In the wake of the historic Carnival Victory pull out, Minister for Tourism Ian Douglas has outlined several measures he believes will improve Dominica’s tourism product for the upcoming season.
Citing that cleanliness and presentation are paramount, Douglas told media that garbage disposal in the city must be done more efficiently while the issue of vagrants roaming the streets also need to be addressed.
“The whole issue of vagrants who walk up and down the Bayfront and through Roseau harassing the tourist, holding their T-shirts and begging for money or trying to solicit some cheap service… The vendors have to sharpen up their product and the whole presentation of their craft and their souvenirs, their tents, all the things that they put up for display on the Bayfront. All those standards have to be raised,” the minister said.
Douglas also said that vendors should work on the way they are groomed and attired while improving on the manner in which they present their services to visitors. He has also recommended the option of making certain destinations on the island premium sites with set taxi fares.
He urged citizens to take a personal interest in beautifying the different tourist locations on the island.
Carnival Victory, one of the country’s most popular visiting cruise lines, decided to cut Dominica from its itinerary, ending a 21-year-old relationship with the country as of November 1, 2010. The reason for this withdrawal was the high cost of fuel, according to the cruise officials.
Since the announcement, the minister along with stakeholders have been meeting to try to devise ways to improve the sector in order to fill the gap while attempting to ensure that another pull out does not occur.
Lycan Casimir,It’s not about Complaining, Carnival Cruise is a good investment to Dominica and many people Benefited from this.Resturants,The vendors,The taxi drivers, Banks,Stores,even goverment just to name a few.And those who is in charge were asleep and only now awake to let us know that carnival cruise will not be coming to D/ca any more that ‘s nonsence.
There are certain steps that should be taken to stop the harrassment of tourist coming from the cruise in Roseau.
#1 About the vigrant harassment.Those who is charge should have Meetings with law inforcement, on how to address this problem.For my point of view instead of having police officers at different location in Roseau especially on month end giving drivers tickets.There’s not much money to be made here of D/ca drivers backs. have a few police officers patrol the bayfront in Roseau when a crew ship ducts To chase these vigrant out of these areas.
#2 The taxi Driver Have meeting with them on how to approach tourist.They should have a Taxi dispatcher.And have a fix price to go to certain sites so the tourist won’t have a suprise price. And leave it up to them to give a tip. American’ s love to give tips especially when they get good service.
#3The vendors Have Meeting with them also On how to approach Tourist to buy there items.They should be trained just like an experienced salesperson.The vendors should leave it up toTourists to make their own choice of what they want to buy.
Anyway i love my country D/ca And want to see it move forward.
i talk to some friends about the islands where they came from and so many complaints about crime .
Thank God we don’t have this problem in d/ca.Dominica is beautiful in it’s own way.lovely Dominica.
Land of blue water and friendly people lets work together to kept it that way. let’s welcome tourist in a nice and friendly Way.Don’t chase them away.
@i.harry: What can be done to ensure that the tourists are not harassed? I’m sure that the ministers read DNO comments. Give them ideas as to how to tackle the problem, all we do is just complain.
@MAWTA, BISCUIT AND AMBITION: Brother or Sister, i ‘ve never seen Dominica soo developed from History, please be positive with you rcomments. The world is going through a recession right now and we are feeling it as well, things may not seem good for now but have faith that god will pull us through. Pray for our leaders, if they have a problem , god will fix it.
@dominican: Your comment suggest that you’re a true Dominican, others challenge leadership but you really give us something to think about to improve our tourism product, There is so much more to offer than just quarreling.
I have been a witness to what our cruise ship visitors endure.
I have seen visitors actually walking away from taxi drivers saying “no” and they are still followed by these people trying to persuade them to take a tour. I understand that the taxi drivers have to make their living. However, there should be a professional approach to how they carry out their work.
I thought to myself, if a taxi driver was harassing me in another island after I clearly said no, would I want to go back to there?
And there is the issue of the garbage. Roseau is terrible dirty! There are days when you can actually see the streets in the city with a pile of garbage. We are talking about piles of garbage in broad day light on normal working days. If I, as a citizen of Dominica, can say that that’s nasty, then I can only imagine what visitors are saying about us.
I think that the Government should have made it priority that the Dominica Solid Waste Corporation focus on keeping Roseau clean for the sake of our cruise ship visitors. I mean, it’s only common sense that the visual impact of our main city would have a lasting impression about Dominica on a whole.
