Roseau, Dominica (February 21, 2007) – In a testament to its appeal to today’s more sophisticated travellers, Dominica today announces that the destination’s tourism arrivals* for 2006 have increased by nearly 6% over the previous year.
In total, Dominica welcomed 83,916 visitors to the island in 2006, an increase of 5.88% over the 79,257 visitors who arrived in 2005. Much of this increase came from a bump in arrivals from the US, accounting for 21,311 visitors or about 25% of overall visitors in 2006, which is an increase of 15.2% over 18,492 visitors in 2005. Tourism arrivals were also up from Canada and Europe as compared to the previous year, by 29% and 9.5%, respectively. In fact, tourism arrivals overall showed average growth in the double digits. Tourism arrivals continue to be their highest levels in October in conjunction with the World Creole Music Festival due to the overwhelming popularity and successful promotion of this event.
“We’re very pleased that more and more people continue to discover Dominica and all the attractions and scenic wonders our island has to offer,” said Yvor Nassief, Minister of Tourism for Dominica. “In 2006, we stepped up our e-marketing campaign and introduced a new logo and tagline to better represent our tourism product and target our core visitor, who research has shown seeks culture, eco-adventure opportunities and new experiences from their vacation destination. The fact that Dominica’s tourism arrivals were up by a greater percentage than world tourism arrivals, which were up 4.5% in 2006 according to the UN World Tourism Organization, clearly demonstrates that our efforts are succeeding.”
Known as “The Nature Island” and located between the French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique in the Eastern Caribbean, the independent nation of Dominica (pronounced “Dom-in-eek-a”) is the largest and most mountainous of the Windward Islands, encompassing an area of nearly 290 square miles. Of volcanic origins with mountains reaching heights of nearly 5000 feet, rainforests that are considered among the last true oceanic rainforests in the world, more than 365 rivers, waterfalls, boiling lakes and pristine coral reefs, Dominica’s natural diversity is truly unique. Dominica is also home to the last remaining settlement of the Indigenous Peoples of the Caribbean – the Carib Indians. A place where man and nature live in harmony, adventurers and nature lovers alike will revel in the island’s ecotourism options, which include scuba diving, snorkelling, mountain biking, kayaking, horseback riding, nature tours, hiking/trekking, sailing, fishing and whale-, dolphin- and birdwatching.
Dominica continues to be recognized for its attributes and sustainable tourism efforts, including being the first country in the world to receive Benchmarking designation from the prestigious ecotourism organization Green Globe 21 and ranking as the only Caribbean destination in the top five happiest countries on earth in the Happy Planet Index (compiled by Britain’s New Economics Foundation).
* Arrival statistics are representative of stay over (air) arrivals only and do not include cruise or yacht arrivals.
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