Cruise ship survey gives poor report card on Dominica

A cruise ship in port in Dominica
A cruise ship in port in Dominica

An overwhelming number of people questioned in a recent cruise ship survey said they are not satisfied with destination Dominica and many say they will not recommend a land-based or resort vacation on the island to family or friends and will not return to the island in the next three years.

The poor report card on Dominica was made public in a 95-page report of the survey conducted by the Business Research and Economic Advisors (BREA) on behalf of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association for the 2014-2015 cruise season.

Thirty-five countries in the Caribbean, Mexico and Central and South America formed part of the survey. Countries were ranked on the scale of one being the highest and 35, the lowest. Although some of the percentages for Dominica appear high, they are low as compared to other destinations.

On the question of overall satisfaction with the destination, Dominica ranked 34 out of 35 with 77 percent of respondents saying they were satisfied and 23 percent not satisfied.

On the question of whether the visit to Dominica met expectations, Dominica again ranked 34, with 75 percent saying it exceeded expectations and 25 percent saying it did not meet expectations.

On the survey, visitors were asked how likely they are to return to the destination for a land based or resort vacation within the next three years. On that question Dominica ranked 32, with 32 percent of respondents saying they are satisfied enough to return and 68 percent saying they are not satisfied enough to return.

Visitors were asked how likely are you to recommend a land based or resort vacation in the destination to family or friends and on that question Dominica ranked last at 35, with 38 percent saying they are satisfied enough to recommend and 62 pecent saying not satisfied enough.

In terms of the level of satisfaction with taxis and local transportation, the island ranked 30 (86 percent satisfied, 14 percent not satisfied).

On the level of satisfaction with the initial shore welcome, Dominica once again ranked last 35 (86 percent satisfied, 14 percent not satisfied).

On the friendliness of the residents of the destination Dominica ranked 27 (86 percent satisfied, 24 percent not satisfied).

In terms of total Economic contribution of Cruise Tourism by destination 2014-15 cruise year Dominica ranked 28.

On total employment created by Cruise Tourism, Dominica ranked 23 with only 373 people employed.

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL REPORT OF SURVEY

The list of participating countries and sponsoring agencies is below:

Antigua & Barbuda – Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Authority
Aruba – Aruba Ports Authority
The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism
Barbados Barbados Port Inc.
Belize Belize Tourism Board
Bonaire Tourism Corporation of Bonaire
British Virgin Islands BVI Ports Authority
Cabo San Lucas Administracion Portuaria Integral de Cabo San Lucas SA de CV
Cayman Islands – Cayman Islands Department of Tourism
Colombia Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Cartagena / Proexport Colombia
Costa Maya Promociones Turisticas Majahual SA de CV
Costa Rica Instituto Costarricense de Tourismo
Cozumel State Government of Quintana Roo
Curacao – Curacao Ports Authority
Dominica Dominica – Air and Sea Ports Authority
Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism
Ensenada Administracion Portuaria Integral de Ensenada SA de CV
Grenada – Grenada Tourism Authority
Guadeloupe – Guadeloupe Islands Tourism Board
Guatemala Inguat
Honduras Port of Roatan
Jamaica – Jamaica Tourist Board
Martinique – Martinique Tourism Authority
Mazatlan Administracion Portuaria Integral de Mazatlán SA de CV
Nicaragua – Nicaragua Tourism Board
Progreso Administracion Portuaria Integral de Progreso SA de CV
Puerto Rico (San Juan)- Puerto Rico Tourism Company
Puerto Vallarta Administracion Portuaria Integral de Puerto Vallarta SA de CV
St. Kitts & Nevis – St. Kitts Tourism Authority
St. Lucia Ministry of Tourism, Heritage and Creative Industries
St. Maarten – Port St. Maarten Group of Companies
Tobago Division of Tourism & Transportation
Trinidad Tourism Development Company
Turks and Caicos Ministry of Tourism
U. S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism

 

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141 Comments

  1. Francisco Telemaque
    October 23, 2015

    “Francisco, with respect, a little bit of research would be advisable before putting pen to paper. There are plenty of golf resorts to chose from in the Caribbean. You only need to google “golf courts of the Caribbean”(Titiwi).

    Be informed I do not have to Google to be informed; I never said there are no gulf resorts in the Caribbean. Be reminded if you read me correctly, I said I’ve been all over the Caribbean, and have never found a single gulf, field that is inclusive to any one group of people.

    As far as I am concern I should not even respond the garbage the person wrote, the fact he/she said inclusive hotels, casino, and shopping crap proves that fool is ignorant since the word (inclusive) should not be used in the context the person wrote!

  2. WELL WELL WELL
    October 23, 2015

    Yet still they saying that LIAT has bad customer Service and the island itself is LACKING GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE. DOMINICANS spat in the air and fall right on them.

  3. kay
    October 22, 2015

    I always say that commenting on DNO is pointless. We may have all the ideas, suggest all the common sense things that need to be done. But when your words aren’t read or heard then what point does it all make? I am not saying this to say stop the dialogue, but instead try to get the conversations heard by those who can make the change. Any minister who wants to know what is on the minds of our ppl only needs to pull up dno or listen to some of the talk radio programs. Dominicans speak and we speak all the time. We are also frustrated because we see things that need to be changed and we see them clearly. We also know that the Govt knows of our troubles and use that in their political campaigns to win our votes. That’s shameful!
    We too have our own part to play. Let us take pride in Dominica. We treat the place like is a trash heap then complain when someone says its dirty. We rob people when they visit and curse the police then ask why they aren’t working.

  4. I see you
    October 22, 2015

    So we now find out who this gentleman trolling all DNO articles, always badtalking Dca, lives in the US. So of course it makes sense..when your every opinion is from a distance, and your every view is from an “i’m AMerican” glasses. Dominica needs a lot of work when it comes to tourism, healthcare, education, infrastructure and mostly everything. There are probably more dominicans in the diasporA than there is in dominica…but what is their contribution other than spreading negativity? The need for constructive commentary of many of these threads an urgent one. You can point out the cons without crying down the place in that manner, just because you dont live there, but used to live there. You think that makes you look grand in other people’s eyes but it makes you look small. Let us work on our country to get it to where we need it to be. People overseas help in anyway you can. If the government wont cooperate with you do small things for your community via village…

    • I see you
      October 22, 2015

      Village council and other small organizations. Many small changes can have a big impact. Certain areas are under budgetary constraints and for whatever reason, whether right or wrong, things dont get done…are we going to just sit down and cry about the government in the mean time? There is only one garbage truck on island so of course the place is full of rubbish..the government needs to do something about it…but in the meantime cant something be done by the people. Can supplies be donated to the hospital or at least the health center where you’re from? There are few people doing just that but not enough!

  5. Ras Moz
    October 22, 2015

    If the tourists feel that Dominica is not suitable for their vacations. Then stop the Cruise ships from docking. We don’t want them.. For years the Cruise ship industry has been charging extra for “exotic” ports like Dominica, but Dominica does NOT get any additional port charge or special consideration, instead Dominica has to negotiate more in other to get ships to dock. We don’t need them, trust me.. They need us more. What Dominica has to offer CANNOT be seen any and everywhere!!!!

  6. October 22, 2015

    I expect many of the complaints are valid concerns but they can be found in other places a well.

    The problems are things that can changed. A country that cares about its image abroad and is competing for its share of the tourist market will be glad for this input and will see the report as a valuable tool for improvement.

