Carnival Victory returns

The Carnival Victory

Carnival Victory is back on Dominica’s shores, at least for today.

Dominica said it had to review its approach to enhance visitor experience, after Carnival Cruise Lines ended a 21-year relationship with the island in November 2010.

Minister for Tourism Ian Douglas said today’s visit must be taken seriously.

“We went to the cruise executives of Carnival Corporation and the other cruise executives and we said we understand that there are certain things that we have to put in place. We appreciate your business and we need you to come to Dominica; Dominica is a very unique destination,” Douglas said.

Carnival had been making weekly calls to Dominica, and tourism workers have been lamenting its loss even as a new cruise ship season opened in October.

Officials here have now asked the cruise line how Dominica can help ensure operations remain profitable and how the two can maintain a long-term partnership, Douglas said. He called on tourism workers to deliver a great impression today in order to entice Carnival to return to the island.

“I suspect they’re coming to look at our systems, to make sure we have everything in place so that next year we can be placed again on the regular itinerary. We want the service and the delivery of the service to be 100 percent,” he underscored.

The tourism minister continued, “We are very happy that Carnival looked at what we are trying to do especially with the premium site plan in Trafalgar falls. Everybody understands what we are trying to do, so that the ship can make some income from the destination, but at the same time our vendors, taxi drivers and tour operators can also generate some revenue.”

Government said last year that Carnival Victory felt that its voyage to Dominica was becoming more costly because of high fuel cost.

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22 Comments

  1. He Lives
    December 20, 2011

    Dominicans are always standing in line to desecrate their own Island and tear down the place as if desiring to have what some other person has, and always assuming that what others have is better than what our Island has to offer. In case you haven’t observed other countries spend a vast amount of resources developing specific sites for tourists to appreciate while the natives live in slums. Have you folks been to Jamaica? The touristic sites are wonderful while most of the island is disgusting. Go to Antigua, Mississippi, Alabama, Detroit, Baltimore, Maryland(Lexington Market area), London, NE Washington DC, just a couple blocks from the WHITE HOUSE? You would not even want to be an alley cat in some of those places. Please folks get a grip. Dominica boasts of its natural beauty not plush hotels and white sand beaches. America knows how to hide her poorest citizens in West Virginia, Apalachia…take a look at “COPS” and see how some of these people live. Travel a little bit and you will learn how to appreciate what a treasure Dominica is and stop trying to get WHITE FOLKS to validate our beautiful island. My suggestion to all of you who take pleasure in being so critical of the island is to clean you front yard, keep your hedges trimmed, and maintain your home (even if it is a 2 X 4) with a coat of fresh paint and replacement of rotting wood. That is the beauty of the Island. And for you folks who are feel so bad when so called Canadians and other foreigners try to tell you what a bad experience they had on your island, ask them for a ride to their nearest GHETTO. I can assure you they will back off either because they are too ashamed of what their backyards (figuratively speaking) looks like or for fear of being peppered with bullets by the ones they have suppressed for so long to get to where they are…black or white, it does not matter. I REFUSE TO DEGRADE DOMINCA AND I OBJECT TO ANYONE TALKING TO ME ABOUT DOMINICA IN A DEROGATORY MANNER. Love her or go somewhere else.

  2. Jbfox
    December 20, 2011

    Some of u Dominicans need to stop crying down Ur country only an idiot will cry down a beautiful island like
    Dominica.I drove an American who sailed around the world and over heard his conversation with other visitors in the vehicle,and guess where he was comparing Dominica with,New Zealand.

  3. December 20, 2011

    TRUST ME NOTHING IS NOT IN PLACE YET,ROSEAU STILL IN A TERRIBLE CONDITION,NO PROPER DRAINAGE AND SIDEWALKS YOU GUYS THINK THIS A JOKE,WHEN WHEELCHAIR PASSENGERS ON THE SHIP COME ASHORE THEY CANT EVEN MOVE AROUND ,THATS ONE OF MAJOR PROBLEM.

  4. TR Man
    December 20, 2011

    The real problem was Trafalgar Falls. Because many tourists were going on private rather than organized tours the cruise ship was not making money, The cruise ship makes money by charging a high comission on organized tours. By making trafalgar falls a premium site, then only organized tours can go there when a cruise ship calls. The site doh matter what, is still the most attractive and hence the cruise line can now make money since private tours to trafalgar are all gone. The real losers are the Vendors in Trafalgar who are now earnng substantially less since less tourist visit the site and secondly tourist on organized tours do not spend that much. Where is the Parl Rep in all this? Your guess is as good as mines. Thats where true representation comes in.

  5. Lougaoo Mem
    December 20, 2011

    When comes to tourism, we have the best to offer in island uniqueness. However, the politicians must learn to deliver, and make it their business. Stop fleecing, stop blaming, and understand the natives’ businesses are hurting

  6. Drake
    December 20, 2011

    So they are now admitting that fuel had nothing to do with the pull out. Even when the cruise ship pull out and the obvious reason was because we are lacking in many areas the government elected to spend 27 million on a state house. Next level governance.

