by Mervin Matthew
Dominica (GIS) — The Discover Dominica Authority and the Dominica Hotel and Tourism Association has officially launched its month of activities to observe Tourism Awareness Month.
Tourism Awareness Month 2011 will be recognized throughout the month of May. The aim is to increase awareness of the tourism and hospitality industry’s economic, cultural and social contributions to Dominica and will seek to achieve greater public, private sector and stakeholder sensitization.
The annual celebration is being held under the theme ‘Tourism is Everybody’s Business Play Your Part’.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Legal Affairs Claudia Bellot, believes this program will sensitize and educate the Dominican population about Dominica as a tourism product.
“The theme for this month’s observance serves to continue to send a very clear message to everyone and to every single Dominican that they must get involved to ensure that the tourism experience matches very closely or certainly exceeds the expectations of our visitors to Dominica,” she said.
Bellot added that, in the quest to enhance Dominica’s tourism product, the role of citizens, especially young people, must not be overlooked.
“The Nature Island image of Dominica which is promoted to the world must be seen and experienced by our visitors not only in our reach and lush vegetation, our flora and fauna, our beautiful landscapes and our diverse marine life but also and more importantly, we think, in our environmentally friendly products, in our well kept clean and beautified public spaces and roadsides, in our home gardens and surroundings and in the manner in which every single person in Dominica manages and takes personal responsibility of responsible garbage disposal. The month of activities should and must engender in our citizens a greater consciousness of the real meaning of the Nature Island image,” she said.
Many activities are planned throughout the month, including a photo competition.
Tourism recognition awards will also form part of tourism awareness month, which will recognise stakeholders across the industry who have demonstrated commitment to the development of their sub-sector and tourism as a whole.