    However, people who go on cruises often think their money should buy them the best with no consideration for the history, culture, or social status of the place they are visiting. They tend to be critical, unappreciative, and sometimes rude. Their comparisons are not always reasonable and fair.

    Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.

    • October 22, 2015

      The people I have met in Canada who have visited Dominica have had nothing but good to say about the country. These are Christians at the church in Brampton, Ontario where my wife and I are members, not your average pleasure seeking cruise ship crowd.

      To those of you who live and work in Dominica I simply say this. Do what you can to change what needs to be changed. Seek to be the best you can be in your walk of life. Do not be concerned about the nay-sayers. They are not worth your time and probably do not deserve your hospitality.

      Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist. :-P

  7. jane messaml
    October 22, 2015

    Colin Piper get your act together and sort tourism out. I bet you travel to places and see how well these places are doing when it comes to tourism. Dominica is being left behind and us Dominicans don’t like that.

  8. Jesus is Christ is lord
    October 22, 2015

    On the Bayfront has too much Paros,on the port has too many securities and other worker not doing their jobs,too many bus drivers and Taxi drivers harrassing the tourists,I dont like Roseau Muchless for the tourist…

  9. Idea
    October 22, 2015

    This is such a simple thing to fix. What the \”Officials\” in the Tourism Industry have to do is go to the courntries where good grades were given and see what it is they are offering to tourists that we in Dominica do not have, and just create the same environment here. Basic basic basic. The is not brain surgery.!!

  10. Paul
    October 22, 2015

    Study the survey and you’ll see some interesting things. First and foremost it is heavily weighted towards ‘shopping experiences’. Hardly surprising we don’t do very well. Next, only 1,849 out of 226,000 visitors to Dominica were surveyed and of that number, 553 were crew members. And of the 1,849 surveyed, only 37% went on a tour. So basically 684 people out of 226,000 actually had a Dominica land or marine experience and were surveyed about it. The rest presumably wandered around Roseau, trying to avoid beggars, wondering where all the duty free shopping malls were. So now look at satisfaction levels of those who went on a tour and Dominica ranks 8th out of 35. We rank 33 out of 35 for shopping. We also rank 34 out of 35 on whether Dominica ‘met expectations’. Who set those expectations ? The cruise lines themselves. The only thing this survey tells us is that our shops are rubbish and that cruise tourism demographic is not well suited to this island. It says more about them…

    • Paul
      October 22, 2015

      And one more thing: the cruise lines will use this survey to leverage better deals from islands. The Discover Dominica Authority needs to react swiftly to this by carrying out its own surveys of passengers who take shore excursions throughout the whole of this season – so it can counter with its own, more representative data. It should do this as a matter of course anyway, but there you go.

    • Malatete
      October 22, 2015

      If you read the article you will find that Dominica participates in these surveys through the Air- & Sea ports Athourity. The person heading up that organisation, mr. Bardouille is also the chairman of the DDA (Discover Dominica Authority). Whichever way your turn it, The impression those surveyed cruise passengers have of Dominica is not a very positive one.
      Wishful thinking alone is not going to change that.

      • Paul
        October 22, 2015

        No wishful thinking. I’m not a fan of cruise ship tourism. But this survey and the resulting headlines are not representative.

    • October 22, 2015

      Paul:

      This is an excellent analysis :!: You have sure put the survey in perspective.

      If I had read this first before writing my own comments I would not have been so emotional. I have not been to Dominica (yet) but as an evangelist in the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) I have ministered much in the Caribbean. I follow DNO and have a certain connection with the Christians in Dominica. Anything that hurts them hurts me.

      Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.

  11. SMOKING OUT
    October 22, 2015

    Roseau needs a complete road make over with covered drains. vacant properties cleaned and maintained, derelict buildings broken down and cleaned, a home for the homeless, hospitality training for not just bus drivers and venders but Dominicans. all houses which are antiques from the French and colonial era should be assisted with renovations to enhance the town.

    Roseau stinks and makes me depress, imagine what it does to tourist accustomed to their way of life.

    we not ready, STICK TO AGRICULTURE WHILE WE SLOWLY BUILD OUR TOURISM PRODUCT.

  12. too late
    October 22, 2015

    were is labour of love? waiting paitiently fr labour of love to announe how majestic his Pm concerning this disamal reprt

  13. sonmi451
    October 22, 2015

    It’s interesting debate, which demonstrates complete lack of understanding how commerce and economy in general works. Root of problem is that Dominica is extremely unattractive place to make business. At least for tourism business. Let me explain. Great tourists venues, shopping, hotels etc are products of foreign investment. In a layman terms: some guy with funds willing to take risk and open a tourist business or international firm willing to expand. If you as foreigner try to open your shop in Dominica you will encounter huge troubles and profit prospective equals zero in best case scenario. As a result there are no new market participants willing to market Dominica and attract more visitors, no competition and quality of things for tourists in Dominica is poor. Ok there are few actors really brave and great and I adore them: French Bakery, Fusion Village, Desiderata, DeChamps…but thats basically all. Other players sank in mediocrity and wont allow any competition. They afraid…

    • sonmi451
      October 22, 2015

      ..They afraid of competition and use all resources to prevent any serious player coming to Dominica. Government instead of creating attractive business environment through reforming public sector continues to act if its election time and avoid any serious reforms. It’s not the Government job to attract tourists but its Government duty to make sure that its profitable to make business in Dominica via liberalizing market and allowing foreign players enter the market. Dominicans are afraid of competition, afraid of realizing that technologically, mentally and socio-economically island is behind for decades…Its like paranoia: desire to get foreigners and fear of having foreigners doing things better than Dominicans.

  14. bougla
    October 22, 2015

    do not put all your eggs in 1 basket. we are good at growing things so agriculture has to be a priority too.

  15. Eco Tourism
    October 22, 2015

    Please do not take this survey too serious Dominica! I think this result shows, that Dominica is a very special place that is not understood right by the “ordinary tourism crowd”. But you should focus on tourists, that are interested in the nature and the special athmosphere that you only find in Dominica. If Dominica would push more the “Eco-Tourisms” I think this would be a win win situation for everybody in the country! People who want to discover Dominica in its whole beauty stay longer then just a couple hours and they actually spend their money, where it should be spend: at the local businesses, restaurants and bars. So my advise would be to work on advertisement for eco tourism and stay just the way you are :wink:

  16. Modara
    October 22, 2015

    Dominica tourism is plagued with a plethora of problems.
    The government is NOT serious about tourism development. Most sites are poorly maintained and facilities are the worst in the region. Unlike all other ports in the region where there are dedicated well maintained port facilities, arriving in Dominica on a cruise ship is a mess. Imagine what you would see if you are out looking from your room or on the balcony coming to port at Fond Cole or the Bay Front. Its a shame.
    Roseau smells poopoo and pipi all the time, streets are broken, sidewalks are not maintained and are uneven for the most. Too many derelict shacks and vehicles all over the place.
    Reception by the officers at the ports is a disgrace.
    Roseau has absolutely nothing to offer tourists/visitors and the sites that can enhance the visitor experience are ignored.
    Portsmouth that has the true potential for tourism development is ignored.
    The government lacks foresight. After 15 years we are in the same spot. kakarat

  17. Independent Observer
    October 22, 2015

    I am a Dominican and I give it a failing grade when I travel to Dominica. So many places are dirty…littered with rubbish. We are the nature island and no flowers etc.

    Why has no one taken the head Colin Piper to task. In another country he and his host of posers would have been fired for not having delivered. These people are traveling all the time…don’t they see how well presented other countries are in terms of their product?