To sum it up, the Government should focus on tightening up on the small areas before making to huge of a leap in solving this issue. The small things go a long ways they say.
” Douglas also said that vendors should work on the way they are groomed and attired while improving on the manner in which they present their services to visitors. He has also recommended the option of making certain destinations on the island premium sites with set taxi fares.”(Ian Douglas).
Ian, it said; better to be late than never!
Nonetheless, the little that you have in your mind to do is not enough!
People selling souvenirs wearing the appropriate clothing, and setting the fair paid to the taxi driver is not what it will take to chance the situation.
All you mentioned in your resolve seems sweet sounding, however pleasurable as the tune may be, it might not be good enough to entertain.
Look at it this way, someone enters an establishment, some of what we term Restaurants at home, and nature calls, a tourist wants to urinate, or defecate, when that tourist enquire of the proprietor. ” where is the Restroom” only to be told by the proprietor, in deep Dominican accent ” we doh have one”, what sort of impact do you believe that have on the tourist.
It is common practice for humans to wash their hands before they eat: how many so called Restaurants, you find in Dominica with a Rest Room and face basin to accommodate the washing of hands prior to eating, and after dining?
We have what we term Supermarkets in Dominica, imagine, you as a Dominica born entering one of those establishments, and the same nature calls you, aware that such facilities are none existing, you would quickly take off to your home, and if time seem running out on you, your alternative would be to head into the bushes and relive yourself.
We as Dominicans are accustom to that sort of living, that sort of thing!
However, the tourist who visits our country would find that quite difficult to do, since they are not accustom to that. The theory here is to have toilet facilities built in places of business, in order to facilitate the visitor to our country when the occasion requires it!
There should be a public toilet attached to every Gas Station, there should be one in every Restaurant, and place of business, including stores. That’s how we find it internationally, that’s what the North Americans are accustom to in their country, and they are not going to visit Dominica, or any place in the Caribbean for that matter and settle for less.
They are going to pull out of the places where conditions are worst, and Dominica seems to be one on the places in the Caribbean where accommodation, and services are worst.
Though I hate to say our situation is probably the worst, if that’s our reality, we need to face that reality, and correct the situation, plain and simple as that!
You can fool yourself, and accept that the cost of fuel is the reason Carnival Cruise has decided to pull out from Dominica, nonetheless, I encourage you to research it and you will find another, and perhaps the real reason, some of which I stated in this submission.
No if and’s or but!
We need to erect some Rest Areas equip with toilet and other amenities to accommodate our natives and tourist who travel around the country on sight-seeing ventures, what is wrong with that, we have everything to gain by ensuring these facilities are at the disposal of the tourist.
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
HA HA HA HA, HOW LONG IT TAKE YOU TO THINK OF THAT GUIDELINES MR DOUGLAS, FOR VENDORS TO WEAR NICER CLOTHES SELL BETTER WEARS, O AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE LIKES OF YELLOW AND DUCREY,,,,, OF COURSE THATS THE REASON CARNIVAL PULL OUT, OF COURSE I AM SURE YOU PROMISED CARNIVAL CRUISES THAT YOU WOULD MAKE THE VENDORS WEAR THERE SUNDAY BEST, AND THAT YOU WOULD GIVE ALL THE PARO SOAP TO WASH AND TAKE THEM ALL TO BELLES WHEN THE SHIPS COME IN.
THIS IS THE BIGGEST NONSENSE I HEARING, WHERE IS MRS PESTAINA, WE NEED SOME OLD SCHOOL TO GET US BACK TO WHERE WE NEED TO BE, ITS TIME DE LITTLE BOYS MOVE OVER AND LET THE ADULTS GET BACK IN CHARGE……
Mr.Douglas Has Pointed All The reason why Carnival cruise line will not be coming to dominica any
more. These guys begging tourist for money. The vendors harassing tourist to buy their items.And
some of the greedy taxi drivers over charging tourist. i do believe there were many complaints.And Nothing haven’t been done.This has nothing to do with gas prices. Those who is in charge of tourism should have done. something about this.I visit home Very often. And it happens to me very often. Because I’m being mistaken for a tourist and that’s anoying. Tourist don’t like to be harassed.
