Above: the Champs hotel in Dominica (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Dominica is looking to reach 90,000 annual stayover visitors by 2015, and enhancing the island’s small hotel industry will go a long way toward achieving that.

Accordingly, Dominica’s AID Bank announced that it would be working on a new programme to help small hotels with their marketing efforts.

Last week, the bank began a five-day workshop aiming to “equip small hoteliers with marketing skills that will enable them to improve productivity by enhancing the quality of the service they provide and by increasing their visibility in the market.”

The project is being undertaken in coordination with the Caribbean Technology Consultancy Services, the technical arm of the Caribbean Development Bank.

Dominica is home to dozens of small and boutique hotel properties, from smaller guest houses to more well-known properties like the Secret Bay hotel near Portsmouth.

“Tourism is a major economic sector for growth in Dominica, Tourism is big.  Last time I checked the GDP for tourism was very high so it is big,” said Julius Corbett, general manager of the AID Bank. “We are also aware that there are challenges for low occupancy in the business therefore, this workshop is very timely and designed to enhance the marketing skills of managers and staff.”