  18. anonymous2
    October 22, 2015

    Is anyone really surprised by the results of the survey? All one has to do is look around at the people and the place. The over all impression for tourists is not good. People traveling are usually on limited incomes, they aren’t rich and they want their money’s worth. The color of one’s skin is not equal to how much money they have. Tourism will never succeed as long as people have no pride in the way the country looks and the practices and attitudes of the people. If you think that these tourists can’t figure this out, you are only fooling yourself govt.

  19. The Real Facts
    October 21, 2015

    Tourists: The young, older ones and the aged are all looking for something different when they visit the Caribbean as Dominica. So it all depends what they are looking for.
    It is known that Dominica is quieter than some other countries. Those who visit should be made aware of that. Then they would know what to expect.
    Dominica cannot be changed nor can it be changed overnight. The PM had bright ideas for Dominica, for Roseau. Well, TS Erika placed a damper on that for at least the time being.
    In the meantime, I expect the Tourism Minister, DDA and other authorities will take a good look at this survey and decide how they plan to change this low ratings. Good luck!

  20. no name no warrant
    October 21, 2015

    Even you all put workers there it will be the same thing ,its not the party is the people see how they throw garbage all over the island

  21. legit
    October 21, 2015

    Dominicans, tourism is a high speed sexy woman alu cannot afford.stick to agriculture people.

    • 4progress
      October 22, 2015

      Go back to bed. Do you really think we can live on agriculture only?

  22. grandbay
    October 21, 2015

    D least dey could do was have dem fire trucks hose down bayfront befor d ship arrive wi..by d dock was smelling poopooo..who would want to come back to a devastated island dat instantly smell like s……..

  23. real deal
    October 21, 2015

    Developed the second town for tourist business and make DA look good .

    • SMOKING OUT
      October 22, 2015

      so you saying leave Roseau in the condition it is

  24. kay
    October 21, 2015

    The thing is we actually have have more to offer in terms of tours than many of the other islands. Dominica is beautiful and no one can disagree. The problem is how do we market, train and control our tourism product. There are little things that we can do to improve. Roseau is a mess, and the government has just been playing politics with the matter. I guess they figure no one falling for the international airport promise no more so they promising the next big eye sore, the city. Carnival pulled out, vagrants all over the place, old buildings litter the city. Dominica does not fit the idea of a caribbean destination and that is one of the biggest problems. What does it take? A true dictator to just move things? Are we so dependent on almighty government to solve all issues that we are willing to see the country plummet into poverty?
    Start by creating that cruise village where them ppl first impression will not be the mess.

  25. Keep it 100
    October 21, 2015

    Yet still yall government building a new hotel to accommodate ghost. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

    • Tjebe fort
      October 22, 2015

      You know they even planning a new bypass for Portsmouth to go to that hotel so visitors don’t have to pass through Lagon because govt. too embarrassed by that. Pretend it does not exist, like putting your potcham behind a curtain but it still smelling tou par tou.

    • smh
      October 22, 2015

      lol…

  26. William Mc Lawrence
    October 21, 2015

    The over-all ranking of Dominica as a Cruise Destination by passengers and crew participating in the 2014 to 2015 Cruise Survey conducted by BREA for the FCCA informs that there is a lot of work that still needs to be done to make Dominica a competitive cruise ship destination.

    The Economic Contribution of Cruise Tourism to Dominica’s Economy continues to be low. This is reflected in the passenger and crew responses to the survey that their expectations were NOT met during their visit with the exception of the tours organized on board the ship which ranked relatively high. However private taxis/tours and local transportation, Island hospitality (shore-side welcome, friendliness and courtesy), Sites and attractions (historic sites, museums and things to see and do, including the overall shopping experience ( lack of variety of shops, quality merchandise, high prices and poor customer service) all ranked poorly.

    Dominica needs to act now before it’s too late. :wink:

    • Porssie
      October 22, 2015

      Bill we have been hearing this for 9 years. We have had several ministers of Tourism and we keep regressing. It is time for people to sprak and stone these useless leeches out of our government.
      They remain in power thru corruption not based on performance.
      Dominicans let is kool wash these corrupt and useless pieces of ### to the latrines that they belong

    • Porssie
      October 22, 2015

      Bill we have been hearing this for 9 years. We have had several ministers of Tourism and we keep regressing. It is time for people to speak and stone these useless leeches out of our government.
      They remain in power thru corruption not based on performance.
      Dominicans let us kool wash these corrupt and useless pieces of ### to the latrines that they belong

  27. My-views
    October 21, 2015

    The country is poor, what you all expect? Nature Isle of the Caribbean. No form of entertainment for tourists when they visit. No night life. There was an aerial tram and they shut it down. All you hear is beetles and frogs croaking before 6 pm. All shops closed by 4pm and there is no food at restaurants by 2pm. Weekends worst. Living like they still in the freaking ‘stone age’. People want to enjoy themselves when they travel. And, thanks to Erika for making it from bad to worst.

  28. William Mc Lawrence
    October 21, 2015

    The BREA Report RANKS Dominica’s among 35 Cruise Ship Destination for the period 2014 to 2015 as follows:
    ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION:
    Total Cruise Tourism Expenditures – 28
    Total Employment – 28
    Total Employee Wage Income – 29
    Passenger Onshore Visits – 25
    Average passenger Expenditure – 33
    Total Passenger Expenditure – 28
    Crew Onshore visits – 28
    Average Crew Expenditure – 29
    Total Crew Expenditure – 29
    Total Expenditure by Cruise Line – 28
    First Visit by Passenger – 21
    Number of Hours Spent Ashore – 34
    SATISFACTION WITH:
    Overall visit – 34
    Visit Met Expectations – 34
    Initial Shore-side Welcome – 35
    Purchased/ Guided Tours – 8
    Taxi/ Local Transportation – 31
    Historic Sites/ Museums – 27
    Variety of Things to See and Do – 32
    Friendliness of Residents – 30
    Overall Shopping Experience – 33
    Courtesy of Employees – 30
    Variety of Shops – 33
    Overall Prices – 26
    Visitor Likely to Return – 32
    Visitor Likely to Recommend Country to Others – 35
    THIS IS NOT GOOD. CAN…

    • William Mc Lawrence
      October 21, 2015

      CAN THE MINISTRY OF TOURISM, DISCOVER DOMINICA AUTHORITY (DDA) AND THE CENTRAL STATISTICS OFFICE ANALYZE THIS REPORT FURTHER TO COME UP WITH CRITICAL RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE WAY FORWARD?

      The following short-term measures may be considered:
      1. Establish a Cruise Tourism Commission/ Committee to regulate and monitor all cruise tourism related activities
      2. Increase Customer Service training for every one operating in the Cruise Tourism Sector
      3. Enhance isites and attractions and the shopping experience, especially upgrading the vendors huts at the Bay-front and at the Old Market Plaza, and the quality and price of tours abd merchandize sold must be regulated
      4. Organize a proper dispatch system for private tours, ensuring drivers are certified, properly attired, operate on a rotating system, provide the tours as sold, and, do not under cut prices for tours.
      5. Develop a long term strategic plan for creating a competitive and sustainable cruise tourism sector to benefit all…

      • Titiwi
        October 22, 2015

        William, the cruise schedules for 2017-2018 have already been planned and I hope we are not fishing behind the net! The last thing we want is more committees. Give all these people attending meetings ever day for their free lunch a mop and a broom instead. That would be far more effective…and help them lose weight in the process.

