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Volume No. 1 Issue No. 49 - Friday October 03, 2003 |
What About the Aerial Tram?
 by John Moorhouse
I have been following the recent discussions on the internet and elsewhere concerning the introduction of the aerial tram in Dominica. While it seems to be an excellent idea on the surface, there seem to be a few flaws in the overall concept.
Although I have not seen or ridden on this tram, the impression that I am getting from those who have been there is that it is very poorly designed. Correct me if I am wrong, but by riding on this tram one cannot view Dominica's natural landmarks in the area such as Trafalgar Falls, Boeri & Freshwater lakes, Boiling Lake etc. If this is the case, and one can only view the tropical canopy, then it sounds to me like a bit of an uneventful ride that will do little or nothing to exploit and expose these natural landmarks. This will be dissapointing to visitors to Dominica, who have learnt about these landmarks through magazines, Dominican websites, etc., and wish to view them.
Secondly, the price of admission to ride this tram seems to be a bit steep for what is offered. One should take into account the prices of admission for other tourist attractions and what they offer. For example, a tourist can visit Epcot Center or the Magic Kingdom at Disney World; or go to Universal Studios/ Islands of Adventure for US$69 (or less in some cases) and stay there for the entire twelve hour day that they are open (second-day passes are even available for substantially less). These attractions have far more to keep the tourist occupied than can be taken in during one day. Once inside these parks, rides are unlimited for the same admission fee.
We have to understand that Dominica is competing for a small piece of the tourist pie against other destinations like Disney, etc. It is obvious that such large attractions offer the typical tourist "more bang for the buck", so prices on attractions like this tram should be adjusted accordingly in order to have people use it.
I also have another observation. It seems that considerable resources have been invested in the construction and startup of this tram (perhaps well into the millions). Projects of this nature take years to generate a positive return, if operating at their ideal (full, or near full capacity.) Given the facts about this tram (and everyone's feedback), it seems very unlikely that this tram will operate at this capacity anytime soon.
Many of you by now have heard about the proposed Tour de Dominica bicycle race. If you have followed any of the radio & TV broadcasts, emails, and posts on the internet aout this project that have been going around, then you will have a clear understanding of the tremendous benefits that this project holds for Dominica's economy on a whole and also the lifestyle of the people. These are benefits that will begin to happen immediately, not three or five or ten years down the road.
So now I ask you: Which is a better investment? So while the Government of Dominica (and the private sector) appear to be very "interested" in Tour de Dominica, no firm commitment has so far been forthcoming.
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