Plans for the tourism industry…. Hon. Ian Douglas -Minister for Tourism

Tourism Minister Hon. Ian Douglas says there are plans to develop a dedicated system to capture all expenditure related to the tourism industry in Dominica.

The minister made the disclosure while addressing the official launch of tourism awareness month last week.

He says, “This system will enable the determination of the expenditure from all areas of tourism and consequently inform the government on the real contribution of tourism to the economy.  The Ministry of Tourism and the Discover Dominica Authority (DDA) are working feverishly to set up the tourism satellite account with support from the European Union.  The hotels and guest houses must however be forthcoming with their occupancy data to assist the process of compiling this data and the DDA must find an innovative approach to obtaining this important data.

The minister noted that there are clear manifestations of the importance paid by the Government of Dominica through the ministry of tourism to the island’s tourism sector.

“The Government’s tremendous investment in the Melville Hall Airport and major road networks are testimony to the importance attached to improving the island infrastructure to facilitate the comfort and convenience of our citizens and our visitors alike.  Additionally, the expected increase in the stock of hotel rooms with the construction of the 60 [plus] room Moroccan funded hotel at Portsmouth which is progressing very well is also evidence of the Government’s commitment to growing the tourism sector.  The private sector with support from the Invest Dominica Authority and from the Aid Bank is also involved in investments in hotel infrastructure to contribute to the diversity of rooms on the island.