      • HJW
        October 22, 2015

        Bill, the comments by Legit posted above said it best; tourism is a very expensive beautiful woman so we must decide to either go full forward with her or let her go. The economic condition of the island is indicative of our result on the survey.

        To fix this issue and be more competitive will take ALL resources we have available including ALL man, woman and child. I also agree with you 100% and would start with your recommendations but you very well know it will take a lot more than the drop of water you recommended to full that bucket.

        Folks, this has nothing to do with Governments and more to do with our DNA. We can change this and improve this. We can stop harassing tourists with nasty laminated maps of the island trying to undercut organized tours. We are the most disorganized destination with a mob of taxi and bus drivers standing outside the port perimeter like vultures waiting on the next meal.

        We can change this!

  29. too late
    October 21, 2015

    wehhhhhhhhhhhhhh dominica last again? papamete..

    any way we love our Pm :)

  30. October 21, 2015

    The Privy Council or whatever Court delivered a ruling re the Linton/Byrne matter. Joshua Francis spun it one way. Tony Astaphan spun it the other way. I look with interest how that data on tourism will be spun……Pathetic!

  31. Passing cloud
    October 21, 2015

    Dominica is in serious trouble and unless we get rid of that bug that keeps affecting us, no matter how we turn, this beautiful country that was once viewed as “Paradise” will turn into an unattractive zoo that runs animals away, let alone people.

    The fact of the matter is, Cruise ship survey gave a bad review and even LIAT and others giving a bad review as well. So when the review is bad both on sea and air, tell me where you think we heading?

    • The Real Facts
      October 21, 2015

      You are one who keeps blaming others. People as you need to change your overall attitude. Then the situation will be better.

    • anonymous2
      October 22, 2015

      No where.

  32. memoi
    October 21, 2015

    Looking at the survey results, it clearly shows that Dominica has a lot to do when it comes to shopping and services at stores/hotels. Some work has to be done on the way we approach people and the way we come across, we have to be a bit more friendly. Seems like the tour guides and taxi men are doing a great job, although they can strive for #1 instead of #8 but at 94% satisfied overall, that is very good news for the guides and taxi men since they seems to always get a bad rep., seems like the survey finally liberated/redeemed them from the bad rep.

  33. Leftist Kalinago
    October 21, 2015

    I observed that some of the names are not countries. They appear to be names of ports or tourism organizations, so we may have several ports in one country. Correct me if am wrong.

    • Tjebe fort
      October 22, 2015

      Where would you expect the cruise ship to park if not in a port??

  34. wisewoman
    October 21, 2015

    It is not rocket science to clean the streets of Roseau, for a start! How does the mayor and city council go to work and not see the filth and garbage???????????? I have tried to see the mayor on several occassions but she wasn’t in her office. Perhaps she too can’t stand the garbage everywhere and just chooses to avoid Roseau.
    We had $500,000 for the cathedral roof but do not have the funds to hire more road cleaners? This should be the easiest and fastest thing to fix and it would be a good start. Not just for tourists but for those of us who live here!
    Get it together or you all need to resign, post haste!

    • Tjebe fort
      October 22, 2015

      And even that cathedral roof at a standstill. Where did money go? Did Skerrit borrow it back from the bishop?

  35. lol
    October 21, 2015

    I have to say is that YES I am surprised about the information coming from this survey, because all we hear from the Government is that were the BEST in tourism, BEST in economic development, BEST in everything and we just continue to sit down and take it. I don’t feel sorry for Dominicans anymore, let them tale it and dive in it. Dominica to nice!

    • Francisco Telemaque
      October 21, 2015

      Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhhhh!

      Boy, not even I the bad, bad junkyard dog, could not have said anything better than that, and so I give you a thousand thumbs up multiply by exponent fifteen!

  36. committed
    October 21, 2015

    When will real Dominicans learn that these bunch of nincompoops is incapable, incompetent and doesn’t care about Dominica.

    • Grammar
      October 22, 2015

      When will real Dominicans learn that these nincompoops are incapable and incompetent? They don’t care about Dominica.

  37. Miss Lady
    October 21, 2015

    The best is yet to come. say deye report key knee report. Take it or leave it. Dominica is not a real country in the real world

  38. Real Truth
    October 21, 2015

    Without vision, the people perish…….

  39. October 21, 2015

    I’m not surpise, As a Dominican I always experience bad customer service, These folks doesn’t have the politeness to serve customers, I have been to most of the caribbean islands Dominica I have experience worst customer service, Employers should train there employees to practice good customer service before they hire this folks, Bus driver s some are untidy and unprofessional as well.Its hurting our country.

    • Bridge
      October 21, 2015

      It begins with you. You can’t say these folks doesn’t. The correct grammar is – these folks don’t . It is people like you with poor grammar that is hurting the country . A clear and correct articulation also contribute in good customer service.

      • October 21, 2015

        @Bridge Its an error, It seems you’re among these folks who don’t care about this situation , some of you guys need to practice good customer service and try to be professional, It’s a serious matter I have met folks overseas visited Dominica mentioned to me that same issue.

    • The Real Facts
      October 21, 2015

      This includes those who own and operate their small business. They do not first greet the customers. They expect the customers to greet them first and they do not know the customers and vice versa. Such people also need to take a customer service training course. if they have the aptitude for it.
      A year or two ago I thought I read that Dominica had an enterprise which trains customer service employees.

  40. A Doubting Thomas
    October 21, 2015

    Roosevelt skerrit and his administration together with Tony astaphan can manipulate the truth in Dominica but numbers dont lie. Even when people try to cook up numbers, numbers remain stubborn.
    So what propagandists like Brain, Tony astaphan, Simeone, Lennox Lawrence, and Arthley Aaron do? They blow out smoke screen.
    What I have always said is that Roosevelt Skerrit and his administration is and has always been a farce. Chavez is no longer here to bail Roosevelt skerrit out; the passport selling market is almost saturated and so our non performing economic entities are now coming back to bite us in the toosh.
    Did anybody walk around Roseau during the past few days.

    • sad
      October 21, 2015

      I have and it is quite apparent

    • Tjebe fort
      October 21, 2015

      I did and had to hold my nose for the bad smell.

    • Francisco Telemaque
      October 21, 2015

      Any, other educational subject can be manipulated, in a way to pass the subject; except mathematics!

      In math, there are only two resolve; you either get it correct, or incorrect, there is no I almost got it right, or come close to getting right!

    • Anon....
      October 22, 2015

      I have. Disgusting place. Try to get in and out as fast as possible. Never spend more time in Roseau than you have to. The Mayor has done nothing to help clean the place up. A few litter bins that are overflowing. What happened to the people who were going and cleaning up the place one day a month ?? Must have disappeared under all the garbage. Disgusting place.

  41. Jack
    October 21, 2015

    Do we know what to do or take care of our selves were we trained to do any thing. Its now 70 yrs that we are incharged since the British left. They left us as professional beggers. 80 percent of our time is Toxic wasted time talking about solving nothing we are proffesional beggers who served rich people needs.

    • Francisco Telemaque
      October 21, 2015

      In any event it is far less than seventy (70) years since the British demand that we take responsibility for ourselves and country. The problem is that Dominicans are always looking forward to someone will feel sorry for us, and rush in and give it all to us for free!

      From Jamaica, in the North to Guyana in the South, all of the English speaking islands were given independence, all of the islands has made significant progress, the islands are far more developed than Dominica. much more developed than when the British dominated.