Ok, we got it now. The real reason for Carnival Victory pull out was NOT fuel cost but the numerous complaints that the minister of tourism and the mayor of Roseau did not take seriously. Dominicans are not stupid to know that.
But why isn’t anyone mentioning the mess the taxis make on the bayfront? Yes I agree with the upgrades to the vending and cleanliness and vagrants situation, but the chaos on the bayfront from the taxis is the number one reason I believe. We developed a dispatching system that was in direct conflict with the tours from the ships. While I agree we must find a way to get everyone a piece of the pie, but now the ship lost money and one one was listening….now no one is making anything. The harrassment the undercutting even the overpricing have cost us our most frequent ship. Trust me there is more to come!
I amDominican living overseas who visits Dominica frequently
both by cruise ships and airplane .I visited as recent as two weeks ago
and i enjoyed my stay immensely , this recent visit was the most enjoyable
the more i visit the more i love my country. However, i just do not understand why
Roseau looks so fiflty, the streets are dirty and the vagrants are all over your face begging personally what makes the place more untidy….”the water drainge” the drains is full of dirty water
and full of moss. it looks terrible. The street should be cleaned overnight
there should be gabage cans all over to prevent littering.
Dominica should be marketed as natrual beauty. Some of the trousist go to places
where they purchased gold perfume etc. we do not have that . what we do have is
THE SULPHUR SPRINGS THE FALLS.From my experience the organization at the bay front with taxi drivers are much improved, but still needs improvement.Tourism is very competitive
and we should do all we can to sell Dominica for what it is. We should also direct
our attention to tourist who come by airplane. The roads have no signs. Hotels should offer
vacation packages. All the other islands offer travel incentives
Much to be done but everyone need to work together.God bless my county
FOOD FOR THOUGHT – I AM INCLINED TO BELIEVE THAT THE CARNIVAL CRUISE GAVE D/CA 3 YEARS TO CLEAN UP THEIR ACT . DOH SAY I SAY BECAUSE I DOH WANT TO GET VICTIMIZED BY THOSE LIARS. SO HEARE IT IS 3 YEARS NO COMMUNITY DAY SUPPORT FROM GOVERNMENT. SO GO AHEAD AND PLANT FLOWERS; TRUCK DRIVERS SHUT UP, POT HOLES BECOMING SINK HOLES AND THE COUNTRY GOING IN REVERSE. THAT IS THE SIGN OF GOOOOOD GOOD GOVERNANCE.
HOW CAN PEOPLE SIT BACK AND SAY YEPI YEH SKERRIT WE LOVE WHEN THE PM AND CABINET HAVE NO SENSE OF DIRECTION; THEY PILFERING AND NRAPING THE COUNTRY AND WE SAY THINGS ARE HAPPENING; WE MOVING TO THE NEXT LEVEL.-YEH THE BUTTOM OF THE DUMP
I’m not sad at all about Carnival pulling out! It’s time we build Dominica’s tourism product to a much higher standard and focus on high end tourism rather than mass tourism from cruise ships which bring in little money and huge environmental burdens. Lets raise our standards in all ways.
Many of the vendors are selling such tacky items that I feel embarrassed for them…it’s all made in china and the same old stuff you can get in any other island just with our name on it instead! Lets showcase our local products, local talents, local art, local crafts and we will all win.
Litter and vagrancy are issues that do need to be addressed whatever tourism product we want to have and also for us locals too!
THEY TOO BUISY BUILDING THEIR OWN EMPIRE ….
THAT SOUND LIKE DOUBLE TALKING TO ME. THE CARNIVAL CRUISE PULL OUT DUE TO THE COST OF FUEL YET WE ARE SO CONCERNED ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS IN ROSEAU . LET US NOT FORGET THE MAYOR OF ROSEAU SAID THAT ROSEAU IS CLEAN BEYOND COMPARE. WOW. THE MAYOR JUST HAPPENS TO BE ONE OF THEM. WHAT A JOKE. IS THERE SOMETHING THESE GUYS KNEW. JUST OUT OF THE BLUE CARNIVAL JUST DECIDE TO PULL OUT. LET US NOT FORGET THAT THE PRICE OF FUEL WITHIN THE LAST TWO YEARS IS MUCH MUCH LOWER THAT WHAT IT WAS 3, 4, 5 YEARS AGO. CARNIVAL DID NOT PULL OUT THEN.
