Dear valued members,
Since we have opened the borders in August, we have been able to do quite a lot with the safe in Nature program.
To date, there are 62 accommodations that have received Covid certification, and according to protocols, can receive guests from countries classified as medium – low risk, and countries within our tourism bubble. Out of these more than half have a “Safe in Nature: Managed Experience” certification which allows them to receive guests form high risk classifications. It’s important to note that based on the protocols, only Safe in Nature certified accommodations can receive guests coming from high-risk countries and all properties must have a Covid-19 certification before they can apply for the Managed Experience. In addition to accommodations, there are a number of tour and diver operators, taxi drivers and tour guides that make up the managed experience. Ensuring that all service providers along a managed experience are properly trained and certified is key to the program’s integrity.
The number of visitors coming in remains encouraging. While we wait for travel to pick up speed, the time has been used gaining experience, learning from mistakes and refining the program processes; where the information should go and how best to monitor. I mentioned The DHTA Booking line for Certified Accommodations as a tool for visitors to ensure that they book only certified properties for their stay. This tool, bit.ly/CvdCrtAcc, along with our channel manager, FreeToBook, has been an invaluable tool to the membership and businesses who have come on. In a recent survey of certified properties, 35 respondents mark that 70% of visitors were more than satisfied with their managed experience. Of course, there are still challenges that need to be address but more procedures, processes and man power are being pumped into these areas and we expect a smoother process as the world opens more to travel.
To ensure that all these parts work, a private and public sector collaboration called the Monitoring Committee was formed. The committee consists of private sector representatives the Hotel and Tourism Association and the Chamber of Commerce, the Ministry of Tourism, The Tourism Authority (DDA) and The Environmental Health Department. Together we execute our mandate to; oversee Covid-19 and Safe in Nature applications, perform assessments and spot checks and find solutions for new problems happening on the ground.
Here are a few numbers related to the Managed experience:
- Covid-19 certified accommodations – 62
- Covid-19 Certified Tour Guides - 85
- Safe in Nature Certified Accommodations – 36
- Safe in Nature Certified Dive operators – 4
- Safe in Nature Certified Tour Operators – 3
Resources:
- Entry Protocols: https://cdn.discoverdominica.com/production/20201119110042-travelprotocols-portrait-rv8-nov8.pdf
- Safe in Nature Guidelines: https://cdn.discoverdominica.com/production/20201009155143-safe-in-nature-managed-experience-oct-8-update.pdf
- Booking line info: bit.ly/CvdCrtAcc, +1 767 615-0551