A Little Adventure

Encompassing only 290 square miles, the small southern Caribbean nation of Dominica is an adventure lover's paradise, with tall volcanic peaks, boiling lakes, underwater springs and spiraling waterfalls.

Home to the Caribbean's longest walking trail and a distinctive ecosystem that features rare indigenous plants and wildlife including the national bird, the Sisserou parrot, which is found only on the island, Dominica's natural beauty was marred in August 2015 by Tropical Storm Erika, which triggered severe floods and mudslides, killed 30 residents and wrecked hundreds of homes and businesses. The crippling storm also scuttled what had been shaping up as a strong year for visitor arrivals.

Fortunately, a comprehensive government recovery program coupled with support from regional tourism and hospitality groups over the past two years has enabled Dominica to rebuild its infrastructure and again host international visitors says Colin Piper, Dominica's director of tourism.

Dominica is preparing to welcome a new generation of hotels as it seeks to widen its visitor base. We spoke recently with Piper to discuss his country's tourism initiatives.

VA: How has Dominica come back from Tropical Storm Erika?

CP: We have recovered pretty much in terms of infrastructure. The roads and electricity, water, and all of that we have recovered. We are pretty much good to go. But what we have to continue to do is to try to get any uncertainty out of people's minds because we were trending number one at that time in the media with all of the images of the disaster. Now we have to do some work now to turn those images around. That's what we are doing here.

VA: How have visitor arrivals fared over the last few years?

CP: In 2016 we had a five percent [arrivals] growth versus 2015. However in 2014 we had about 81,000 visitors and were on schedule in 2015 to equal that or eke out one percent growth. That was important for us because it would have been two straight years of sustaining that pace, which we felt we could get based on the marketing dollars that we had. We were on track to do that up until August 26 and then on August 27 Tropical Storm Erika hit.

Over the next four months we lost around 7,000 of the visitors we had expected to get. So we went down to 74,000 in 2015. So we were up five percent in 2016 over 2015, but 2015 was a depressed year. We are hoping in 2017 to grow another five percent and get back to that 81,000 and from there propel forward.

VA: What types of hospitality developments will travelers have to look forward to in Dominica?

CP: We're looking at some pretty impressive developments happening within the next two years. From a property perspective we are going to see the likes of Kempinski Hotels coming onto Dominica with a 160-room hotel by December of 2018 or 2019. We're going to see an Autograph Collection [hotel] from Marriott coming in probably in 2019; that will add 200 rooms. And we will also have a Curio by Hilton property coming in at about 75 rooms.

Besides those brands coming in, we have some expansion by local hoteliers. So by 2020 the landscape in Dominica will be significantly different. All of these properties are supposed to be four-stars and above, so it will create a new segment for the destination.

[READMORE]READ MORE: Grenada's Silversands Resort to Launch in March [/READMORE]

VA: Do you believe the new hotel developments will impact Dominica's intimate character?

CP: We are going to be getting somewhat bigger. But the plans of all the hotels are in alignment with the nature island that Dominica is. So the Kempinski for example will have 160 rooms but in about six or seven buildings, kind of spread out so we are looking at three- to four-story buildings, not a 10-story building. With the exception of a few properties, the general level of Dominica hotels is three-star. The positioning of the new hotels is four-star plus.

VA: There are no direct flights from North America to Dominica, although there are lots of connections from regional hubs. Is this a disadvantage for the destination?

CP: These aspects makes getting to Dominica just that more adventuresome. You can't come to the Nature Island without some form of adventure. [Yet] Seaborne Airlines has codeshares with Jet Blue Airways and American Airlines, so travel agents can book tickets through for folks going onto Dominica, with luggage checked all of the way.

The message we are trying to send is that within half a day, 12 hours max, you can be in a destination where you have top-10 dining in the Caribbean, great snorkeling, see the second-largest boiling lake in the world and travel along the Waitukubuli National Trail.

---

For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.

Topics From This Article to Explore