WHAT IT SEEMS LIKE TO ME IS DOMINICANS ARE BEING PUNISHED BECAUSE OUR GOVERNMENT DID NOT DO THE RIGHT THING. IT WAS THE JOB OF THE MINISTER OF TOURISM TO INSURE A TOURIST CONDUCIVE ENVIRONMENT. WHAT A SHAME
Why is cleanliness the priority when the Mayor said that Dominica the cleanest city (meant island eh) in the region between Venezuela and the D.R? Get real people! your elected leaders are in denial; don’t have a clue about leadership. The only area that they seem to get high grade is in the fleecing of the country.
Is it me that’s got it wrong? I have yet to hear any govt official present their side of the story.re “Victory” pull out. Surely I want to believe, govt did not just wake up one day like the rest of us and read a press release from the cruise line informing that they are ending their call. Hence if we assume that they were informed directly of that intent it begs the question. Has there been any negotiation between the two parties to find a way to resolve the issue(s) which brought about this decision?
I would therefore like to know if there’s been any negotiation and what stage are they at. If not, why not? If it is fuel cost can govt lower or cut some fees which would help metigate the crisis? Could the call be fortnightly instead of weekly? I would like to hear the authorities present something along these lines instead of just accepting things to be over. Years ago I remember similar threats by the same cruise line, I believe to do with a proposed environmental levi and after negotiations the status quo remained.
I want to know who is talking to who and where are the discussions to date. Surely Dominica as a destination has been very beneficial to the cruise line otherwise they would not have been calling nonstop for 21 years. This is not a one way street let’s talk honestly with a view to avoiding this impending crisis. Think of Carnival’s visible growth over the last 21 years and it begs the question, how much of the financing for such massive expansion came from Dominica as a destination?
Thanks
NOW YOU WANT TO OUTLINE YOUR PLANS! THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE LONG TIME AGO!
WHO SHOULD BE BLAMED FOR CARNIVAL VICTORY LEAVING DOMINICA? NO OTHER THAN THE GOVERNMENT! STOP MAKING EXCUSES FOR THE GOVERNMENT!
Policy, policy, policy… what was Government budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, Physical Planning & Fisheries…. 1% (what a shame). Is this Government serious about the environment? Stop this knee jerk reaction, enact environmental legislation,regulations & give the departments/units the necessary tools to enforce the laws.. Political expidience will destroy this nation.
Mr. Minister, it’s not sufficient to identify what must be done. You, as a Minister of Government, must do what’s necessary to get things done! Ministers must move beyond the talk and do!
@Possie need help: Take that in allu bonda! The help is coming in the PIPELINE but the PIPELINE choke!
All that is part of the NEXT LEVEL. Tell the Captain of the Maria his offer is too low. 10% is the norm the boys accept.
Layyyyyyybarrrrrr powerrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
he said the reason they pulled out was because of the cost of fuel to get to Dominica. whats your oppinion on this? to me…its like telling me you’re on your way to St. Joseph, but i don’t have enough fuel to bring me to mahaut, jimmit or even Layou. Best they had just said, “its because we don’t like you”
@William McLawrence:
All very good points. I believe that the solid waste management should be privatized in conjunction with a recycling plant.
The problem is us (DOMINICANS) . I cannot believe that it took Dominicans and not the Government to see that our CITY IS DIRTY? We ought to be ashamed of ourselves, you hardly see young people sweeping infront of their homes than to tell them to help you in a beautification project now.
The onus is on the us and not the government to clean our properties, ensure that lawns are well kept, our business areas are clean and well painted and to ensure that our sites are dirty. This is just to say that the people and the Rangers who work at the sites are NASTY INDEED.
DOMINICANS ARE JUST AS NASTY AND LAZY AS ANY CARIBBEAN INDIVIDUAL.
Congratulations to the new Mayor of Portsmouth for doing his part to beautify his area, we all should take a page from his book and have a sense of national pride.
Those who are in various positions of authrity in Dominica should reallly be given an intensive course in Leadership and various leadership modules available in the world of HRM. Skilled aquired throuhg this program would have the reactivism mentality abated. Can any sensible person tell the public why so much talk bout tourism lately? Let those who call themselves leaders know this basic principle: when you fail to plan, you plan to fail. So many things pass Dominica by, its like a big big joke. Folks must be laughing at Dominicans – whilst the heavily paid folks in society are smiling.