      What that proves is that the people we elect to run the Dominica are our nations problem! Since independence, the only time Dominica seems as if the nation would probably stand on our own feet was during the tenure of Patrick John, and Edison James in less than four years. I cannot detail the progress under the two administration, but only to say it was all over the day the coalition siege power, and eventually kid Skerrit took over, and destroyed the…

    • Tjebe fort
      October 22, 2015

      Jack, don’t exaggerate my boy. This year will be 37 years we have our independence and a lot of us were well glad to get it so we could do our own cochony and we have succeeded beyond expectation.

  42. ArAb
    October 21, 2015

    Do you know that it is 6 to 10 times more expensive to run programs in order to gain new customers than to retain? My point is that statistics tell a story and data analysis explains the story being told. If I have 70% of people satisfied, by looking carefully at the data we will realize what type of tourist were satisfied. We already know what we want from our tourism sector. So let us concentrate on the 70% and see what makes them happy and how we get them to come back as we attract others that have the same attributes as they do.
    We are no longer in a world where by we can look at things blindly. We need to look further and implement in order to gain the outcome which we need. In the US and many countries they are using data to look for trends in order to make decisions.
    I am rushing through this but I hope someone gets the point. I could write a full report on the report. Mr. Skerrit or Mr. Linton, feel free to contact me. I am not best for party but best for country.

    • d-a born
      October 21, 2015

      Very well put. Some people will look at the 34/35 number and start to cry. It’s best the gov’t or whoever is in charge of tourism analyze the data from this report and find ways to improve. That’s how international companies operate. That’s what they do with their customer satisfaction surveys, sales reports, etc.

    • Roseau River
      October 21, 2015

      @ArAB…well said, I could not agree more. Focus your efforts where you can get the most return for your investment.

  43. Lang Mama
    October 21, 2015

    We are the best at solving problems by pretending that there are no problems. We are the best at making right wrong, hiding the truth and attempting to build on pillars made of “Pashir Coco”. We are a people who feel that our favored politicians can do no wrong ( Red , Blue and Green)
    We are a people to smart so much so we out smart ourselves.
    We give high regards to mediocrity and we reward failure
    10 years ago our favorite politicians decided that agriculture is a liability to us so the dollar minister and his cabinet of fools tell the farmers ‘ follow me to touristville” – well the people obliged and tourism boat never took off.
    They told us to CATCH THE VISION and is acid that fall in our eyes and we all F%%%%%ng blind
    They then said NEXT LEVEL and we all scraping muck from the basement
    Apologists want us to disregard the survey yet the hard evidence is hitting us in our face – we have even become numb. We have become So use to empty promises and handouts for a few.

  44. Direct flight needed
    October 21, 2015

    tell me if you have only two weeks holiday to travel to a sunshine island from Europe …..would you really go to Dominica? THE most expensive destination because not having an international airport where you will have to remain in Antigua for hours for a connecting flight very likely to over night so much time wasting why put your self through all this hassle when you can go to any other island for £200 pound cheaper.of course if your are Dominican that is another thing.

    • smh
      October 22, 2015

      precisely…. I go to every other island but Dominica. Too much of a hassle to go there. No direct flights from US, you have to overnight in St. Lucia, Antigua, Barbados, Trinidad, or everywhere else in the Caribbean before you can reach Dominica and then when you get there what next? What do you do? No entertainment…

  45. Being ME
    October 21, 2015

    “The People” are doing nothing to improve the tourism product and just sitting in fancy chairs infront of computers and click click click away! Just to get a salary and they are not working for it.

  46. Amarossa
    October 21, 2015

    If anybody says they’re surprised or disappointed in the results of the survey, they are truly fooling themselves.

    It would have been interesting to poll the respondents to find out exactly what it was they disliked about the island.

    I’m betting everything I have in the bank the answer would be the city is too dirty and untidy and too many beggars.

    We keep doing the same old thing over and over again expecting different results….smh.

    • CYRIL Volney
      October 21, 2015

      WORD!

      Just try walking from the Port to Roseau. Simply walking around Roseau is a major effort. Traffic is uncivilized, and dangerous. Pedestrian First Rule does not exist. PAROS a major nuisance. Police not present. What a disaster, run by incompetents.

  47. Jesus_Was_A_Captalist
    October 21, 2015

    OMG we last kakarat again, Dominica ranked 34 out of 35, shame on skerrit, If Dominica was America Tonge would resign immediately. But Dominica is the opposite of America so Tonge will stay for five years and skerro will continue visiting macau instead of the country that raised him.

    • The Real Facts
      October 21, 2015

      Are you not a Dominican resident? Do not blame yourself and other elements. Blame others as the PM. Is this not the case with some of you?

  48. Wonderland
    October 21, 2015

    This report comes as no surprise! NOTHING has been done to improve the tourism product. All that has happened is travel and more travel by DDA STAFF !!!!

  49. Rob
    October 21, 2015

    You can’t cater what you don’t have Mr. Telemaque . There are people who would never take a cruise to Dominica. But they come every year and stay for a while. You cannot change the landscape for money. That is part of Dominica ‘s identity. You need to poll the right people not the ones which u mention. What I’m saying is that we must take that survey with a grain of salt. And our own perspective of our island needs to change starting with your view of its primitivism.

    • Francisco Telemaque
      October 21, 2015

      You cannot change the landscape: The landscape is not the problem, you have to work with what you have. The problem is Dominica is undeveloped, that keeps people away. If you compare Dominica to St. Lucia, you will find that St. Lucia is a rugged, and mountainous as Dominica; yet they have a healthy tourist industry; St. Lucia is much more developed than Dominica.

      You have Resorts such a Sandals, and other operating there, what have you got in Dominica? Fort Young, Garway Hotel, and all the other four and five bedrooms house people call hotels.

      Look I was in Las Vegas gambling one night I meet a guy, and his wife from Tennessee who had just return from a Caribbean Cruse, as we spoke the ask me if I am from the Caribbean, I told him I am from Dominica, he calmly told me he’s been to Dominica, and of all the islands he visited, in Caribbean, he love Dominica the most, and wanted to overnight there and catch a flight out to get back to the ship in some port.

      He told me of the…

      • Francisco Telemaque
        October 21, 2015

        He told me of the obstacles he encountered, was that he could not get a flight out in time to return to his cruse; reason: there is no International Airport in Dominica! How on earth can a government and people expect to talk about tourism, while denying the nation of an International Airport?

        Overnight tourism is more profitable than tourism based on a ship calling into port and visits for five or eight hours! If you ever visits Seattle Washington, near British Columbia Canada, you will find the landform there has characteristics similar to Dominica, so our mountains are not our problem, our backwardness is the problem!

    • Lang Mama
      October 21, 2015

      Well we have been taking the same survey results with a grain of salt as you suggest for the past 9 years and what do we have? Hm. The problem with people like you is that your only solution to priblem solving is to pretend that the probkems dont exist

    • Titiwi
      October 21, 2015

      What grain of salt Rob? Are you going to stand on the bayfront ans postulate to the people coming of a cruise ship that what they see, hear and smell is not the real Dominica? Good luck with that. Unfortunately, perception is everything as is presentation. The findings of the report are what people perceive and the cruise lines base their strategy on that, period.

