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Dominica Hoping New International Airport Will Elevate It to Major Caribbean Destination

Ruthy Muñoz
Island of Dominica in the Caribbean

Photo Credit: The island of Dominica is hoping a new airport will elevate its tourism status in the Caribbean, Flickr / Vision Chen

Skift Take

Long without the capabilities to have direct flights arrive from far away lands, Dominica is hoping a new airport will turn things around for its tourism, trade, and economy. Can they pull it off without incurring debt?

For years, tourists flying into the off- the-beaten track to the tiny Caribbean nation of Dominica have been relying on island-hopping from neighboring islands using planes or boats to arrive at their destination. While Dominica, known as "the nature island" of the Caribbean, has always had international flights from neighboring islands, the small nation couldn't offer direct flights to and from Europe and Mainland U.S. — until now. The buildout of a new international airport, set to be completed in 2025, will be a game changer for the small country that has been relatively difficult to access, opening up a world of opportunities for tourism and economic growth.

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And in a hyper-competitive market like the Caribbean, a new airport that can transport tourists directly from lucrative source markets like Europe can change the status of a destination like that. "The international airport development has been a longtime goal and dream of our government, because we know the importance to significantly grow the tourism industry, and improve the ease of doing business in Dominica," said Denise Charles, Dominica's minister of tourism, in an interview with Skift. [caption id="attachment_435713" align="aligncenter" width="600"] A rendering of the future Dominica international airport.[/caption] Samuel Johnson, CEO of the Dominica international airport development company, agreed it will all come down to air access. "You can have the best attractions, the best hotels. and the best brands, but if it's difficult to get to the island, it adds that much more friction to the journey of a visitor. And we're an island in a chain of islands, so they could as easily land in any of our sister islands which are easier instead of ours," said Johnson. "So we definitely think it's going to improve several aspects of the country." There is no price tag yet for the project as the bidding is ongoing but some press reports pegged it at north of $220 million. The airport which

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