Gadey condition Dominique
For more than a month now the Maria has been berthed in Prince Ruperts Bay idle! For more than a month now an enterprising entrepreneur has been literally begging to remove the wrecks from POSSIE!
We Need Help —- What you you doing Mr. Minister – I am almost in tears .
The measures outined by the Honorable Minister for Tourism and Legal Affairs for the upcoming Cruise Tourist Season (2010 – 2011) are measures that have been previously implemented. That being said, the general public and all stakeholders in particular should take those measures seriously if we are serious about sanitizing the tourism sector and making Dominica a more competitive cruise ship destination. WHAT WE NEED NOW IS THE STRICT ENFORCEMENT OF THOSE MEASURES.
In terms of CLEANLINESS, there is need to increase the number of Sanitary Workers working with the Roseau City Council, Portsmouth Town Council, Canefield Urban Council, Carib Council and all Village Councils around the island. Obviously there is going to be a increase in cost associated with this measure but it must be done. Therefore Government must ensure that the subvention made available to Local Authorities be increased to ensure that Councils have the increased capacity to improve the cleaniless of not just ROSEAU and hopefully PORTSMOUTH but all communities throughout Dominica since tourists have the propensity to visit any and every where.
The improvement in the solid waste collection service provided by the Dominica Solid Waste Management Corporation (DSWMC) needs to be seriously reviewed. Collection cannot be done during business hours from 8:00am to 5:00pm since this does not only disrupt the free flow of traffic but the stench from the truck and as well as the leaking water from the truck causes the entire route where the truck passes to have a deadly stench for hours and this is an embarassment to everyone. Very serious consideration must therefore given to increasing the fleet of trucks for solid waste collection and for the need to collect garbage at the end of the business day between 5:00pm and 7:00am. The DSWMC must implement and enforce strick guidelines for its workers and the truckers subcontracted to assist with collection. They must meet and ensure that the delivery of service is of an acceptable standard. Obviously to achieve this end, there will be need to increase the budget for the DSWMC and this must be seriously considered by the Government.
The Environmental Coordinating Unit (ECU) and the Environmental Health Department (EHD) must increase their monitoring to ensure that the environment is clean and that citizens play their part by engaging in safe environmental practices; keeping their surroundings clean, disposing of household generated garbage properly and as required by the law, beautifying their surroundings by planting flowering plants and painting buildings in beautiful pastel colours etc.
There is need for a massive public awareness campaign aimed at creating greater public awareness of the need for a clean and safe environment. Such a campaign should embrace all stakeholders at the community development level, public health and public safety levels, tourism level. After all Dominica is for us to build and popular public awareness tagline these days is “Tourism is Everybody’s Business, Let’s Play Our Part” speaks volume and further more since Dominica is promoted as “The Nature Island of the Caribbean” we ought to live up to that name.
THE LACK OF CLEANLINESS AROUND THE ISLAND IS CAUSE FOR CONCERN AND WILL CERTAINLY COMPROMISE OUR ABILITY TO ATTRACK REPEAT AND OR NEW TOURIST BUSINESS.
In terms of the PRESENTATION OF PRODUCTS AND QUALITY OF PRODUCTS available for sale to visitors, we ought to ask ourselves this question “If we were the visitors would we buy some of the sub-standard products offered for sale to visitors?” I am sure our answer would be “NO”. Therefore we must, vendors in particular, guard against selling substandards products. Our visitors come from counctries (USA, CANADA, and EUROPE) where the standards for consumer products, including locally made handicraft and imported souvenirs are very high. We cannot therefore sell products that do not come close to the standards set by these countries.
Our presentation of products offered for sale must also be well presented in terms of stall presentation and product display and packaging. We need to make our booths/stalls, especially on the Roseau Bayfront and Roseau Old Market Plaza looking less like a shanty town and more like a tourist vendors market. The sale of handicraft and souvenirs in Portsmouth and all other Tourism sites and attractions should also be well presented and made more attractive as well.
The sale of handicrafts/souvenirs must also be monitored to ensure that substandard products are not offered for sale, also, of particular concern are those persons, who in their pursuit to make fast money , stick on overseas made products “MADE IN DOMINICA” sticker tag. This is wrong and harmful to our Tourism and in particular our fledgling craft production sector. The Quality assurance Unit at the Discover Dominica Authority (DDA), the Dominica Bureau of Standards (DBOS), the Dominica Export and Import Agency (DEXIA), the Dominica Association of Industry and Commerce (DAIC) and all vendors, retailers, wholesalers, importers and producersof handicraft and souvenir merchandise must take note and ensure that only quality products are offered for sale every time and all the time.
