Dominica’s tourism minister Ian Douglas says the sector is bringing in the kind of significant revenue that makes a strong case for its promotional budget to be increased.
The minister has disclosed that at present tourism gets a five million dollar budget to promote the island on the international market.
However he says with tourism revenue totaling EC$243 million annually, his ministry can make a case for being given between 7 to 10 percent of that amount to increase its promotional efforts, to the tune of 25 million dollars.
However he said such a request might not be in the country’s best interest.
“At the end of the day we must be mindful that the (government) purse only has so much money in it, and we can only spend what we have,” the minister said.
Douglas said despite the significant input being made by the tourism sector, he was fully aware that there are competing interests that have to be balanced “in the interest of national development”.
He was commenting on an observation that most of Dominica’s OECS and Caricom neighbours spend a lot more on promoting their brand of tourism than the “Nature Island” does.
5% would make a huge difference. Please remember, most of that tourist dollar coming in is not from cruise ship. Cruise ships contribute a very small fraction of total tourism revenue.
What is wrong with investing some of the money coming back into the system.
It is good the Tourism Minister insist on these figures.
With 2% of the Tourism related income , Dominica can start it’s own Dominican airline serving the neighboring airports, promoting Dominica’s flag on the aircraft’s tails, and solving once for all the air access to Dominica in a “same day” connection.
And it will cost then only 0,5% of said tourism income each year to operate this airline.
YES WE CAN.
It is the cost of our air access infrastructure .
With the increase in tourism are there plans to curb crime and add stiffer penalties against persons who assault tourists and foreign investors?
@Mouth of the South…..you finally using your head and not your mouth. Extremely good point.
free and simple form of promotion FACEBOOK TWITTER YOUTUBE INTERNET SITES !!!!!!!!!!!!!
” However he says with tourism revenue totaling EC$243 million annually, his ministry can make a case for being given between 7 to 10 percent of that amount to increase its promotional efforts, to the tune of 25 million dollars.”( Ian Douglas).
Ian Douglas, I would not believe anything you say even if you had the ability to affix yourself in the middle of the sky, and declare that Dominica earns more than two hundred million dollars per year via the tourism industry!
If this be the case Mr. Minister, what is the hold back in the investing in an International Airport on the island which will cause tourism revenue to double, by then we would be making more than five hundred million dollars per annum in the industry.
Be reminded if you are claiming that the government alone makes that amount of revenue, that means that the industry is paying off big time at home; taxi drivers, the street merchants, and in some case the hotel operators.
So it is foolish not to invest in an International Airport, this year, next year, but not a hundred years from now!
Remember that you, and the Rosie Douglas, my friend Athie Martin, and others complained that Dominica could not afford an International Airport, because we did not have the money, and could not afford one, thus the one which the UWP, actually began construction on was shut down by the coalition?
What is the excuse now that you have reveled that Dominica can now afford an International Airport.
How do I know that?
Simply logic: the Airport the UWP was building would have cost perhaps a little over three hundred million dollars, now we do not know prior to 2000, our nation was earning the amount of money you stated in tourism revenue, nevertheless, even at that the figures you have quoted here clearly impressed me that our nation would now be in a solid position to repay the loan!
So you see the mess you and your colleagues have caused our country?
How much has Gonzales, and the other fellow from Trinidad, Bertrand, is his name advise cost our nation?
Your duty right now as the so called tourism minister is to insists that we build an International Airport, investing the revenue directly derived from tourism into it; commonsense should dictate that.
Your talk, and push to impress people that night flights originating in the Lessor Antilles, landing at Melville Hall Airport at seven (7:00) o’clock at night will never justify the hundreds of millions spent on landing lights, and the parking lot, and the few feet of extended runway!
Add up the amount spent on the Melville Hall Airport between 2001, and now; add that to the two hundred million plus you are now boasting, and tell me how many times over we could have built an International Airport?
I will continue to remind you; that you are not even a good messenger, since you could not even deliver a message I gave you to give to Skerrit regarding a Hollywood movie producer, and director I influenced to select Dominica as the venue for annual film festival, as a result of your incompetence we lost it all!
Do’nde es nuestro Internacional Aeropuerto senor Ian Douglas?
Where is our International Airport Mr. Ian Douglas?
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
‘Esta; not ‘es’ actually. The rest was a load of bull too.
You see there are Dominicans who do not worth anything more than the carbon dioxide that some of us pass.
That foul gas, these little nobody thinks they, knows it all!
If you are unable to master your patios, never mind English how can you tell a man born in Wesley, who is fluent in English, does not speak a word of patios, fluent in Spanish, and German also; what is correct in Spanish?
when you are an idiot without even a name how can you come here making correction when you do not know what the crap you are talking about?
Just for the hell of it, and this is elementary Spanish!
Muy bien:
In your stupid mind see if this makes any sense to you.
1. Como esta’ usted?
2. Como’ estas’?
Since you can speak so much Spanish, I suspect you already know the meaning in both cases, however for the none speaking Spanish audience, both number one and number two means the same thing which ” how are you?”
The only difference is Como esta’ usted? is formal while Como estas is informal!
What the crap doss esta have to do with es which means ” is?”
You need to take a hike you uneducated wimp, you little weasel nobody, you need to know your place,you and I are not on the same level okay!
You are an uneducated fool.
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
The Minister makes an argument for increasing the tourism promotion budget. He says the budget should be $25 million. But then adds it’s not in the best interest of the country.
them man starting to make themselves look more foolish than they already are. i think its best them man just take a stand down. i cant believe this is the type of representation we have in this country. oh my God! hey Ian! we are in the 21st century and people are not as foolish as u may think they are. come on Ian find a better way to fool the people rather than those Dumb statements from u.
Mr.Minister,
TOURIST promoting in the US ?
YOU NEED US$5.- million DOLLAR !!!
TOURIST PROMOTING IN EUROP ?
YOU need €5.- MILLION EURO !!!
Come Mr. Minister do the Math. An industry that contibuted for more than half of the 2010/11 budget which was 440.3 Million cannot get 10% of it own yield.
How could that not be in the best interest of the country.
In the 2010/11 budget tourism received 8.6 Million.
Not even 2% of the budget. One would imagine that if more was invested in Marketing we would see a much larger number than 243 million in revenues.
With a bigger budget the island can start marketing in more new markets instead of its over dependence on the US.
this budget needs to be increased if it’s true that tourism makes so much money… now imagine if we develop our agriculture sector… have a manufacturing plant to make goods out of our produce and then be able to export and sell for tourist and locals alike…
where are the tourist spending this money….is is the hotels ….well i better get money to build a hotel….i will start off with a few cabins…..234 million?….hmmmm….
Douglas – do you even think before you speak or make statements? For an educated man you make no sense most of the time – what is it with you?
An industry brings in over $200 million and you are justifying why you cannot get more than 5 million for promotions? You are the minister of Tourism – fight for increased budget – do what you are paid to do
Hmm!!! He Fraid? I wonder why? That Riviere fella on the Possie town council insinuated that.. I wonder who else in high position FRAID???