howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
there are still la scala, the allottment and the restaurant at the dover marina hotel, plus many indian and chinese style eateries.
it has been said before that dover has more restaurants than fit the demographics.
Guest 711- Registered: 1 Mar 2011
- Posts: 194
Agree with Bern.
Why should we not aspire to Dover moving a bit upmarket!
I'm very glad a "name" has taken over the catering at the sea sports centre. The Eastwell Manor name is well known and should bring people into Dover from outside to try another one of their restaurants. They will then see our lovely seafront and promenade and hopefully spread the word.
Their sandwich prices (served between 12pm and 6 pm) seemed very reasonable. I think it would be a lovely place for a glass of chilled wine and a sandwich after work, or indeed at any time!
Guest 683- Registered: 11 Feb 2009
- Posts: 1,052
Low aspirations affect many communities, and always negatively. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation carried out a study on the impact and found it to be self perpetuating affecting both educational attainment and physical and mental health.
In 'The Guardian' today a 2 page spread on the Kent coast as a desirable place to visit highlights, Folkestone, Deal, Ramsgate, Margate and Broadstairs as places to visit but not Dover which it describes as depressed.
That's the message going to the wider world!
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i saw that article mark, decided not to do a link for obvious reasons.
i couldn't believe how much could be written about the towns mentioned above and just one line about dover.
they seemed to miss out sandwich for some reason.
And what do we do? Talk it down. Moan. Complain. Sign the damned petition, make yourself a pain in the butt, let us not put up eith it for a second longer!!!
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,888
Howard, Sandwich is not a seaside resort like the others, neither are we if it comes to that. We are known as a port town the same as Portsmouth or Harwich which is an image that is very hard if not impossible to alter, which is a shame.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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No such thing as impossible! Besides, a port town reputation can co-exist with a historic town reputation, no problem! And with such a rich heritage of ghosts and daring deeds (Edinburgh springs to mind) we could always fly off into a new tangent!
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,888
I agree Bern to a certain extent but Edinburgh can not really be compared to Dover because it is not known as a port town, besides it must be a lot larger than Dover.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
the only thing in common with both towns is they are or where garrison towns,dover is now not one but edingburgh still is.
Guest 683- Registered: 11 Feb 2009
- Posts: 1,052
Jan
surely Ramsgate and Folkestone were both known as port towns but they are turning things around with less 'raw material' than I would say that Dover has in terms of heritage etc to draw tourists in.
I know, but I love Edinburgh and it does have much in common with Dover is a sideways left field sort of way. I think we should aim high, acknowledge the wealth of opportunity and "stuff" we have here.
Ross Miller
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,706
Oh dear lets bang the same drum again
If Dover residents, particularly on places like this that are widely read and used as a source of news by the locals, started talking the town up rather than down, shouted about the good things happening rather than the bad - then maybe, just maybe the nationals would pick up on it and repeat it.
As an aside this is exactly the sort of thing the tourist office should be doing ...
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
ross,at the moment dover has nothing to talk up about,untill it does you will get negative posts on here.
the trouble is the ditz stummberling block and the unkempt look dover is suffering.untill somthing is done to inprove the looks of the town then and only then can we start talking up the town.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
Sorry Brian, that's nonsense.
We have said so often on here about our history, heritage and heritage sites, the cliff-top and country walks etc. and now our seafront is truly one to be proud of (apart from perhaps, the toilets at both ends.
We have had a good number of shops opening too in recent months, so there must be more confidence about the future of Dover; what we need - urgently, is someone to help move Dover Town foward, making Dover a cleaner, smarter, more welcoming Town, somewhere where local people are happy to come in to, to shop, have a coffee (or whatever) and/or a meal in one of our pubs, restaurants and cafe, as well as bring in people from outlying areas and other Towns.
Dover has had some higher visitor numbers this year, but it is still mainly a to-it-and-through-it Town and it should be a destination - for visitors and tourists.
It can be done and it wouldn't cost the earth either - just the commitment (moral and financial) from DTC, DDC and DHB. It's not rocket science.
Roger
Seconded - we have a great deal to be proud of and to talk up. Why complain, even when there is positive activity? Rogers last sentence sums it up - it is one more of those things that isn't about throwing money at it, it's about leadership and example and proper planning. And yes, the tourist office and our reps should be doing this. And yes, there are things we need to sort out and we should make a concerted effort to be pains in the butts until then. So of us have a headstart in that department.....
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i hadn't realised that we had a tourist department, the visitors information centre can only help people that turn up at their premises.
a dedicated tourism would be out and about selling the town.
at present people get their info from the "rough guide" or that article in the guardian yesterday, nett result is that there is nothing to entice them to viisit.
Guest 683- Registered: 11 Feb 2009
- Posts: 1,052
Ross/Roger
I don't think anyone who posts on this Forum has anything but Dover's best interests at heart - we will all benefit from improvements to the town. We all know the potential for the town but it needs clear direction and co-ordination to tap into this and, despite years of promises that 'it's just around the corner', we are still waiting.
We can't hide from the truth - national papers and international travel guides (and let's not forget Bill Bryson!) are happy to expose our emperor's lack of clothing.
But that isn't true, is it? They pick up, as do our local rags, the news from us, and they reflect our attitudes. No, we don't yet have the shops promised, and our local reps are outrageously poor at promoting or even supporting Dover as a destination, but we do, in fact, have more to offer than shops and a few bits of rock - and while campaigning and complaining is important - I do it often enough! - so is the opposite, the positivity and the building up of the reputation. Marketing is all about reputation.
Ross Miller- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,706
Brian - as Roger says there are positives including our historic sights and natural wonders, but also local people opening new shops (Schuzee, Masquerada, the Bike shop on Bench St etc), the activities of local volunteer groups (White Cliffs Countryside Project, London Road Community Forum, Western Heights Preservation Society, Priory Community Forum etc etc)
Mark - there is giving an honest appraisal with some positive assessment of how things might be improved that leads to sensible debate (e.g. your suggestion to build a retail centre on Pencester) and there are those numerous posts that "just slag off" the area, the council, the police, etc etc
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Hear Hear!!