Social(ist) Tourism ProgramDominica just opened its doors and welcomed the very first group of tourists from Venezuela as part of the Social Tourism Program. The program is part of a Venezuelan initiative to help those that are less fortunate to get the chance to travel abroad and use the exchange of people to bring countries closer together. This week the first group of such travelers arrived in Dominica, a new destination on the program. Some estimates put that as many as 9,000 Venezuelans have traveled as a part of the program started by Hugo Chavez.
The first group of thirty-three to Dominica greeted Prime Minister Skerrit at the Financial Center and he even posed for a picture with the group. I like this idea of cultural exchanges but am weary of anything that is created by Chavez. I really hope that many hotels/resorts will benefit from this exchange and not just a select few. Proper eco-tourism spreads the wealth around and all hoteliers should have an opportunity (if they have the capacity) to host these groups as so the wealth of the program is spread abroad creating work and stable incomes across all sectors, not those "in" with the government. Maybe more exchanges like this are needed around the world, us to Muslims and Muslims to us. Would be cheaper than guns and bullets and a great deal more fun and educational. But then again, what else would we need to spend $1Billion on?
World Cup Soccer UpdateDominica was bounced from the World Cup qualifier in Barbados. I was not able to watch this particular match, but many accounts of the competition state that Dominica was more focused on defense rather than putting up an offensive attack. Its a shame, as I would have liked to have seen Dominica play the U.S. in the next upcoming match, so when someone would ask...Where is Dominica? I could give a long winded answer on my favorite island.
Cheers!
