The government is currently remodelling the VIP lounge at the Douglas Charles Airport at about EC$1.6 million. The lounge will cater to the lodging needs of international visitors to Dominica and boost patronage of 5-star hotels in the country. According to the Minister of Tourism, Denise Charles, the completion of the lounge and the standardization of the 5-star resorts in the country will meet the needs of the 200,000 visitors projected to visit Dominica in the coming years.
Charles said the government of Dominica through the Ministry of Tourism and Discover Dominica Authority (DDA), intends to cater to the needs of a new niche of tourists who require luxury services as part of their visit. She added that the government will provide each visitor with designated agents who will facilitate their documentation from the airport and immigration to the VIP lounge before they depart to their hotels.
“The whole idea is that you will have an agent to facilitate your process through immigration,” Charles said. “So when the visitor lands, you go straight from the aircraft, you enter the lounge, the agent will take your document bring it through the immigration process, while the visitors just sit and relax after their long flight, have a drink and just experience the Nature Isle.”
A section of the VIP lounge is dedicated to showcasing the natural plants that are indigenous to Dominica, and this is reserved to showcase the floral beauties of the country to international visitors immediately they set foot in the country. When they get to visit other parts of the country, they will be able to experience a natural way of life of Dominicans as well as their traditional cuisines and Kalinago heritage, the minister said.
Although the country currently records 80,000 visitors every year, Charles said the government is determined to attract at least 200,000 visitors annually with the current tourism products being implemented by relevant agencies. Dominica Air and Sea Port Authority (DASPA) CEO, Benoit Bardouille, said the rehabilitation of the airport VIP lounge and other 5-star resorts such as Kempinski, Jungle Bays, and Secret Bay among others will boost the tourism sector and establish Dominica as a foremost tourist attraction in the Caribbean.
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