howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
#1
Very busy in town today with a large number of visitors seeing the sights many armed with information given by Dover greeters.
Guest 697- Registered: 13 Apr 2010
- Posts: 622
#2
Good to hear, Howard. Always a sign that Spring and Summer is on the way when the first cruise ship arrives!
Another busy year for port and town with Disney Cruise Line making a return to Dover this year, and the Celebrity Silhouette becoming the largest cruise ship to visit at 122,000 GT
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
#3
Always good to see visitors to the town, their normal first stop is Market Square where they take photos of the castle with the fountain in the foreground. Unfortunately too early in the year for the fountain to be operative. The Castle has now reopened after their winter shutdown but the Painted House doesn't until April. The Town Hall was open to visitors and I saw quite a few go in.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
#4
Some interesting points from Pat Sherratt all of them correct.
http://www.kentonline.co.uk/dover/news/we-must-do-more--33676/Guest 697- Registered: 13 Apr 2010
- Posts: 622
#5
Never did understand English Heritage's decision to close the Castle during the winter months. Let's hope we see some changes under the new organisation! Dover Castle is second only to Stonehenge as their most visited attraction so the market is definitely there.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
#6
They open it for school parties which is lucrative to them as you probably know Kevin. Maybe the Information centre/museum could open an hour earlier and close an hour earlier during the cruise ship season? I like the idea of "Welcome to walkers" as we have spectacular scenery close by and overlooking the town. Don't see that many walking groups around here and many would have a stopover to boost the town's economy.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
#7
There is a miriad of things that could be done, some are already being done, but to my mind not well enough. For example, The Cruise Welcome group at the cruise terminal(s) have information about what we have here, but because (at the last I visited there) there was only one person on the desk to advise and inform the cruise passengers, many were getting fed-up with waiting and wandered off for the bus that Dave Atkins operates.
I have said many times in the past and still believe it is true, that Dover needs a Business Support Manager or similar, not only to support the businesses here, but to co-ordinate the many things that need co-ordinating and promote the Town.
Dover needs to move away from being a "to-it-and-through-it" Town, to being a destination, where people come to stay for a while - whether on a short-break or longer; we have more than enough for them to do and see here.
I could go on, but most people know my views on this and no one is going to take any notice anyway.
Roger
