Tourists are suffering!

Open letter to:

Hon. Denise Charles
Minister of Tourism
Commonwealth of Dominica, W.I

Dear Hon. Minister Charles,

Rebuild the Delices and Petite Savanne crossing  to Boost Tourism in the South East and Dominica

Nine years ago, our communities of Delices and Petite Savanne lost a vital connection due to TS Erika - the Ma Molina bridge. This loss has not only disrupted our daily lives but also severely impacted tourism, a key source of income for many locals.

Our Parliamentary Representative, Hon. Dr. Cassandra Williams, had previously presented a comprehensive document titled “Proposal for tourism development in the South-East”. However, without the bridge's reconstruction, this proposal remains largely unimplemented. The lack of a proper crossing at Ma Molina is directly hampering tourism growth in our region.

South East communities continue to miss out on opportunities to generate an income and tourists continue to be disappointed as the communities are not accessible to them.  Please allow me to bring to your attention a few salient points:-

1. Every year approximately 500 groups of tourists in rental vehicles failed to access the South East as they planned. Source:  Mr Antoine, a shopkeeper in Petite Savanne. 
2. The GPS system is still showing that you can drive to Soufriere from Delices and to Delices from Petite Savanne.  Please see the attached video.
3. There is a sign at Loubriere junction indicating that one can drive to Delices via Petite Savanne.
4. Did you know that a female tourist car got stuck one late afternoon at the crossing at Delices end, and had to sleep in her car until sunrise to go get help? Source: Ray Netty and Jason from Delices.
5. Did you know that November 6th, 2022 when the communities from Grand Fond to Delices were completely cut off from the rest of the island (for almost a week, no power, tel, wifi, etc),  a tourist sleep apnea machine was trapped at her hotel while she remained stranded on the other side because there was no alternative route. That night she had to sleep in an uncomfortable upright position in fear of dying.
6. Another tourist in the trapped area had a diabetic episode and by God’s grace Laplaine was able to help her. What could have panned out if she needed to be rushed to Roseau?  
7. Did you know that tourists attempting to do the  around  island trip are not only very disappointed and frustrated that they can't do it but are also being unnecessarily financially depleted and traumatized?
8. What happens when these disappointed tourists go and spread the word on Social Media that Dominica is disconnected and as such costly to tour and cannot enjoy the island as they dreamed?
9. Did you know that there is a hotel called Ohlala, a rest break for refreshments with overnight stays option,  which cannot be open due to it being in Pointe Mulatre, an unmaintained dead end, therefore depriving many families of an economic livelihood?
10. Did you know the few hotels that open their doors get only shorter stays and a significant reduction in their restaurant patronage?
11. Did you know that our two (2) main car rental companies are now operating from Roseau?  This presents a painful and frustrating situation with the unreliable commuter buses only serving the villages once per day with no service Sundays, to and from the capital?
12. Did you know that because of a lack of a bridge to connect SE to SW many tourist sites including Victoria Falls, Sari Sari Falls, Glasse, Wavine Cyrique Falls and Grand Fond to Fresh water lake trail are not being maintained and are therefore unsafe?

While cruise tourism benefits select businesses near town and few bus drivers, overnight stays which average one week could benefit ALL of Dominica via hotels, B&B, restaurants, car rental, etc if facilitated by proper infrastructure. 

The simple solution for these disgruntled and unhappy tourists is the installation of a bridge which is stopping them experiencing Dominica properly. And especially with the advent of Erika, Maria and the pandemic, Dominica is in dire need of the tourist dollar and therefore the installation of the bridge has to be done  as a matter of urgency.

We are grateful indeed, that our Prime Minister and other dignitaries from the Ministry of Public Works met with us to discuss its installation. In January 2023, we were promised an available bridge in Canefield with funds allocated from the July 2023 budget.   Our PM  is fully aware of the Socio-economic impact, however I don’t believe he is fully aware how this is directly affecting tourism. As here we are over a year later with no progress made.

Allow me to take this opportunity for you to join us at the Peace, Unity and Love (PUL) gathering carded for Sunday March 24th, at 2PM. Please come and open a dialog with us and most importantly see for yourself how intact and beautiful the Delices and Petite Savanne Road is in spite of all the recent storms.

We look forward to hearing from you expediently on reconnecting our Dominica and wish you continued success in your drive to make Dominica attractive to both tourists and investors. 

Respectfully,

Debra Charles-Mark

Executive Member

South East Reconnection Delegation