Tourism Director says year-round embrace of creole identity needed to grow Dominica’s tourism

Colin Piper is Director of Tourism and CEO of the DDA

Director of Tourism and CEO of the Discover Dominica Authority (DDA), Colin Piper, has said that in order for Dominica to grow as a tourism nation, citizens must embrace the creole identity throughout the year.

His comment came during a press conference held recently.

“For us to truly grow as a tourism nation, to embody resilience and reap the benefits we must embrace that creole identity the whole year through,” he said. “And that brothers and sisters remains our challenge.”

He continued, “Let us put our shoulders to the wheel and rebuild after Hurricane Maria.”

According to Piper, as the country celebrates another anniversary it is extremely important that the tourism industry deepen its understanding and “make very good use of the attributes of our creole cultural heritage.”

He said as an industry, the DDA intends to more effectively place in its marketing mix as well as in the packaging of the tourism offerings elements of this distinctive culture, “to attract new visitors and to reconnect with those who have long supported our industry.”

He called on citizens to fully embrace a more enlightening use of creole language, infectious rhythms of our musicians and the beauty of Dominica.

“We must also consider the use of our local cuisine, local crafts and designs made by our talented artists,” Piper stated.

It is only then, he said, the island’s tourism industry will intrinsically and organically embrace the creole culture further.

He also encouraged the public to build a tourism of agriculture and to ensure that they consume more of the foods produced locally.

Meanwhile, Tourism Minister, Senator Robert Tonge encouraged everyone to put Dominica first and participate in the celebrations.

“Let us put Dominica first, let us celebrate our achievement as a nation…,” he said. “Lets us all participate in the various activities for this year’s celebrations.”

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23 Comments

  1. Patriot
    September 26, 2019

    Our Creole culture can also be refected in our architecture. Why are we allowing our beautiful creole homes to be torn down to be replaced by ugly concrete monsters that no thought went into? Roseau should have been preserved and turned into a Green City.

  2. Rocco
    September 25, 2019

    How about keeping The Creole festival creole, instead off the highly paid foreign reggae and soca artist that are on island every year.

  3. Annomyous
    September 25, 2019

    Tourism is basically the selling of one’s culture and or identity as a society! What have these guys done to protect and enhance our cultural advancement?

  4. PRO
    September 25, 2019

    Where’s the case studies showing probable growth.
    Wheres the research behind this need for ” year round creole identity”. Our actual culture dictates that we go all out in our madras come October and use it sparingly throughout the remainder of the year. Please highlight how this new year round practice is going to revive our tourism industry?

  5. September 25, 2019

    @Channel 1, I beg to differ with your idea.

    Since this article is about improving “tourism” where does the “creole language” fit in that idea?

    Tourism means that people are coming from the International World to visit our Country, what are they going to understand from someone who is speaking Creole to them?

    What about the social activities or entertainment like a “calypso” show for the tourist, what are they going to understand from someone who is singing his song in Creole? For example, when I am in Church and the song is one of those, which I have never heard, it is just an irritable kind of noise to me, even if it is a song of English

    Since English is a “Universal” language, I believe that Dominicans need to learn more about how to speak and write the English language. There is nothing wrong with speaking Creole, but it is not the “official” language in Dominica, do not forget that.

  6. Stephen McIntyre
    September 25, 2019

    Oops… to PLANT ‘as many trees as I am able’… it’s what I love to do.

  7. Stephen McIntyre
    September 25, 2019

    Dominica is in my sights as a holiday destination and also as a retirement destination, not a luxury-filled one, but as part of a community with caring values and a love of natural environments. Would I be well-received for the latter? If so, then know that I would be grateful to be part of the energy force in seeing Dominica rise above its hurricane devastation. A simple home, a community and an opportunity to as many trees as I am able is what I seek. What say you? (I am a 65-year-old Canadian now leading a good life on an island in beautiful British Columbia).

  8. RandyX
    September 25, 2019

    Is the government of DA paying this man to come up with utter nonsense like that? This is just beyond the joke! He also should ask his master for a few additional dollar to buy a new shirt!

  9. Casio
    September 25, 2019

    Feller actual standards and class is what is needed to grow our tourism. Look at Grenada, st lucia, antigua. We just here on our usual bull expecting madrass and jing ping will bring an influx of people? Please. Take a serious look at our night life here and then we can talk. There is nothing for guests or even locals to DO or got to at night. On weekends the country is dread. We cannot simply rely on nature to be our entertainment. Because when night falls nobody want to go and walk in bush, or dive or look at flaura and fauna. People want safe areas that are clean, and up to a respectable standard that attracts LIKE personalities. Not the rum shop setting or the ghetto crowd with scooters and big chains. Nothing wrong with my people living that lifestyle, but there has to be some standards for TOURISTS to be comfortable enough to want to come here and stay and keep coming back. our creole identity alone CANNOT do that.

