Tourism Minister, Ian Douglas, has said that the country’s security personnel need to be ready to manage the increase in tourism arrivals for the 2013-2014 Cruise Season.
Speaking at the start of a five day Tourism Security training at the Fort Young Hotel this morning, Douglas said the destination expects a 39 percent, or 89,000 visitor increase in cruise arrival during the season.
He said this means that there will be increased visitor activity for cruise ship ports and streets all over Dominica and the safety of the visitors must be ensured.
“In our stores, our bars our supermarkets and at our hotels and other tourism sites … therefore our public and private sector personnel must be prepared to manage this heightened activity,” he said. “We must be prepared to provide the high standard of security service required to ensure the total satisfaction and safety of our visitors. We must also be ready to handle any difficulty and challenging situation which may arise in a professional manner.”
Douglas also said that as recent as last week, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), projected a 3 percent growth for Caribbean Tourism in 2013 and because of that, a boost of resources is necessary.
“This projection for the sector means that as a nation we will need to inject additional resources and efforts to drive the sector towards greater profitability and competitiveness,” he noted. “We can therefore ill afford to be hampered by incidents of crime and violence which can impede the progress of the sector and set us back tremendously.”
He said further that tourism security involves more than just enhancing legislation and regulatory procedures and the use of security technology such as closed circuit television cameras, can be very beneficial in securing the physical environment.
However, understanding of the specialized knowledge of the behaviour of the perpetrators of crime against visitors is also a critical tool in the security tool kit of security officers, Douglas said.
The 2013-3014 cruise tourism season begins in October 2013.
The training is being held by the Office of Tourism in the Department of Economic Development Trade and Tourism, of the Organization of American States (OAS), in coordination with the secretariat of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE).
Can you tell us more about this? I’d want to find out more details. I mean why it makes sense to get free movies to burn through legal music services.
We know they are humans, but if they are hazards to other people, they should be removed and put into a home with water, food. In New York and other countries that are civilized, you cannot allow a few bad apples to spoil the whole bunch.
With all that being said, I hope some of the monies generated by the tourism industry, will help with mental illness, homelessness, unemployment, etc. Government cannot help everyone, but they have to help, the good citizens, and those who are unfortunate.
Extensive police presence will be required at that time. The police cannot be everywhere. This minister should also employ a few reliable and trusted people be it only during the tourist season to assist in ensuring the safety of those visitors.
I realize that Ian Douglas seems to be one who exists in a delusional state; if there was any bit of doubt in my mind this his latest episode here makes my suspicions more obvious!
It is one thing to try to impress people by talking percentage; however, without a base figure, the percentage talk is irrelevant, meaningless, wasted breath, and consumption of time.
Ian made the claim that the Caribbean Tourism Organization projected a three (3%) percent growth in I assume in the entire Caribbean Industry this year 2013.
However, our genius politician, the great master mind illustrious by out of Portsmouth, is assuring the nation that there will be a thirty (39%) percent increase in visitors to our country in the year 2013. How did Ian make his calculation deriving at 83, 000 more people will be visiting the country next year!
You see, let us say sixty (60) thousand people visited this year, we assume a 39% increase in 2014, our calculation should 60,000 X 39 / 100 = 23400 (approximately twenty-three thousand four hundred more people in 2014). I hope my calculation is correct.
So, I would like to know what base figure Ian used to arrive at his 89,000 thousand more visitors will be visiting next year, when he does not know how many people will be visiting the country this season, which is not yet completed! The man boast about visitors in bars, hotels, and only he knows where else.
Funny all of the places of entertainment this guy is talking about are none existent in Dominica, besides a ship drops anchor in the port and remain for eight hours, and then depart. When, and where are the tourists going to get the time to visit all the places Ian Douglas is going to post all of his trained security guards.
I told you the man is a joke that is why I whip him so often!
This time I mashed him up like a roast breadfruit by pounding him up in me mortar:
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!
Boy Ian you made a bad mistake when you did not deliver the my message to Skerrit regarding the annual film festival that could have taken place in Dominica.
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
The vagrants have no rights when their behavior affects the livelihood of the entire country…….
“More Tourists security” less for the citizens. As usual. We are not people too???
All Douglas do is talk talk talk. No action. Let us see how much security will be put in place. The tapolines that he spoke about on the bayfront are still there. Stop talking hot air and act Mr. Douglas!!!
By all means, visitors must feel safe if they’re going to visit any country…and that goes for any one visiting anywhere!
3% in the Caribbean. How much for Dominica?
We need more security yes but as mentioned above we need to take the vagrants of the streets.
DLP resign u all making Dominica worse.
Ian, please remove the Vagrants in Roseau and that will be the beginning of curbing the problem.
second that.
If he does that you will accuse him of violating the Vagrants civil rights.
Stop being petty. There is always the right way of doing things. The influx and behavior of the Vagrants in an around Roseau in a serious concern. They do not only bother the tourists, they also raise hell with locals.
the port security that is security IAN THEY BETTER THAN THE POLICE ON THE BAYFRONT