![\"Commentary\"](\"http:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/commentary2.jpg\")
Congratulations to our police for the great job in their efforts to keep our prime tourist sites safe and enjoyable. If tourism is the main revenue earner for our island, it is of vital importance that we pay tremendous attention to this critical aspect of the Tourist Industry: the security of tourists.<\/p>\n
Suggestions and comments on the latter in Dominica News Online are worthy of consideration.<\/p>\n
Among them:
\nI. bike patrol on our popular beaches
\nII. constant security on all secluded tourist sites
\nIII. closing of tourists\u2019 favorite beaches when there is no security<\/p>\n
As a DNO writer truly observed, undesirable conduct on tourist sites affects the livelihood of many Dominicans. Tourism is everybody\u2019s business. It would be a real shame if such beauty, the \u201cincredible beauty\u201d (as a French user termed it this week) of a beach like Batibou, for instance, would be spoilt, desecrated in fact, in any way.<\/p>\n
About a little over a year ago the owners of Hampstead Estate put extra measures in place to enhance security on this beautiful beach. Among them were:<\/p>\n
i. Calling both Calibishie and Bense Village Councils and Tourism and Improvement committees to meetings to foster a partnership so communities can work together on security issues<\/p>\n
ii. Seeking audiences with both the Minister of Tourism, Honorable Ian Douglas and Honorable Matthew Walters, Member of Parliament for the area and holding discussions with both Ministers on enhancing the Batibou beach experience<\/p>\n
iii. Providing daily presence on the beach , through a beach bar manned (largely by the Douglas family members ) between 11am and 5pm.<\/p>\n
iv. Visitors have access to a group of security personnel from the surrounding communities of Calibishie, Bense, Anse du Mai, and Ansoldat who have agreed to make themselves available to accompany them to the beach at a small fee.<\/p>\n
v. Batibou road maintenance. (This road was built by Robert Bernard Douglas to facilitate the harvesting of coconuts, and maintained mainly for the coconut industry on the Hampstead Estate)<\/p>\n
The government has offered frequent police patrols which effect is unfortunately compromised apparently because the area police usually have no vehicle.<\/p>\n
The first year after the significant upgrading of this beach facility, there were no untoward incidents at Batibou; and it is noted with pleasure that the upgrading and improvement continues. However, it is only fair that all beach users share the responsibility of making the experience of this beautiful secluded beach a magnificent one. Besides, the upgraded site facilities are available to all. So effective Sunday 1st September, 2013, each vehicle will be required to contribute an EC$5.00 entrance fee. Non-Dominicans however will only make a US$5.00 fee contribution per person.<\/p>\n
A special appeal is being made to keep our beaches and all tourist sites clean. It is indeed sad but true, that it is our local population who are primarily responsible for the litter on the beaches .Dominicans, we can do better than that. Please do not litter anywhere in Dominica, for that matter. Let us keep our litter with us to deposit appropriately in a litter bin. When we go to a beach, we should take ALL garbage that we brought, back home with us.<\/p>\n
A gate has been installed at the entrance to the Batibou beach. The gate will only be open when the beach bar and grille is open. The gate has been installed primarily to:<\/p>\n
i. Deter tourists from going down to the beach when no one is there<\/p>\n
ii. Prevent sand mining<\/p>\n
iii. Curtail illegal night activities, and this includes drug trafficking<\/p>\n
iv. Protect Dominica\u2019s wildlife; only last month, a turtle (one of our endangered species) was slaughtered and tourists, to their horror, were offered meat to buy.<\/p>\n
v. Prevent theft from the coconut fields<\/p>\n
Patrons may also rent tents for weekends or longer periods on the beach. Batibou Beach Bar and Grille also caters for parties and other events.<\/p>\n
Batibou Beach and other beaches on Hampstead Estate, in particular Swayay and Number One, are well known for iguana and turtle laying and hatching. Beach users must protect and not disturb pertinent eggs or creatures; simply enjoy from a comfortable distance in order to allow the rest of Dominicans and tourists to have the pleasure one day to do the same.<\/p>\n
If we do not secure our tourist sites, not only the visitors, but Dominicans as well will no longer be able to enjoy our beautiful Nature Isle. What sort of Nature Island is this where the nature things we are meant to cherish and enjoy cannot be safely utilized by us? Should the unsavoury characters \u201cenjoy\u201d the best of Dominica\u2019s sites and relegate us to only what is left?<\/p>\n
Besides, every Dominican suffers when our national economy is affected and earnings from Tourism plummet.<\/p>\n
Let us all – especially the neighboring communities of Batibou Beach and other prime tourist sites – work together to advance our island\u2019s development, maintain Dominica\u2019s good name and nurture the love and peace which epitomizes a \u201cnature isle\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Congratulations to our police for the great job in their efforts to keep our prime tourist sites safe and enjoyable. If tourism is the main revenue earner for our island, it is of vital importance that we pay tremendous attention…","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-100916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n