  7. Jane Messam
    December 20, 2011

    PM Skerritt Please, please try to pump some money into Dominica infrasture/tourism. So many other islands who are smaller than Domininca are doing their best to encourage tourism – take a leaf from their books. Otherwise, Dominica will go back to great poverty. Apart from that, I am very pleased that the cruise liner is back in Dominica.

  8. tumble, backkick
    December 20, 2011

    Man DA is a very attractive place to visit however we still lack the professional approach. I’ ll say it again we are not very good at creating the that first impression. It’s not what you have but how we present ourselves. What about our tour guides? Are they visiting other countries themselves and if they have done so are they sharing the experience? Does our primary, secondary school curriculum contain aspects relevant to history, culture and tourism development?
    We always hear about long term and short term plans. What are they, and does the polulace know what they are? My good quess is that it may be sitting on a minister’s desk waiting for him to dust it off and read a few lines from it before the next election.
    Anyway it’s still good news, we have a second chance so it’s up to us.

  9. Truth
    December 20, 2011

    It begins with the paving of the roads and sidewalks in Roseau. It is so sad that we have so many cruise ships coming to the port in Roseau and even after Carnival pulled out we haven’t even addressed that.

  10. catapillar
    December 20, 2011

    Man I am happy for us but I must ask the question.is fuel consumption or conservation no longer an issue to the cruise ship company and why is Ian now saying “we know we have to put certain things in place “. The government caught lying. I have always said and I knew from inside information that the cruise ship company was disgusted with Dominica. It should have been obvious when skerrit lashed out at truck drivers and Dominicans taking away community day of service benefits. They are to arrogant to recognize their inefficiency so they blame others;blame the opposition for the state of feeder roads; blame farmers for the dismal agriculture industry

  11. dumb
    December 20, 2011

    A visitor from Canada approached my mom in church and told her that Roseau looks like a slum. She said the Cathedral is overrun with ants and that the place looks very shabby. Very bad for our tourism industry. I am a tourism major and I know for a fact that our offerings are far superior to other countries. But first impressions are lasting impressions. Mr. P.M please find the money to create a more attractive scenery and stop putting all of it into your accounts scattered all over the world. When I hear that St. Kitts and Antigua was a more pleasant experience I was so ashamed. Too much Chinese driving our local businesses to lose business that they can no longer afford attractive booths. Please do something or else our tourism industry will fall

    • Grasshopper
      December 20, 2011

      You don’t have to even talk to a Canadian visitor. I have directed friend from other Caribbean islands to Dominica and they loved the island. They had nothing good to say about Roseau. The place is a total dump.

    • real possie
      December 20, 2011

      @ Dumb guess u never read the story with cum cum how u know the man have accounts all over the world, now what the cathedrals have to do with him these churches been collecting offerings since befor i was born they should be able to fix the house off God on thier own.Lets say he fix one what the rest going to say.

    • Chad
      December 20, 2011

      I’m a Ross student from Canada and I actually think Roseau is pretty nice. But then again I’ve been living on the island for a year. I think it all depends on your expectations. Growing up in North America the only exposure to the Caribbean we have are images of white sand, crystal clear water, and massive white hotels, which isn’t the Dominica experience. Dominica is a beautiful place, but it isn’t the Caribbean of TV world. If a visitor tells you that your city looks like a slum point at the skyline and ask them how many rainforest covered mountains they have near their slums.

    • ?????????????
      December 20, 2011

      With a Tourism Major as you have mentioned, you are really dumb. Where is your inovative idea being as you say a “tourism Major” Instead of asking for money which one cannot find shaking a tree an djust using your mouth to say just anything ( You seem to be the one who is putting the money for the PM in his scattered accounts – all over the World) _ you need to be brought in for questioning – Hope you have facts to back up your allegations. Chinese have businesses yes but where is your own business plan being as you say a “Tourism Major”. Guard your mouth and do not repeat what you hear others say. You have to back up when you talk with facts. Sit down ” You are a Tourism Major” and do some right up (suggestions etc) You are a tourism major and then You can talk not just useless talk. Do not look like you have a major in “Parler Parler” as a lot of persons in our country have or a major in “negativity” also a lot do have here.

      Love to you my dear!

      • Rocks
        December 20, 2011

        ?? Get out of here….Have you heard about freedom of speech…You guys need to stop attacking people because their belief or political opinion is different than yours. She is absolutely right about the Cathedral since it is consider a historical building in Dominica..The Gov’t should take some interest in improving it looks. Secondly anybody can speak against Skerit and should have nothing to worry about. Who the heck is Skerit, just another man…Is people like you that make him believe that he is a God…SMH

      • Asterix
        December 20, 2011

        Can’t someone with a tourism major be still in school idiot?

      • Peeping Tom
        December 20, 2011

        Straight and powerful. I kinda like that talk.

  12. Peeping Tom
    December 20, 2011

    Another piece of encouraging news. Great vibes!

  13. Please
    December 20, 2011

    Great news right before christmas too

  14. hmmmm
    December 20, 2011

    Lord I PRAY that we get back on track with the Cruise Line…

  15. Amber
    December 20, 2011

    lets see what happens ok folks?

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