Since Hurricane Maria and the COVID-19 pandemic, Dominica’s hotel sector has shown steady growth, and the Airbnb sector, often referred to as the “informal economy”, appears to be flourishing. Withdirect flights from the U.S. and increasing intraregional flights, access to the Nature Island has improved considerably—thanks in large part to
ongoing investments in our current airport. Growth in arrivals has been modest over the years, and the
quality of our tourism product faces several challenges. While the industry is poised for growth, realizing its potential requires collaborative efforts from all stakeholders to address these challenges. Let’s assess where we stand and what the future holds.
Tourism impacts every business in Dominica.
Beyond those directly involved—hotels, restaurants, bars, taxi drivers, tour guides, watersports operators, car rentals, dive masters, ground handling services and street vendors—the product and service supply chain benefits numerous others: wholesalers, retailers, fishermen, farmers, agro-producers, manufacturers, shopkeepers, traders, and importers. And of course banks, insurance companies, shipping lines and utilities such as electricity, water, and telecommunications reap the benefits of tourism. Simply put, tourism is the engine that can drive Dominica towards a sustainable economy.
Melville Hall: The Gift that Keeps Giving
Melville Hall Airport (now Douglas-Charles Airport) welcomed its first flight in 1961, thanks to funding from the British Government. Fast forward 63 years, and the airport now accommodates direct flights from Newark via United Airlines and from Miami via American Airlines. Key investments have totaled approximately EC$75 million, including terminal reconstruction in 2008, night landing capabilities in 2010, post-Erika rehabilitation in 2015, and the most recent runway extension and grooving in 2024. These strategic upgrades are no small achievement and have significantly improved access benefiting the tourism sector.
Arrivals: Access Enables It, Demand Drives It
Despite enhanced air access and increased hotel inventory with global media coverage in some key travel publications, demand for Dominica remains relatively stagnant. As of 2024, arrivals are only 5.1% higher than 20 years ago and 6.3% lower than in 2019 (pre-COVID). Encouragingly, they are 12.5% higher than in 2023. The Caribbean tourism landscape has grown increasingly competitive. To generate demand and achieve sustainable growth, Dominica must secure reliable funding to elevate its destination marketing efforts. Over the past several years, funding has fallen short by approximately 70% to 80%.
If access enables arrivals and demand drives them, the quality of the visitor experience ensures their sustainability. Dominica’s primary draw—its natural assets—sets the island apart from other destinations. Iconic hiking trails like Boiling Lake, Middleham Falls, Victoria Falls, and the Waitukubuli National Trail are currently in dire need of maintenance, raising safety concerns and falling short of visitor expectations.
Sustainable funding is essential for maintaining these trails and enhancing the overall visitor experience. Similarly, the evolving Sperm Whale Reserve will require consistent funding to enforce regulations and ensure their conservation.
Another pressing concern is the visible presence of litter in public spaces, along roadsides, and at some of our natural attractions. This undermines Dominica’s image as the “Nature Island” and detracts from the visitor experience. Addressing this challenge requires stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors—not only through improved waste management infrastructure and enforcement but also through education community engagement, and business-led initiatives. A pristineenvironment is essential not just for tourism but for national pride and
long-term sustainability.
While many visitors who choose Dominica seek a break from the crowds of mass tourism, cruise tourism can sometimes lead to overcrowded sites, diminishing the sense of an “off the beaten track” destination that makes Dominica so unique and appealing. A balanced approach is needed to develop alternative attractions tailored to cruise passengers.
The Visitor Experience: Promise vs. Reality
Cruise tourism is rebounding, with 336,000 arrivals in 2024—showing robust growth over 2023. However, cruise tourism contributes less than 15% of tourism GDP, with stayover visitors accounting for the remaining 85%. Despite its lower overall economic impact, cruise tourism is vital to many stakeholders who do not benefit as much from stayover tourism. To support both sectors, Dominica must strike a balance, ensuring that site capacity and scheduling minimize overcrowding while promoting a low-impact, high-yield model that aligns with the island’s sustainability goals.
