New ferry service to and from Dominica announced

The year long ferry service will operate between Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique and St Lucia starting in October.

L’Express Des Iles has announced that a new, year round ferry service will begin on October 20, 2011 offering travel to Dominica, St. Lucia, Guadeloupe and Martinique.

The announcement was warmly received in Dominica where tourism officials are working hard to increase the means of transportation between Dominica and neighboring countries. The service will be operated by Jeans Ferry Service and will also offer weekend charters to Montserrat, Antigua, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Martin and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

President of the Dominica Hotel and Tourism Association Simon Walsh said the new service will make it easier for visitors to access the US and other countries beyond the Caribbean.

Walsh said lack of accessibility has so far kept people out of the large French market.

“With this new ferry system, let us hope that we are making a step in the right direction and with 137 passengers coming in three times a week, it does open up the French market,” he said.

Currently, L’Express Des Iles operates a ferry service between Dominica, St Lucia, Martinique and Guadeloupe at least three times a week.

In making the announcement of the new service, Managing Director of L’Express Des Iles Roland Bellemare says there’s been a significant increase in travel over the years.

Bellemare noted that in 2010 traffic to Dominica was ranked in the first position. Of the 184 000 passengers carried, more than 63 000 were into and out of Roseau placing it ahead of Guadeloupe, Martinique and St Lucia for the first time since operations started in the early 1990s.

According to Bellemare, “we used to have in the following order: Guadeloupe-Martinique market being the first one, then the St. Lucia one and Dominica the last one. In the year 2010, for the first time, Dominica ranked first.”

Bellemare also expressed the hope that with airlines like Jet Blue and US Airways operating out of St Lucia it would make it easier for travelers out of Dominica to make connecting flights into the United States and beyond.