The official groundbreaking of Dominica’s International Airport, which will open in 2026, is only the beginning of a wave of eco-touristic development in Dominica. The Airport, along with a record-breaking cable car, are just two of the components in the island’s ‘Dynamic Dominica strategy’, which is centred on development, resilience, and innovation.
Speaking about Dominica’s development, Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit said that Dominica has often fought the odds to innovate at rapid speeds, even in the face of natural disasters and adversity. “After Hurricane Maria, everybody said Dominica was finished and guess what today? The world cannot talk about resilience unless they talk about the Commonwealth of Dominica. We have tackled them head-on, not with fear, but with the determination that defines us as leaders.”
Dominica has long been known as ‘The Nature Island.’ The island’s mission of being the first climate-resilient country has driven the Prime Minister’s approach to sustainable economic, infrastructure, and social development.
In this spirit, the Government of Dominica used revenue from Dominica’s Citizenship by Investment Programme to fund over 5,000 climate-resistant homes. These funds have not only refitted existing homes to withstand natural disasters but also built new climate-resilient homes across the island.
The International Airport, set to open in 2026, will encourage travel to the island to take advantage of Dominica’s unique tourism and sustainable development opportunities.
One such opportunity is the upcoming cable car in Dominica. Funded by Dominica’s CBI Programme, the cable car will strengthen infrastructural connections across the island while making travel more efficient.
The cable car project has shortened the travel time to the Boiling Lake from around 6-8 hours by foot to 20 minutes and has already created 140 jobs for Dominicans. In addition to the 140 jobs already created, even more opportunities are expected. These include jobs within the shops and culinary offerings at the cable car site and positions overseeing the cable car’s maintenance.
The new infrastructure projects, such as the cable car and the International Airport, will aid in the continued diversification of Dominica’s economy into the ecotourism sector.
The new airport, which will be in Wesley, Dominica, is likely to enhance trade and economic opportunities on the island. According to Fidel Grant, Parliamentary Representative of the Wesley Constituency, the airport will revitalise the area through commercial opportunities.
Grant said, “The government can now boast that the community of Wesley is home to the long-awaited, most talked-about International Airport. The airport will bring opportunities to the doorsteps for generations to come. This International Airport will transform our communities from a rural country area to a commercial hub.”
He added, “We are making it possible for the most transformative project, which will provide opportunities beyond our mere imagination.”
Grant also noted that the airport will create jobs for Dominicans in various sectors, further strengthening and diversifying the economy.
Tourists to Dominica can explore the island’s nine volcanoes, the bubbling Boiling Lake, black sands and sprawling mountains.
As demand for adventure travel grows worldwide, the rugged and resilient Dominica remains among the world’s foremost ecotouristic destinations.