Our vendors and all tourism services providers must at all times be well groomed and attired, well informed and knowledgeable about Dominica and Caribbean tourism and the standards of Customer Service expected of persons working in the Tourism industry and everyone must be well mannered, courteous and friendly as well. This will help to sell the island as an orderly tourism destination.
THE SUB STANDARD QUALITY OF PRODUCTS COUPLED WITH SUBSTANDARD DELIVERY OF QUALITY SERVICE ARE CERTAINLY DETERRENTS TO REPEAT AND OR NEW BUSINESS FOR DOMINICA’S TOURISM.
The VAGRANTS roaming the streets of Roseau are a cause for concern. Many of these vagrants are mentally challenged which may have been the result of drug addiction, alcoholism, stigmatization or other reasons not mentioned here. Government has a moral and social responsibility to place these people in a place of rehabilitation and care. Some of the vagrants however are “selfmade” and are mischievous and bent of creating problems with the law and a nuisance to civil society and must be dealt with severely by the law. The increase in police patrol, the increase in employment of Special Constables, the promotion of Community policing will help the curtail the incidence of crime and vagrancy in the Roseau, Portsmouth and elsewhere around the island.
VAGRANCY IS CERTAINLY A CAUSE FOR CONCERN AND EVERY EFFORT MUST BE MADE TO DEAL WITH THIS EYE SAW BECAUSE IT IS CERTAINLY A CAUSE FOR CONCERN FOR REPEAT AND OR NWE TOURIST BUSINESS.
Yes his suggestions is just one small step ahead. However, too little too late. Roseau on a whole needs a face lift. More ships should be sent to Portsmouth. The vendors need to improve their ATTITUDES first in order to improve on their display and presentations. Moreover, this is an indication of how we are at the mercy of these tourism conglomorates. Carnival accounts for about 35% of the cruise tourism which we receive year round and the only line that comes to Dominica in the off season.
Instead… i believe the Min. Douglas should assist the local hoteliers and entertainment service providers to develop their products in order to attract more stayover tourist to dominica and stop depending on the cruise lines. Not only that but Dominica needs to start manufacturing and exporting more. We cannot solely depend on tourism.
BLAH BLAH BLAH! Where were you all along? You mean you only realize now what needs to be done? Give me a flippin break! You Mr. Minister of tourism has failed the Dominican people and should be fired as minister of tourism. The PM need to make an example of you so the other lazy ministers can take note. I am guessing all that is part of the NEXT LEVEL and better days are IN THE PIPELINE. Those are the two famous Labor phrases.
LAYYYYYYYYBARRRRRR POWERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
while i agree with the minister to a certain degree, the problem is not only the vendors and the vagrants roaming the streets. User fee ticket to enter the site by the visitors was raise from $2 usd to $5 usd yet no significant improvement was made on the sites. The holland american line that visits Dominica most of the visitors are senior citizen and the trails on the sites for eaxample trafalgar and emerald pool are not conducive for them. There are no seat along the trail where they could rest, no guard rails for them to use as support, at soufriere sulphur springs the road entrance is a mess, need serious maintenance and the wash rooms are untidy. and many other things i could talk about.
Is this the product were offer to our visitors we really need to step up.
With all due respect to the Minister, I think these “new measures” are simplistic to say the least. The removal of “vagrants” or sharpening the image of vendors are not going to be enough. What are we doing about marketing Dominica? Jamaica keeps on getting record tourist arrival despite the violent nature of that country and it being known as “the murder capital of the world.” The secret? Spending millions of dollars on marketing through TV ads in the major markets each tourist season. How much are we spending to market Dominica? I have me countless people who have never heard of the island.
Dominica can have the sharpest vendors or a “vagrant” free environment but no one will come if they don’t know the island exists.
Too little, too late Mr Douglas! By the way, garbage disposal must be done more efficiently throughout the island. The ship docks in Roseau, but the tourists visit other parts of the island also. I can’t believe that Carnival had to pull out, for the garbage issue to be addressed. How awesome is that! HA HA HA!
i agree with the minister . da is ours to build lets all do it together