    • Eden heights
      October 21, 2015

      Totally agree. If you ask the same survey to non-cruise ship tourists, you would get a much more glowing report. Dominica is a destination for nature lovers, adventure seekers and hiking & scuba enthusiasts. I don’t think many of these apply to the cruise ship tourists, whose vacation of choice is an all-inclusive, buffet-serving, highly polluting sailing city. Many of these tourists barely spend a dollar in da. We should be focussing our energy on attracting tourists who stay in our guesthouses, hire from our car rentals and eat in our restaurants. Keep promoting the nature isle as a unique, unspoiled gem amongst the rest of the Caribbean! One love.

      • Amarossa
        October 22, 2015

        The place is dirty and untidy.

        Don’t pull the wool over your eyes. The city has to be cleaned up first.

        Any of you ever took a real walk around town? from street to street?

        Have any of you ever noticed how most of the streets are littered with pieces of broken glass?

        I asked my friend why are so many streets littered with broken glass and you know what she said to me? “Those paros dat breaking bottles on the street like that….can you imagine?

        So, our biggest hindrance is our paros….

        I don’t know how else to tell it you guys. The city is too dirty and untidy. Too many paros/beggars accosting you everywhere you go.

        If paros are the ones mucking up the city streets, it’s time to handle that problem seriously.

      • amindom
        October 23, 2015

        Spot on Eden heights.

  50. 1988
    October 21, 2015

    sad story :( :( :(

  51. Jack
    October 21, 2015

    Shaka what you are saying is correct you are saying exactly what has to be done we have to come up with answers to our problems. We must admit to our selves after 70 yrs we are not making progress because we were trained to serve others we must change all of that now. We can not only talk and do nothing. In most Black countries where the majority is Black its only a few people who are not Black control all major busineses ? The question is why. Dominica has $1 billion worth of damage who is going to make most of the money are we going to get70 percent of the work and can we do it the answer is yes, all we have to do is hire the engineeres but we will be the boss but we cannot keep talking like that smart feller from the bay area . We are not following the money , we are train fools with big mouths doing nothing for our selves. When do you think we are going to wake up we better wake up now and stop fighting over stupid politics

  52. Zandoli
    October 21, 2015

    Again I ask the question: how many cruises have Piper and the rest of the people who administer the tourism department taken in the past 5 years?

    You cannot sit in an office and think you will understand the needs of you customers. You need to put yourself in their shoes to truly understand what they experience.

    The sad thing is, we have been bestowed with so much natural beauty and we seem incapable of taking advantage of it.

    I have been to the vast majority of the islands in the Caribbean and there are many places that I would visit again in a heart beat – St. Maarten (good shopping, cheap beer and alcohol), Grenada (beautiful capital city), Tortola (beautiful beach), Antigua (beautiful beaches and loads of great restaurants), Samana, Dominican Republic (welcomed with nice merengue music and free coconut water). I gave the guys a good tip for their coconut, but the initial first impression was very good. That is what we need to do to stay competitive.

    • Zandoli
      October 21, 2015

      I should add Sk. Kitts as one of the places I enjoyed visiting. They have a nice bar right as you leave the ship. There is shopping in the immediate area. Also we went to a beach with a restaurant/bar called Carambola that was right on the water’s edge. They had everything we needed during our stay, including a shower and toilets.

      • smh
        October 22, 2015

        Not forgetting places like Aruba and Bahamas, which are great tourist destinations.

    • 4progress
      October 22, 2015

      You have raised a very important point. CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. What are our competitors offering? Just saying Nature Island equals nothing. We have very interesting places for viewing with little or no access to them. Everyone at the port are all selling the products. NO VISION, NO DIFFERENCE. We fail to realized that the tourist – the one-dayer or overnight stayer all have access to alternatives. VALUE FOR MONEY IS THE KEY.

  53. Eric Bass
    October 21, 2015

    Lol. When will Dominicans realize that their systems do not work for anything. Identify what is working for the other Caribbean countries and implement those successful strategies in Dominica. Otherwise they will continue calling Dominica “Doominica”.

    • Eden heights
      October 21, 2015

      What is working in other Caribbean countries may not necessarily work here! If Dominica just copies all the other islands, it will lose its charm and soul. Improving business is about finding a niche – luxury resorts and fancy cruise ship ports are not Dominica’s.

      • Amarossa
        October 22, 2015

        @ Eden Heights: so a dirty and untidy town is part of our charm??

        *chuckles* smh

      • Eden Heights
        October 22, 2015

        Amarossa, I agree that the city should be cleaned up but you should consider that very few, if any, tourists come to Dominica to see the city, except for the botanical gardens…. they come for everywhere OUTSIDE Roseau! That said, the bayfront and surroundings sure need some work for the benefit of cruise ship tourists who choose not to take a tour.

  54. Malgraysa
    October 21, 2015

    Yesterday I cringed when I heard a character known as “brains” on Matt Peltier’s afternoon programme, dismissing the credibility of this report as non-scientific, claiming that he is an expert in these matters. First of all the survey applies to cruise ship visits only, not stay-over guests but it does include the ships’ crews. Secondly, the survey basis, and criteria are exactly the same for all destinations, thirdly the survey makes no mention of visitors’ sexual orientation.
    One particular statistic drew my attention Table E-S4, average passenger spend by category where Jewellery & Watches easily came no.1 with a total of U.S.$.876.6 million, beating shore excursions comfortably into second place (U.S.S.551.2 million). Clearly, duty-free is the main attraction. it does not matter to the tourist how we view ourselves or our attractions, it is their view that counts. If we can not accept that, so be it but frankly then we should not be in the cruise business.

    • Dominican
      October 21, 2015

      You make me cringe more because if the report was positive you would be talking just like, Brain so shut it stupes.

      • Tjebe fort
        October 21, 2015

        Nobody can talk like Brains, believe me carcon and the man always right, even when he is wrong. The other day he said Chile is in Alba and even I know that is not so. Chile and Peru make a free trade deal with the U.S.A. and others, including Taiwan and Japan. Brains is just a throwback.

  55. Jack
    October 21, 2015

    Engineeres cannot ever build a bridge. Greece promotes the sea and mountains you dont know what you are talking about , keep Dominica clean get all the crack head help , teach people how to be nice to people some people like you come back and teach.

  56. Mahaut Boy
    October 21, 2015

    market segments require targeting… which requires proper marketing…. this is not so much a problem of the island so much as it is the type of people arriving on cruise ships, keep in mind these are people looking for caribbean white sandy beaches….vs river + mountain. also keep in mind we have one of the lowest tourism marketing budgets to target the exact kind of people who would enjoy dominica first of all. if secret bay can be booked for MONTHS in advance it shows there is a way to make it work. this example also doesn’t necessarily mean u have to be super high end. its about giving people what they want.

    • Shaka zulu
      October 21, 2015

      You make a very interesting observation. We focus sometimes too much on what we do not have. Dominica will never have white sand beaches and endless sun. We are not like the rest of the Caribbean and therefore have to tailor our ads and marketing for different kind of tourist. We have mountains, 9 out of the 13 active volcanoes in the Caribbean, 5 out of the 10 best black sand beaches in the Caribbean, excellent scuba diving locations in toucari Scott’s head etc, whale watching, best mountain hiking experience in the Caribbean, great river destinations, and most diversed music and culture in the caribbean. There are millions of tourist who like these things. We spend so much time on what we don’t have and little time on using what we have. Targeted marketing. Say its the best, make it the best people will come to stay.

