Roseau, Dominica–February 23, 2010…… Minister for Tourism and Legal Affairs, Hon. Ian Douglas has told stakeholders in the Tourism Sector in Dominica that their mission must be to “strive to be the best”.
In his first public dialogue with tourism stakeholders since his reappointment as Minister for Tourism in January 2010, Hon. Ian Douglas noted that Dominica as a tourism destination, would never be able to compete on the basis of price or accessibility.
“But we have been told and we all know that the only way up for us in tourism is to be the best ..… that is therefore our mission for us in Dominica , to strive to be the best in everything we seek to do in every way we seek to position the industry,” Hon. Douglas stated.
The Tourism Minister said further that to be the best, Dominica as a destination would need:
- to be more responsive to the trends in tourism demand worldwide;
- to be conscious of the high standards that we must set for ourselves in customer service and product quality;
- to improve the quality of the human capital and those who serve in the industry;
- to sharpen, maintain and further enhance the Dominica brand;
- to think differently of how we mobilize and provide resources to every segment and sub-sectors between and across the wide spectrum of tourism activities;
- to be world class in giving meaning to the processes of cultural preserving and the continued conservation of the natural resources of our country
- to be world-class in managing our waste, to keep our country clean and beautiful
- to integrate values of selflessness and warmness to our friends and visitors
- to excellently package and make the Dominica experience more authentic, rewarding and priceless to our visitors;
- to be world-class in finding new ways of controlling noise emanating from our various businesses and taxis;
- to be world-class in utilizing our culture and rich heritage to make the experience even more authentic and real.
- To be world-class will mean a renewed level of support for oneself and each other and by extension to the many visitors to our shores
The Minister also used the opportunity to highlight some of the projects undertaken by Government that have contributed to the development of the tourism sector in Dominica.
Since the 2006/2007 fiscal year, the Government of Dominica has expended $219 million ECD on capital projects in the development of infrastructure like roads; the Melville Hall airport expansion project; creation of the required institutional frameworks; revised or enacted new legislation for tourism; provided concessions and fiscal incentives to encourage and support investments across the sector; and implemented new tourism development programmes with support from the European Union.
Stakeholders present at the meeting included representatives from the Dominica Hotel and Tourism Association (DHTA), Dominica Watersports Association (DWA), Tour Guides Association, the various taxi associations, and officials from Discover Dominica Authority, Invest Dominica Authority, the Ministry of Tourism and the AID Bank.
