Travel guide for Dominica

Dominica is located in the northeast of the Windward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean Sea. It faces the Atlantic Ocean in the east, the Caribbean Sea in the west, Martinique Island in the south across the Martinique Strait, and Guadeloupe across the Dominica Strait in the north. The island is mountainous, with an average annual temperature of 25 to 32℃, and has a tropical marine climate. It is an island country with a land area of only 751 square kilometers. They are mainly black and mulatto people, and the indigenous people are Arawaks and Caribbean people from South American Indian tribes. The official language of Domimick is English. Since Dominica was under French rule, Padou, a dialect mixed with English and French, is called a common language, and is especially used by the middle and lower classes. Most of the places are derived from English, French and Caribbean.

Dominica has blue sea and blue skies, undulating mountains and beautiful scenery. The island is lush all year round, with beautiful flowers, grasses, and tropical plants. The beautiful tropical rainforest, the refreshing coral viewing area, the world-famous boiling lake and the only active volcano site in the world, the hot and fog-curling volcanic eruption sites, the sulfur springs that make people linger, and the natural oxygen bar given by nature make Dominica one of the Caribbean tourist attractions.

Visa Instructions for Dominica According to the agreement between China and Dominica on mutual exemption of visas for persons holding diplomatic and official passports, Chinese citizens holding diplomatic and official passports can enter Dominica visa-free for a stay of no more than 30 days.

Those holding a valid passport, return air ticket, hotel reservation form or materials proving that they have the financial ability to pay for travel for tourism purposes can enter the country visa-free for a stay of no more than 21 days.

As the relevant visa regulations of various countries are changing dynamically, please be sure to log on to the website of the embassy or consulate of the destination country in China to obtain the latest information before traveling.

Dominica Customs Epidemic Prevention Dominica Customs implements internationally accepted practices, and inbound passengers are released after inspection. Visitors are prohibited from carrying weapons, religious propaganda materials, drugs and other prohibited items, meat products, fruits and agricultural products. Those carrying more than 10000 Eastern Canadian dollars (approximately 3704 US dollars) in cash need to declare. There are also strict restrictions on the number of cigarettes and alcohol that can be brought into the country (no more than 200 cigarettes and no more than 2 liters of alcohol).

Social security in Dominica 1. Affected by the international financial crisis, the domestic unemployment rate in Dominica has increased and the incidence of vicious cases has increased. However, overall, the political situation in Dominica is stable and belongs to a country with relatively low crime rates in the Caribbean. Common criminal cases include theft, robbery, and smuggling of drugs and small arms.

2. When China citizens travel to many places, they should try their best to avoid carrying too much cash and at the same time take good care of their own money and valuables. Minimize unnecessary outings at night.

Natural disasters in Dominica There are many tropical storms in Dominica, with occasional hurricanes; there are many volcanic craters, some of which are still active; minor earthquakes occur from time to time; the rainy season from June to December, and landslides occur frequently.

When China citizens visit many countries, they must pay close attention to the weather conditions and choose reasonable travel dates and routes. In the rainy season, special precautions should be taken against dangers such as landslides. When participating in outdoor projects such as hiking and rafting, you should pay attention to self-protection and it is best to hire local people as guides. Carry basic field equipment when traveling. There is no mobile phone signal in the mountainous areas of the central region, so you should carry a satellite phone if necessary to prevent accidents.

Dominica Food Hygiene Most people in Dominica follow Western living habits, have good food hygiene, and large-scale food poisoning incidents rarely occur.

Land transportation Most of the island of Dominica are mountain roads, with steep slopes, narrow roads, many turns, poor road conditions, few road signs, and many traffic accidents. Drive right and left in a busy vehicle. There are a small number of taxis in the local area, and the rent is usually charged by the day, plus insurance premiums, and the fuel costs are borne by yourself. Foreign drivers can apply for temporary driving licenses at the local transportation department with their national or international driving licenses.

The price of property in Dominica is the local currency, and the Eastern Canadian dollar is freely convertible with the US dollar, euro, etc. 1 US dollar can be exchanged for 2.67 Eastern Canadian dollars (fixed exchange rate). Starting from March 1, 2006, many governments have imposed a 15% value-added tax on goods and services.

Many banks and financial industries are relatively developed, and large supermarkets accept credit card and check payments. Generally small shops only accept cash.

Dominica Insurance Medical Dominica has a low level of medical care, with only two hospitals in Rosseau, the capital, and Portsmouth, the second largest city. Hospital equipment and medical staff are short, service items are limited, and medicines are imported from the United States, France and other countries.

Medicines provided by public hospitals are usually free of charge, and medicines not available in hospitals must be purchased at pharmacies yourself; medical treatment in private clinics must be paid at your own expense. Local herbs are also used by the people. There are few foreigners in many places, and they enjoy the same treatment as their own people when seeing a doctor, and there are no strict medical insurance requirements.

At the request of the Dominica government, the China government dispatched several medical experts to Dominica to work at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Dominica to assist the local medical and health work.

There are many mosquitoes in Dominica during the rainy season. In 2013, there was a small-scale outbreak of dengue fever. Tourists can bring their own anti-mosquito drugs such as cooling oil and essential oils.

Dominica has relatively developed communication power and multi-Internet. High-speed Internet access is available in local hotels such as Fort Young and Garraway, and wireless Internet coverage is available in the lobby and restaurant.

There are two mobile phone service providers, Digicel and Lime, and there are two types of monthly subcontracting and recharge. Calls within CARICOM are free of long-distance and roaming charges. China mobile phone users who have opened international roaming services can also use them locally.

Most of them use imperial power sockets (three-pin flat type), and the standard voltage is 220V. Tourists are advised to bring their own conversion plugs. Due to power shortages, power outages often occur, and hotels generally have generators.

Customs and Taboos in Dominica 1. About 77% of the residents of Dominica believe in Roman Catholic Church, 15% believe in Christianity, and the rest believe in other religions or have no religious beliefs.

2. The variety of food is limited. Fruits and a small amount of fish, pigs, sheep, cattle, chickens, etc. are produced locally, and most of the rest are imported. The diet is mainly Creole cuisine, and locals also like to eat Chinese and other Western foods.

3. The main festivals include New Year, Carnival, Good Friday, Easter, Labor Day, Independence Day, Community Service Day, Africa Liberation Day, Christmas, Fishermen's Day, Reunion Day, Heritage Day, Creole Day, etc.

4. Special reminder: According to many laws, the hunting period is from October to December every year. Hunters obtain hunting permits through application and hunt within the allowed range. Exceeding the prescribed time limit, scope and hunting methods (such as electric fish, poisonous fish, etc.) are considered illegal.

Dominica's arrival strategy has no direct routes between China and Dominica. The non-direct routes mainly include Beijing-New York-Barbados (or Puerto Rico)-Dominica; Beijing-Paris (or Amsterdam)-Saint Martin (or Amba)-Dominica.

Dominica has two airports, Douglas-Charles and Canefield.

To Douglas Charles Airport, the capital, Rosseau, requires driving on mountain roads, which takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.