Dominica
Location: Dominica is situated at the northern end of the Lesser Antilles, lying between Guadeloupe and Martinique.
Getting there: no direct flights, but regular connections with British Airways, BWIA, JMC Airlines and Virgin Atlantic from other Caribbean islands such as St Lucia and Antigua.
Climate: between 75F-85F.
Currency: Eastern Caribbean dollar but US dollars are accepted.
Language: Official language is English but creole and French patois are spoken.
Main attractions: soft-adventure attractions such as whale watching, bird watching, hiking, mountain biking and scuba diving. Sightseeing includes the Boiling Lake and Morne Trois Pitons National Park.
Main hotels: Fort Young Hotel, Castaways Hotel, Anchorage Hotel and Dive Centre, Picard Cottage Resort.
UK tourist office: Morris Kevan International, 66 Abbey Road, Bush Hill Park, Enfield, Middlesex. Tel: 020-8350 1000, fax: 020-8350 1011. E-mail: mki@ttg.co.uk.
The relatively undeveloped island of Dominica, the least well known of the Windward islands, has opened its first ever UK tourist office.
Determined to win its share of the growing UK soft-adventure market, the trade can expect to hear much about this lush green island over the next few months from representation company Morris Kevan International, which is acting as its tourist office in the UK and Europe.
The Dominica Tourism Information Office has already started its promotion of the island by targeting niche-market operators that specialise in activity holidays such as rainforest tours, diving, bird watching and hiking.
The first operator study tour to the island takes place at the end of January and travel agents’ fam trips and incentives are in the pipeline for later in the year.
Dominica’s director of tourism, Stanton Carter said: “As tourism grows to the Caribbean generally, we need to take a more visible role in the marketplace.
“The appointment of MKI is an important step in putting us on the UK tourism map. Last year just 1,000 British holidaymakers visited Dominica, we want to increase that to 3,000-4,000 in the next five years.”
Dominica has traditionally had a tough time selling itself in the UK, with none of the Caribbean’s familiar white-sand beaches, although it does boast one of the region’s most spectacular environments both on and under the water.
Two years ago, upmarket specialist Harlequin Worldwide dropped the island from its main Connoisseurs Collection brochure because of lack of promotion in the UK.
But it is specialist operators such as Harlequin that MKI is now targeting and hoping to get back on board.
“The first thing we have to do is raise Dominica’s profile, though we are also talking to niche operators about what we can do together,” said an MKI spokesman.
Last year Dominica received a boost when Virgin Holidays included it in its 2000 programme.
Although there are no direct flights from the UK, the island is a short hop from St Lucia, where Virgin Atlantic offers a scheduled nonstop service.
Thomas Cook is also looking at reintroducing Dominica this year, after dropping it as an add-on option to Barbados two years ago, according to product manager for the Caribbean, Mac Campbell.
However, tourist accommodation on Dominica is very limited. There are a number of small hotels, as well as guesthouses and apartments, totalling around 1,350 rooms.
The only luxury hotel is Fort Young, close to the capital, Roseau. A recent $5m expansion and renovation programme has secured its place in specialist operator’s programmes.
The island would like to attract one major flagship hotel, said Carter, but he conceded that a better level of air access is needed first.
“We would love Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons to invest in Dominica and we are talking to them and other hotel groups, but until we secure a direct flight I think that is unlikely,” he said.
There are plans, however, to upgrade and expand the island’s international airport to allow long-haul 767 aircraft to land. Some $10m has already been raised to help finance the project, which will begin early this year and take up to two years to complete.
Dominica
Operators featuring Dominica in 2000: Caribbean Connection; Caribbean Escapes; Complete Caribbean; Harlequin Worldwide; Hayes and Jarvis; Last Frontiers; The Imaginative Traveller; Trips Worldwide; Tropical Locations; and Virgin Holidays.
Caribbean Escapes: from £467 per person for a five-night package or £602 for a seven-night package for room-only at the Fort Young Hotel. Prices include inter-island flights from either St Lucia or Antigua and a choice of island tours. A complimentary snorkelling excursion is offered for stays of seven nights or more.
Caribbean Connection: a three-night adventure package based at the Fort Young Hotel, available as an add-on from Barbados, St Lucia or Antigua costs from £250, excluding flights. The package includes daily hikes to attractions such as the Emerald Pool, the hot mineral springs at Trafalgar Falls and the Ti-Tou Gorge.
Trips Worldwide: from £1,960 per person for a 14-night soft adventure itinerary, staying seven nights’ half-board at the Papillote Wilderness Retreat and Nature Sanctuary and seven nights’ half-board at the Fort Young Hotel in Roseau. Prices include return flights via Antigua and the services of an experienced guide.
Virgin Holidays: from £799 per person for seven nights at the Fort Young Hotel, including all flights via St Lucia.