  57. Jack
    October 21, 2015

    Francisco , what are your recommendation , you left us in Dominica and ran away to the bay area where you a living the life of Wrigley , all you and the rest of the Dominicans have a big useless mouth doing and saying nothing nothing. It is now 70 yrs the British gave us to be in charge, Dominica remains the same because of people like you who are brainless and clueless to do any thing. I have told you people how to get out of slavery chang the way you talk and think. We all were trained to be civil servants to serve rich people. Come back to Dominica and fixed the problems, you are trained now stop making stupid comments that does not create one job. We as humans have 10 units. For all Blacks 90 units are toxic wasted on doing nothing thats what must change . You have not told any body in Dominica how to solve the problems. Change the whole educational system and you will get change . Only 30 percent of our kids that understands math and science did you know that we cannot even build

    • Francisco Telemaque
      October 21, 2015

      Francisco , what are your recommendation , you left us in Dominica and ran away to the bay area where you a living the life of Wrigley’

      Okay, in the first place when you say I live in the Bay area, I suppose you are referring to San Francisco, Oakland or perhaps San Jose: Sorry you could not pay me enough money to live in Northern California, so be informed I reside in Los Angles, perhaps the largest or second largest city in America!

      Now you ask for my recommendation, I hope you can accept my views! First out this nature island dream is an obstacle in the way of promoting Dominica tourism in world: nature island simply means there is no change to the island since God creation. You people believe that visitors to the island should be happy to be entertained in a rum shop, and when they are hungry, they should buy the crap sold in your primitive cook-shops.

      When they wish to overnight they should all go to Fort Young, or to some four bedroom shack you call “hotel.” there is…

      • Francisco Telemaque
        October 21, 2015

        When they wish to overnight they should all go to Fort Young, or to some four bedroom shack you call “hotel.” there is nothing in Dominica right now to pull tourist into the country.

        Where are your class Restaurants, where are your class places of entertainment, including Bars ect. Where are your Gulf Courses to entertain the older guests. When are our people going to refrain from harassing the visiting tourist, you cannot deny that because my daughter and I have been subjected to that in Dominica; someone believed that we were tourist, and was harassing my daughter to buy two dried coconut shell dipped in vanish.

        When I intervened; after he heard my Wesley accent, the man in his black and green no rim cap, and his plastic shoe, and his body dripping with coconut oil, cruse me out, and even called me a bugger-man: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahah! That is the sort of thing the tourist suffer when they, visits Dominica.

        Now your idea that Dominica is the in the state that…

      • Francisco Telemaque
        October 21, 2015

        Now your idea that Dominica is the in the state that its in is because of people like me is nothing more than a myth! Your government lead by Roosevelt Skerrit is the cause of the lack of opportunities in the country, your bad politics, and victimization is what prevents people like me from investing in Dominica. Finally, Dominica will never realize a sound tourist industry, as long as Skerrit rules Dominica and refuses to build an International Airport, which will attract more overnight tourist to the island!

      • Anthony Ismael
        October 22, 2015

        You’re correct. It was Athie Martin who pushed this “Nature Tourism Crap” on Dominica because of a few shacks he built in the bush. Nature tourism is nothing more than stupidity. I have visited several Caribbean Islands and they are all nature islands. The difference is, there are hotels, restaurants and other activities to entertain guest. On Jamaica’s West Coast, there is a simple trampoline that’s anchored a few yards off shore that forms a major part of the beach experience in Negril. We are trapped with the Nature Island paradigm and as a result, there’s a refusal to think outside the box and make the required changes. After the tourist are done exploring the “Bush” during the day time, where are the night time activities to keep them entertained?

      • Anthony Ismael
        October 22, 2015

        The coast line in Point Michele could significantly improve our tourism product with a group of restaurants, bars, shops and clubs. Our architects only draw squares and rectangles. The buildings would need to be designed properly, with proper restroom facilities. I turned away fromthe bathroom at the hot water area in Soufriere because it was unsanitary and unfit to use. A proper well maintained bathroom at any tourist venue says a lot about the facility. We seem to believe that tin roof shacks with dirty bathrooms will welcome and keep people happy. It never will. Adding modern automatic vents, wood accents, large mirrors and tiles enhances any bathroom. We do not cater to other people’s comfort and taste. As long as we remain in the Stone Age, tourism is dead on arrival in Dominica.

  58. Shaka zulu
    October 21, 2015

    When we highlight our shortcomings here some people think is because we do not love our country or hate this and that person. All I would like to see is that we at #1 not last. We will never improve if we keep turning a blind eye to what is wrong. We need to start fixing problem with real solutions across the board, not just covering with bandage. Last is not an option cause I know deep down my home is better than that.

    • Titiwi
      October 21, 2015

      You are so right Shaka! it is because we care we make so much noise. When you have a sore on your face do you want to cover it with powder and rouge? Maybe some people do but I prefer to go and see a doctor and get better. It is the same with our island. I don’t want all the bad things covered up but have them fixed!

    • Anthony Ismael
      October 22, 2015

      Shaka you are correct. If you see the bathroom and locker room facility in Soufriere, you will immediately turn away. We can do much better than what I experienced. Who green lights these projects is beyond me.

  59. Sandw
    October 21, 2015

    No surprises here! Very little has been done to make Roseau a better place in all the years that low ratings have been received.
    The first thing – clean up Roseau. For everyone, not just tourists. The drains stink, there are beggars sleeping on sidewalks or following you, there are no welcoming open air bars or cafes visible to tourists. Traffic is jammed, everyone has to walk in the road. The disabled or those in wheelchairs have no chance at exploring. The nearest pretty place to town, the Botanic Gardens, has no cafe, few benches, and, compares poorly to the other Botanic Gardens in the Caribbean.
    Taxis should be arranged through an organiser, with a clear list of sites to see, with total costs.
    Begging should be illegal, as should sleeping openly in the town centre, with the Paros put to work keeping the town clean, and paid for working. Tourists would donate on the way back to the ship.
    There are a thousand ways to improve ratings. Action is needed, not just talking.

    • sad
      October 21, 2015

      The sidewalks alone are a disgrace for a city. Tourist come with wheelchairs and strollers and cannot walk in Roseau. You mean to tell me that no one sees that? We not ready yet. no were close to being ready

      • Tjebe fort
        October 21, 2015

        Boy, you telling me that? You see that knocked down bollard and smell tha bad drain right by the courthouse? More than ten years that is so. But the mayor have a reserved parking space for saying nothing and doing nothing. So you see where our priorities are?

  60. lexis
    October 21, 2015

    There is much to digest from this survey, It tells much about our future in Tourism especially after Erica. Next years report will be worst and the year after that there will be no tourism. To those who are responsible, those whom we elected to guide, Dominica is an agriculture producing country, I am not going to say we should have but going forward we should place more emphasis and invest more in our agriculture sector, Maybe we should become a certified organic produce country in diverse crops, (vegetables, fruits, agro processing, etc) and export to overseas market. organic produce is a multi billion dollar industry today, we have the soil, climate and human assets r. we are too vulnerable to climate change to invest so much in tourism. lets get back to what works for the masses, the electorate, the malawa. We are concentrated to much on making the rich richer and keeping the masses poor in Dominica. The gap between rich and poor is too wide. lets get back to basics folks.

    • Silke Eggert
      October 21, 2015

      @Lexis: This is what I just posted on FB:
      Dominica will have its time, I am sure. And it is not in the far future, I think. There are not many places like Dominica on this planet: Independent country, nature paradise, well located between two european islands, small population, eco friendly goverment (what I understood), home country of caribs and so on. Should be possible to turn such a paradise island into paradise for EVERY Dominican. I believe it is ‘just’ a question of organisation and money. There is enough money to suport sustainable projects which could turn Dominica in a pioneering country in many different ways.