Several cities in Europe, including major tourism hubs in Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain, have implemented restrictions or outright bans on cruise lines. These measures are primarily driven by environmental concerns, such as air and water pollution, erosion, and damage to marine ecosystems.
Cruise vs. Stayover Tourism: A Delicate Balance
The informal economy, including the Airbnb sector, has expanded significantly due to shared-economy technology and a diverse range of accommodation choices. In many Caribbean islands, the informal sector accounts for over 50% of the tourism economy, driving much of the growth in arrivals. While Dominica’s post-Maria scenario has seen simultaneous growth in both the formal hotel sector and the informal sector, the latter is expected to outpace the former over time. This trend decentralizes hospitality, generating economic benefits across a broader range of communities. However, with the formal sector subject to taxation and regulation, it is essential to establish minimum standards for both
sectors to ensure a consistently positive visitor experience and equitable contributions to the economy.
The Informal Economy: Making Waves
Concerns for environmental sustainability call for greater stakeholder engagement, discussion and education before projects are announced and/or construction begins. Protecting Dominica’s natural assets and ecosystems is essential, but sustainable development and environmental conservation are not mutually exclusive. Open dialogue can lead to innovative win-win solutions that balance economic growth with environmental stewardship.
Governance Framework: Engagement & Transparency
Robust data collection is critical for informed decision-making. Currently, Dominica lacks comprehensive data on
national hotel occupancy, visitor spending (which was previously monitored), tourism’s GDP contribution, and visitor
segmentation. Improved data collection from both the public and private sectors is essential for accurately assessing the industry’s performance and guiding future strategies and policies.
Data: Never Enough!
Dominica’s appeal lies in its natural beauty and off-the-beaten track appeal, making sustainable growth a priority. The island can double tourism’s economic contribution within five years by either doubling visitor numbers or doubling visitor spending, or some combination of both.
Increasing visitor spend directly benefits the economy without compromising the visitor experience or straining natural resources. Enhancing yield requires improving the quality of tourism products and services, ensuring that visitors receive exceptional value. Simply increasing visitor numbers without boosting visitor spending risks diluting
the experience and weakening Dominica’s competitive advantage.
Sustainable Growth: Low Volume, High Yield
Dominica’s appeal lies in its natural beauty and off-the-beaten track appeal, making sustainable growth a priority. The island can double tourism’s economic contribution within five years by either doubling visitor numbers or doubling visitor spending, or some combination of both. Increasing visitor spend directly benefits the economy without compromising the visitor experience or straining natural resources. Enhancing yield requires improving the quality of tourism products and services, ensuring that visitors receive exceptional value. Simply increasing visitor numbers without boosting visitor spending risks diluting the experience and weakening Dominica’s competitive advantage
Dominica stands at a pivotal moment in its tourism development. With improved air access and an international airport under development, a growing accommodation sector, and an uptick in visitor arrivals, the foundation is in place for sustained growth. However, realizing this potential requires strategic action: increasing destination marketing
funding to drive demand, maintaining natural assets to enhance the visitor experience, balancing cruise and stayover tourism, supporting both the formal and informal economies, engaging stakeholders in sustainable development, and strengthening data collection to guide decision-making. By focusing on a low-volume, high-yield growth model,
Dominica can maximize the economic benefits of tourism while preserving the unique experiences that draw visitors to the Nature Island.
But strategy alone is not enough—action is required. The success of our tourism industry is a shared responsibility. Government, businesses, and communities must unite not only to market Dominica as a world-class destination but also to ensure that the experience meets the promise we make to visitors. This includes maintaining our trails, preserving our marine ecosystems, ensuring service excellence, and keeping our island clean and welcoming.
Now is the time for real commitment and collective action. Whether by investing in infrastructure, improving waste management, supporting sustainable tourism businesses, or simply ensuring our surroundings remain litter-free, every effort counts. Dominica’s tourism future depends on the choices we make today. Let’s seize this opportunity to elevate our island as a true model of sustainability and excellence—where nature flourishes, businesses thrive, and visitors leave inspired.
Let’s all play our part. The time for action is now. After all, Tourism is everybody’s business.