PRESS RELEASE

Dominica Delegation Completes Successful Eco-tourism Study Tour to Belize and Costa Rica

Roseau, Dominica: July 19, 2005 ------ A nine member Dominica delegation headed by the Hon. Loreen Bannis-Roberts, Acting Minister for Tourism, Industry and Private Sector Relations last week completed a ten day Eco-tourism Study Tour to Belize and Costa Rica.

The delegation visited various tourism establishments, sites and attractions and met with high profile tourism industry players from both the private and public sectors in the two countries.

The ten-day Study Tour exposed the Dominican delegation to a wide range of experiences and best-practices, ranging from visits to national parks and wildlife sanctuaries to visits and stays in major eco-lodges, visits to adventure parks, as well as to new and other exciting tourism attractions in both countries.

Additionally, Hon Loreen Bannis-Roberts paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Tourism of Costa Rica, Hon. Rodrigo A. Castro. Jr. Both parties welcomed the visit and were able to agree to continue relations whereby Dominica would benefit from technical support from Costa Rica aimed at enhancing Dominica’s tourism.

The delegation was particularly pleased with the level of involvement of the private and community sectors in the overall development of the tourism sector, and their role and

involvement in investments in tourism facilities, conservation of natural areas, and in tourism certification and standards programmes.

The delegation also learnt from the experience and the tremendous public sector support in guiding and managing the process of eco-tourism development. This included the process of nature conservation, protection of the cultural heritage, partnership arrangements with international environmental organizations for conservation programmes, tourism policy formulation, and the high level of support for national tourism marketing initiatives and programmes.

The Study Tour highlighted the need for tourism industry players here in Dominica to be better informed and aware of developments taking place in the tourism sector especially in similar or competing destinations.

Newly appointed Sustainable Tourism Advisor at the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), Mr. Luis Chaves, accompanied the study-tour delegation to both countries.

Members of the delegation who went on this ten-day eco-tourism study tour included the Director of Tourism Sharon Pascal, Director of Forestry Eric Hypolite and the Chief Technical Officer in the Ministry of Tourism Esther M. Thomas, the Executive Director of the Dominica Hotel and Tourism Association (DHTA), Mrs. Jennifer Julien-Laudat; the President of the Dominica Taxi Association, Mr. Joseph ‘Oris” Campbell; the Carib Model Village Project Manager, Ms Willa Cyrille; and the Community Tourism Development Manager, Mr. Sobers Esprit and Site Improvement Coordinator, Mr. Ashton Lugay of Project Management Unit of the Eco-tourism Development Programme (ETDP).

The ten-day study tour was a programme activity of the European Union/Government of Dominica funded Eco-Tourism Development Programme.

For further information, please contact the Ministry of Tourism at 448-2401 Ext 3003.