      A certified organic produce country is one of the possibilities I mentioned. I read yesterday that Bhutan is on its way to become the first organic nation: http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/bhutan-organic-nation-gross-national-happiness-programme

      • lexis
        October 21, 2015

        You are on the right path of thought Silke, we need more thinkers to get Dominica moving.

      • Francisco Telemaque
        October 21, 2015

        “Dominica will have its time, I am sure. And it is not in the far future, I think.”

        Hogwash!

        that sort of belief helps to hold back progress. “Dominica will have its time.” When do you anticipate that time will come? Shall I suggest in the year never, never, ever?

        “And it is not in the far future.” Nonsense, what sort of efforts are being made by the Skerrit and his Labor party to attract investment into the country? People can live in dreams, hope and wishful thinking, nevertheless, just sitting and doing nothing, not change the status quo!

        Dominica has been the way it is for only God knows how long; Dominica has back peddled for the last fifteen years going on twenty, under Skerrit regime. You can post all kind of website address, that helps no one; physical actions are what is needed right now!

        Anything else is criminal!

    • sad
      October 21, 2015

      Amen Lexis. I have been saying so for yearrssss. Dominica cannot depend on tourism. We are blessed with the best soil on this earth. It is wastinggggg. We want to go into service. One day we will learn

  61. Puss
    October 21, 2015

    This is food for thought, this article was written before the storm, and now the storm made the infrastructure of the island worst. I\’ve been on three cruises and the local people don\’t benefit from the cruises. The people of Dominica priority right now should be rebuilding the country and and the people spirit, not trying to please cruises passengers.
    Remember if you build it they will come.

  62. October 21, 2015

    Our attitudes will determine our altitude. Tourism is everyone’s business.

    • Tjebe fort
      October 21, 2015

      Man, so long we hearing that slogan it is tired and its shoes worn out long time. Obviously it is not registering. I guess the guys in power do not consider themselves as “everyone”.

  63. Francisco Telemaque
    October 21, 2015

    “On the question of overall satisfaction with the destination, Dominica ranked 34 out of 35”

    I am not surprised at all about this report!

    Dominicans are under the impression if they push the idea that Dominica is the nature island of the world, believe that nonsense will encourage, and attract tourist to the island. The problem is that the young, and modern tourists are not interested in primitivism.

    The modern tourists are looking for attractive resorts, gulf, entertainment, first class services, and respect, for the tourist, none of which Dominica offers!

    • eyes open wide
      October 21, 2015

      you are so right Francisco Telemaque thats the truth :-|

    • October 21, 2015

      Well said sir. We talk about agriculture some saying that Dominica is an agricultural country, have we forgotten what happened to the banana industry when the protection was removed, it collapsed, truth be told because of our topography farming in Dominica is difficult. So until we get out of the mode of offering up to the tourist a product that we have but they don’t want we will continue to be at the bottom of the ladder. Most Dominicans live in a dream world believing that Dominica is the most beautiful peice of real estate on the planet with people rushing to visit, however like dreams this belief is not rooted in reality as this survey clearly shows. We must make Dominica beautiful and by creating the right mix of nature tourism with modern day activities could be a step in the right direction.

      • Culture boy
        October 21, 2015

        I 2nd “Point’s” comment!

    • American Tourist
      October 21, 2015

      I disagree. My wife and I purchased land in Dominica BECAUSE there are no all inclusive resorts, golf courses, casinos, cheesy tourist shopping villages, etc. In other words, Dominica has not been ruined yet by commercialism. Dominica is far from primitive. Although Erika set things back a bit, the major roads, airports, telecommunications, and internet systems are very good. Also, government approval of our home construction plans was completed in a timely and highly professional manner. When I drive around Dominica or walk in Roseau, I see ordinary people going about there business who are oblivious to me as a tourist. I like that. I don’t want to be sheparded through a “Disneyfied” version of Caribbean life – I like the real thing. Dominica is the real thing.

      • CYRIL Volney
        October 21, 2015

        Well, we need 5000 more like you….

      • Ma Moses
        October 21, 2015

        As a Dominican I agree with you. Dominica is a special place. It is unique and that is why I get upset, even angry when our own people make a mess of things. We should strive to improve things to make this truly the most desirable place to live on earth. We do not need big resort hotels or casinos. There are enough people in the world, who want to live with our nature and protect it. Don’t cut down trees willy nilly and dump garbage all over the place. These people are even prepared to pay good money to live in harmony with nature like that. Let us enjoy the challenge of making things better every day.

      • Francisco Telemaque
        October 22, 2015

        You are lying talking nonsense, only someone walking around with no head on their body would believe you lie! In the first place, tell me how many islands in the Caribbean by you have visited, and found an all inclusive gulf course!

        I have been all over the Caribbean, and never heard of an all inclusive gulf field if you want to call it that! For your information Gulf is not so much a Caribbean sport, Cricket is our delight, so if you visit Antigua, and watch a game of gulf, all the faces you may see are white; and most likely they are on Hotel property!

        You might be a paid traitor to come hear talking that crap, if you are an American, I can stake my life you would at least use you given name, building what house in Dominic, man shut your lying mouth! How the hell you believe you can impress with you crap!

      • Titiwi
        October 22, 2015

        Francisco, with respect, a little bit of research would be advisable before putting pen to paper. There are plenty of golf resorts to chose from in the Caribbean. You only need to google “golf courts of the Caribbean” to find that out. It will also tell you whether they are all-inclusive or not. I only want to mention here the St. Lucia Golf and country club, the royal Bahamian in Ponce (P.R.) and Divi in Aruba as examples. . There are many golf aficionados, who are not necessarily cruise passengers. and perhaps Dominica should give some attention to that type of tourist as they tend to spend more than the average day tripper arriving on a boat for a stay of less than a day.

    • Dominican
      October 21, 2015

      No you would only be surprised if the report was positive, so predictable

    • out of south city
      October 21, 2015

      I have to disagree with you as far as the word primitive is concerned. You know that these English words were handed down by the Europeans and whatever they named have never been questioned. It is time that we re-define words and stop thinking like other people. If you are referring to the island’s naturalness as primitive then you must also consider everyone to be so since man has been on the earth for ever.

      The earth is being destroyed by man, especially the Caucasians because they are very much concerned about money. Greed propels them and they will do anything for money. Just imagine the de-forestation of so many places. So many lives are being destroyed as a result. Man, animals, plants, the water, air, earth, ozone layer, etc.,(all of these we need to survive). They have been on a rampage ever since they appeared on the planet.

      Why should the natural be destroyed to accommodate tourism? Yes, we need an international airport and we need good infrastructure but we must…

      • out of south city
        October 21, 2015

        also keep the natural beauty of the island. I am not against tourism but let’s not get carried away by trying to destroy the natural beauty of the island.

        ONE LOVE

      • Francisco Telemaque
        October 22, 2015

        You know that these English words were handed down by the Europeans and whatever they named have never been questioned.”

        Rubbish, every language in the world derives from Latin, except one which is spoken by there clicking of the tongue, making sounds. So whatever the word, it goes back to the Latin or Greek. Already you people have your own definition of words, someone told me that the word emergency in Dominica, means something different to what it means in the rest of the world!

        That is stupidity he its heights form. I do not know how people like you can deduce such nonsense!

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