To The President and the Board Board of Directors of the Dominica Hotel and Tourism Association

My congratulations to you for a well-crafted response to the Discover Dominica Authority.

Dominica’s Tourism Service Providers are facing serious economic challenges, closing SIN properties will create severe hardships for people who are already struggling to stay afloat.
The most appropriate action to be taken is through consultation to develop a strategy to solve or rectify the issues identified.
As was aptly pointed out in your response, there is no proven COVID 19 negative impact resulting from any violations which were committed, to close or suspend properties that may not have committed any violation would be grossly unfair, that would be like lending an umbrella to someone when the sun appears on the horizon and taking is back when there are signs of rain.

I sincerely believe that the Safe In Nature program was genuinely conceived for providing economic relief to the accommodations which were deleteriously affected by the COVID 19 Pandemic and to ensure that visitors and returning Dominicans could find a wide range of properties to suit their budget while they are in quarantine.
Now that issues have been identified, through the process of dialogue and consultation, find solutions to solve those issues, there are challenges and issues with everything in the contingent world.

We do not abandon a road because it is full of potholes, we fix the potholes.
Let us be very cognizant of this reality, Tourism Service Providers in Dominica are presently hanging on by a very slender thread, we need to be the wax that binds and strengthens the threat, not the strong wind that breaks it.

If there are properties with a proven history of violating the protocols, take the necessary disciplinary action to discipline them, but there is no justice in closing or suspending those which are genuinely doing what they were asked to do.

Ken George Dill DHTA Member