  10. Desmond Winston
    September 25, 2019

    Frankly I believe some things like creole which is an influence of the French and goes back to our beginning should be exam now to determine if it’s a positive or a negative on our development today. No one should be encourage or coerce to identify wwith anything. This is the age of aquarius and people are asking questions and want things to make sense.

  11. Papa Dom
    September 25, 2019

    What exactly is the creole culture? Can this guy speak creole? Has he ever eaten breadfruit and catfish for example?

  12. Ibo France
    September 25, 2019

    What is needed for tourism to thrive abundantly is mostly the improvement of the tourism infrastructure. An international airport, a modern cruise facility, an adequate network of roads and bridges, a clean place, pristine beaches, rivers and forests among other things. Does the current administration have the will power to bring these to fruition? I think not. Their only focus is to hold on to power by using shenanigans and suspicious activities. What sector has bloom under this government? Is it the financial, tourism, agriculture or health sectors? Regrettably NONE!

  13. Emmanuel Prince
    September 24, 2019

    I appreciate what collins suggests. The two months of charade does not last. It is not sustainable and it is not resilient. For it to be so, we must as a people express our culture everyday. It has to be entrenched in our education system. It has to become a conscious thing. This has to become signatured in the mind of our people. We as Dominicans really do have a unique way of living; but we have not being able to effectively harness the full potentials of this unique resource, which is our traditional life. It is natural. But how to combine the intellectual with the traditional and the spiritual has been our major challenge for years. And the biggest obstacle is lack of appreciation, and appreciation is inherently part and parcel of sustainability and resiliency. Without this we will continue the charade.

  14. little youte
    September 24, 2019

    Mr Piper you have been the director of tourism for many many years, and only now you realize we need to embrace our creole identity year-round? what have you been doing all these years? its only in government jobs, that people can under perform get tourism arrival numbers down so low, and no one is fired. The tourism minister and Mr piper have killed tourism, and the numbers will show. If there was any decency in these guys they would have resigned.

  15. hmm
    September 24, 2019

    The guy sounds bored.

  16. Praying for DA
    September 24, 2019

    Now that is a written language, it should be taught in schools. I’m in my 40’s migrated to the U.S as a teen. But when I Lived in Dominica creole was all around me. Unfortunately I never spoke it but I did understand it fully and still do. I may be able to speak with some application. However, I was shocked to find out that the kids now adays in their 20’s or less not only do not speak it, they don’t even understand the language. Knowing and speaking creole is a plus not a hindrance. St Lucia has embrace creole so why hasn’t Dominica. Only few Caribbean Islands can speak and understand two languages. That is a priceless gift.

  17. Michael Norris
    September 24, 2019

    I concur. It is the creole culture that will provide the unique identity that visitors look for when they travel. It needs to permeate and be permissive. Look at the example of how the native culture of Bali has branded the island’s tourism product.

  18. Original
    September 24, 2019

    In a tourism industry where we have not seen any tangible improvement for years instead a steady decline but Collin piper has been able to maintain his position as tourism director yet we are expected to see improvements in tourism!

  19. Lord help this nation
    September 24, 2019

    How about we teach Dominican history in schools, real history, not just Aztec and Mayan And slavery then its blank until independence from the British.

    IF A PEOPLE DOES NOT KNOW WHERE THEY CAME FROM THEY WILL NOT KNOW HOW TO GO FORWARD, THEY WILL HAVE NO PRIDE IN THEIR NATION EXCEPT FOR WHEN IT’S SEWO TIME DURING THE ONE MONTH OF INDEPENDENCE THEN IT’S BACK TO REGULAR PROGRAMING.

    • Casio
      September 25, 2019

      Aztec and Mayan history IS real history. It fuses into the caribbean and dominican history if yo can connect the dots. It took me years after school to do so but it makes sense. For example, they are all the same race that travelled across the berring staight. thats why Kalinagos look like mexicans and many north american tribes. a lot of their culture is similar also. There is a kalinago resource senter in Salybia with a good bit of Kalinago books and information that should be shared.

  20. Roger Burnett
    September 24, 2019

    Identity and what we term “culture” cannot be inflicted on people. Unless it is embodied in the people and willingly flows from their heart it is nothing more than a charade.

    • Kalinago Justice
      September 24, 2019

      These people talking about Kweyol/Creole Culture is really just making a charade! They come once a year every year at this time of year giving lip service with their talkshop. Most of these people can’t and don’t speak a word of Kweyol/Creole,all they are interested in is glutenously eating and drinking in the name of Creole, it’s all about a festival of drukeness, immorality and the likes. These people in those so-called leadership are just a bunch of superficial hypocrites!!!

  21. Channel 1
    September 24, 2019

    As part of this creole identity, begin by finding a way to incorporate the teaching of the Creole language in the schools and via other feasible means.

    If corrective measures are not taken, the Creole language will eventually die out or become near non-existent in Dominica.

    How much of this current generation of youth are capable of understanding or holding a discussion in Creole?

    Note how Creole is so dominant in St Lucia.

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