the area they intend to use. I doubt the lounge will be anything close to luxurious. That budget is highly inflated, and im sure the interior decor will be tacky, decorated with chinese furniture, fittings anf fixtures. Now who will be responsible for managing and operating this lounge? Another laborite? Or will there be a call to tendor. 1.6 million, to renovate an airport which will soon be most unused, according to the DLP as we should be looking forward to the new international airport. Ground was supposed to have broken already. according to PM and the cronies everything is already in place. But 1.6 million on luxury VIP lounge at Melvillehall. I have no faith that this renovation will be luxurious. just a step up from the sub par mediocrity that already exists. I dont know about the rest of you but my standards are high, where labels are concerned. keep the laundromat running.
Very well taken Benoit Bardouille. However you forgot to mention Secret Bay by name which ranks #1 in the Caribbean and #6 worldwide and considered to be beyond five stars. Its passengers arrive with private jets.
Scheduled commercial aviation (airline flights) is in deep trouble. For the airlines the outlook darkens according to IATA (International Air Transportation Association).
Private and business aviation is doing quite well. It did very well over the holidays in the Caribbean. The latest report on private/business aviation that was published today, indicates: “numerous destinations in the Caribbean showing healthy year over year growth even in the last week.” The thing is that these flights are going to destinations that offer what the high-end clientele (HNWI= high-net-worth-individuals and UHNWI= ultra high-high-net-worth-individuals) expect. They don’t except mediocracy, but they are more loyal to their favorite destinations, willing to invest, and spend more.
Simple question. Do you want visitors that spend higher amounts of money on the island and contribute to the local economy? Or do you prefer that they go to the other islands and spend well and invest there. It’s a simple choice you can make. They can make a simple choice also and will not visit if they are not welcome. Just let them know.
The U.K. has banned direct flights from the United Arab Emirates, which includes Dubai, from today 29 January because of Covid. There were 159 such flights during over the last 10 days. So you see, even gulf billionaires are not immune to the virus.
All i can say is Wow!!!!! Covid 19 protocols my as..
My question is when COViD 19 is history we will undo since it will no longer be needed? Just asking.
Is the Chinese President and other such dignitaries expected to visit? Is preparation being made for the likes of such.
So who are the citizens we are talking about? This seems to be clearly for which visitors are chosen to use this facility. Does this include Dominican citizens who are returning to the land of their birth? Or the so called citizens who purchased our passports and have more privileges than the born and bred Dominicans.
We the nationals will be bundled into the usual building to meet protocols and be subject to sub standard facilities like the bathrooms.
I recently came back to Dominica, and I simply enquired of a staff member whether there is WiFi in the airport, and the staff member shouted back at me, that there was no WiFi here. This is in a day and age when you are to produce record of your test result and other documents in this covid pandemic.
Making improvements to make sure people are not bypassing protocols, providing luxury treatment should be for…
Benoit Pls. don’t give us that poppycock of Covid as an excuse for spending that money on a VIP lounge. Man, the protocol is the same for everyone that arrives at the airport. Covid doesn’t care if you are a commoner or VIP. You just don’t want these pampered people to experience what we common people have to go trough at the airport like bad plumbing, a dump of a restaurant, a hole in the wall for paying your departure tax and all that. I agree with you, it is crap and is the same sh.. at the ferry terminal we all deserve better including the passengers that travel economy.
A VIP Lounge for if the Price of X or the Princess of Y coming thru to go and chill and have expensive drinks. The VIP is not for poor Malaway like me to go. Now, say the Prince of Z at the longue, you really think people going to be there waiting for covid results etc?