230 cruise calls projected for Dominica in 2024/25 season: Tourism Minister

Roseau, Dominica: A total of 230 calls from different cruise ships is likely to be projected for Dominica for 2024/25 season. This information has been shared by the Minister of Tourism, Denise Charles Pemberton during the budget presentation of 2024-25.

As per the reports shared by the tourism minister, the island nation is likely to witness a huge boost in the tourism sector of the country by welcoming around 356,311 cruise passengers in the season. She also added that the island nation has witnessed a surge of 11% in the cruise arrivals in 2023-24 in comparison to the last year.

The tourism minister further asserted that such increase in the arrivals have also surpassed the 2019/20 year, which is considered as the best tourism year for Dominica before COVID-19 Pandemic. According to the information, the 2023-24 season has welcomed 62% more cruise arrivals in contrast to 2019-20.

While sharing these figures, Minister Charles expressed excitement and stated that the Tourism Ministry of Dominica is continuing to make efforts in order to elevate the island nation towards greater heights. Along with that, it was mentioned in the Dominica Budget 2024-25 presentation that the island nation has several major transformative projects in the pipeline that are at various stages of development that will help improve the tourism product of the island nation.

These projects will also play a significant role in increasing the arrivals of the visitors and which will directly create several employment opportunities for the local citizens, enhancing their business. The projects include the construction of a marine, a new cargo port and a modern cruise village.

During the budget presentation, the Minister of Finance of Dominica talked about the preparatory works for the development of a new cruise village at the Woodbridge Bay Port. This village will play a huge role in catering cruise ships, ferry services and duty-free shopping.

While shedding light on the duty-free shopping, the finance minister noted that it will be another source of way to draw foreign exchange and investment to the country, which will promote a business-friendly environment for both large and small retailers. He also added that the cruise village will create an avenue for the local entrepreneurs to access a wider and diverse international challenge to sell their quality products.

The tourism authority also added that cruise village will witness an influx of tourists and locals who are seeking tax-free bargains, further resulting in higher sales volume and an overall boost for the economy. This Village will also create several job opportunities for business during its construction and operation.

Notably, these surges showcase the development in the tourism industry of Dominica and also shed light on the brighter future for the industry with the development of this cruise village. Once the construction is undertaken, then it will result in a surge of visitors, boosting trade and economic activity and creating more sustainable jobs for the citizens of the island nation.