ROSEAU, Dominica – (July 16, 2023) – On Monday July 8th and Tuesday July 9th the Dominica Hotel and Tourism Association hosted stakeholder consultations with players in the tourism and agriculture sectors on Island. The DHTA, in collaboration with Agro Tourism stakeholders hosted consultants and developers of GURU’s integrated Agriculture Management Platform and Farm Operating system. Guru is focused on revolutionizing agriculture. Its goal is to increase the sustainability of farm operations, while minimizing their environmental impact and building resilience against climate change. The app takes a holistic view of the challenges facing farmers to deliver solutions that make their operations more productive, more efficient and increases traceability of their business parameters.
“To put it simply, the platform is a simple, intuitive user interface that automates seller and buyer activities, tracks supply and demand of produce, helps develop better farming practices in data collection and storage and produce records necessary for business success.”, remarked Kevin A. Francis, DHTA’s Executive vice president. “We have articulated this initiative in our last AGM and in the beginning of this year so naturally we are excited to see this activated. Now, almost 2 years after the passage of Hurricane Maria, the DHTA is happy to work along with Mr. Jade Hutchinson and his GURU team to help strengthen these linkages and help grow our economy and increase food security.
Mrs. Marvlyn Alexander – James, President of the DHTA remarked that the timeliness of this initiative and the potential impact on both the tourism and agricultural industries is tremendous. James stated that in order to create and maintain sustainable and beneficial linkages between tourism and agriculture all factors need to be taken into account to include matching demand with supply, quality requirements and support structures which this platform is set out to do.
She further stated that she envisions this initiative will assist in getting agriculture fully integrated into the value chain of tourism with farmers taking advantage of the many opportunities that exists within the sector and that the platform will a more efficient way for hotels and restaurants to connect and purchase produce that meets the requirements and expectations of guests and visitors.
Mr. Hutchinson, Guru’s Technical Lead on believes, “This partnership is one key step in creating a more food secure Dominica by forming a live market space that connects producers to consumers and helping them to reach optimal levels of production that meet the demand.”
The DHTA saw several stakeholders in the course of the 2-day consultation ranging from individual farmers and members to the ministry of Agriculture and fisheries and the Ministry of Tourism, with its main objective being to understand each sectors’ requirements and create a seamless link between them, for the benefit of all. Member partners such as Lacoste Vehicle Rentals also played an important part in facilitating consultations around the island destination. The DHTA extends gratitude to all partners and members for their support and participation in this consultation.
About DHTA
Operating as a membership-based tourism development organization for over four decades, theDominica Hotel and Tourism Association is a focal point for the tourism industry in Dominica.The DHTA assumes a leadership role in the industry, and acts as a catalyst for enabling Dominica’s tourism economy to reach its full potential to the benefit of our current and future members, visitors, investors and travel partners, citizens and the Commonwealth of Dominica.