Dominica welcomes first cruise post hurricane Maria
Dominica welcomed the MV Mein Schiff 3 of TUI Cruises earlier, which brought in well over 2,000 passengers to the destination’s shores.
This was the first major cruise call to Dominica and the first call to the Roseau Cruise Ship Berth post hurricane Maria.
Dominica’s ability to welcome visitors to the island after the level of devastation experienced just over four months ago has been described as an “incredible achievement” and has instilled much hope among its citizens and stakeholders within the tourism sector.
To date, the government of Dominica, through the ministry of tourism and urban renewal, has invested over $3 million on restoration of access, rehabilitation and upgrading of sites, and clean-up of debris post Hurricane Maria.
Passengers of Mein Schiff 3 engaged in many of the island’s shore excursions which included tours to the famous Emerald Pool, Trafalgar Twin Falls, Bois Cotlette Estate,
Titou Gorge, whale watching tours and the island’s unique therapeutic black sand Mero Beach.
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The passengers also expressed feelings of satisfaction in having contributed towards the economic and rebuilding efforts of destination Dominica.
The call of Mein Schiff 3 created an opportunity to contribute to the economy as vendors, taxi drivers, tour operators, tour guides and many other tourism stakeholders were impacted by Hurricane Maria.
This call of Mein Schiff 3, resulted from a familiarisation visit by executives of TUI Cruises to the island in December 2017 to assess the destination’s readiness for cruise activity.
The MV Mein Schiff 3 is expected to make five additional calls to the island during the 2018 cruise season.