Government introduces POS devices to strengthen tourism, offering card payments for tourists and helping local vendors increase sales and improve convenience.
Dominica: The Government of Dominica has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the tourism services sector in the country as it introduces a major digital payment initiative, which provides the tourism operators with Point-of-Sale (POS) devices to modernise the local economy and maximise sales potential.
The Government has partnered with the Caribbean Digital Transformation Project and the National Bank of Dominica to implement this initiative and so far, the results have been seen making a difference to the small business and vendors in the tourism sector.
The POS machines have made it possible for visitors to pay with their cards rather than just cash, which has occasionally caused the vendors to lose clients who were afraid to carry cash while exploring the island.
The Coordinator of the Digital Economy, Robert Tonge, spoke about the point-of-sale machines, explaining all the benefits it will bring to Dominica’s tourism sector, such as enhancing the overall visitor experience and boosting tourism earnings.
In an interview with the media, Robert Tonge spoke of the hindrances caused by relying on cash as the only payment method. He noted that many tourists, especially cruise passengers, expect to just tap and pay instead of having to find a bank to withdraw money everywhere they go.
Noting all this, Tonge stated, “The intention is to break down the barriers, but more importantly to ensure that you can increase your sales. No one wants to lose a sale.”
Vendors and business owners who now use the POS machines have reported that it has greatly increased their sales and helped tourists by saving them time and making things more convenient for them.
“Well, it's very helpful. Most of the time the people would come, and they will not have cash. But they would say, ‘Do you have credit card machine?’ We said yes! And I find it very helpful. It helps your business and it helps put money into your business,” said one of the business owners.