Tourism official optimistic about next cruise ship season

A cruise ship at the port in Roseau. File photo

With a drop in cruise ship arrivals in Dominica in 2015 and 2016, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Careen Prevost has announced that the country is expected to see an estimated 25 percent increase in cruise ship calls for the next season.

She was speaking the launch of Discover Dominica Authority (DDA) Cruise Tourism Strategy and Action Plan for Dominica held at the Garraway Hotel conference room on Tuesday.

According to Prevost, over the years the cruise sector has played a critical role in the country’s economy and the Ministry of Tourism is aware from the statistics that cruise arrivals reached its peak in 2010 when the island saw 272 calls.

“Now subsequently we saw a decline in cruise calls largely due to the pull out of Carnival Cruise Lines and also changes in the tourism sector due to the global financial crisis,” she said. “However due to government’s concerted efforts and improving standards of making investments in the sector we are expected an estimated 25 percent increase in cruise calls for the next season, which is projected at about 265 to 270 calls based on current bookings that we have seen for the next season.”

She continued, “For us at the Ministry of Tourism and Discover Dominica Authority (DDA,) and of course you as stakeholders, this is excellent news.”

Statistics from the Caribbean Tourism Association show that there has been a drop in cruise arrivals to Dominica in the past two years.

The statistics show in 2016 Dominica received 277,132 cruise ship visitors as compared to 279,341 in 2015.

That represents a 1.6 percent decrease for 2016.

In 2014, the island received 286,575 cruise ship visitors. Compared to the 2015 figure of 279,342, this represents a 2.5 percent drop.

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16 Comments

  1. visitor
    March 9, 2017

    instead of investing in the selling of the passport , the country should invest in selling it self …

  2. anonymous2
    March 9, 2017

    What else is new?

  3. why are sites no toilets
    March 8, 2017

    toilets do tourist continue to go to bushes when nature calls so many sites has no wash rooms

    • Driver
      March 9, 2017

      That’s not really true. They may experience some difficulty sometimes, but as far I can recall, only Ti Tou Gorge may not be operational.

  4. Fedup #1
    March 8, 2017

    Is anyone surprised? All I ask is that the Minister and other officials stop fooling the public. In June of last year the minister predicted a 15% increase after a decline for 2015. Visit https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/news/tourism-publicity/tonge-predicts-increase-in-cruise-ship-passengers/ . Now this official is predicting a 25% increase. Are they pulling numbers out of a hat? It will only get worse. DA is not ready to welcome cruise ship passengers. As far as I am concerned Roseau is not even ready to welcome its own residents.
    Robbie Tonge stop being a propagandist! It’s time the citizens held this gov’t responsible for non-performance.

  5. dissident
    March 8, 2017

    I been hearing that same tune for at least 4 years now!
    Still at the end of the cruise season there is absolutely nothing to boast about!
    No tourism official can point to any improvement that caused a ‘real life’s improvement in cruise arrivals!

    Why not discuss the actual figures? Nothing to talk about?

    Stop fooling yourselves!

  6. Noreen
    March 8, 2017

    Clean up Roseau, you think a tourist want to a pile
    of garbage and a lot of unkempt building as they
    step off a ship.

  7. Radio aba mango
    March 8, 2017

    stupes! stupes! stupes! stupes! stupes! stupes! stupes!

  8. derp
    March 8, 2017

    as long as the paros in roseau the drop will continue, you know begging is a crime in DOMINICA law books

    • anonymous2
      March 9, 2017

      I guess it is a crime to be poor in Dominica too. Too bad no one told the powers to be that they need to get rid of the poverty or they would be out of office.

  9. March 8, 2017

    The pulling out of Carnival Cruise Lines in ’10 had a major impact on total visitor arrivals and the foreign exchange generated during their weekly calls. Drops in arrivals during the last two years were not exactly crucial but noteworthy. What the MOT should now do is revisit the tourism policy and their current tourism plans and put them against the new strategy and policy to determine whether or not we are on the right path. Maybe some incentives should be discussed to get a new major line on board or to reinstate CCL on our list.

  10. Zandoli Claywat
    March 8, 2017

    What year carnival cruise lines left Dominica, you all still saying is because of Carnival cruise lines there is decreased numbers. Give me a break!

  11. March 8, 2017

    No sense in being a Debby Downer eh. The new action plan should serve us well.

  12. March 8, 2017

    Excellent, I’m optimistic as well! :-P :lol: :lol:

  13. Roger Burnett
    March 8, 2017

    I’m curious. Has the picture been “photoshopped” or have the vendors been moved elsewhere?

    • Driver
      March 8, 2017

      If you are saying what I think you are saying,NO, the vendors have not been moved. But if you care to look again, vendors are not that high up. If you ask, where are the buses, I will not think that you are jabbing at the lack of urgency in the making of the vendor’s arcade.

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