International Media in Awe of Resilient Dominica

Over the past few weeks, several international media organisations such as The Telegraph, Travel+Leisure, The Australian Financial Review and Truly Belong have been dedicating articles to the small Caribbean island of Dominica. The authors praise it for its natural beauty and resilience following Hurricane Maria two years ago. Half of the government’s revenue comes from the island-nation’s Citizenship by Investment Programme, which was instrumental in the country’s recovery efforts.

The Telegraph on Dominica’s Transformation

Destination expert Juliet Rex of British newspaper The Telegraph highlights how much Dominica has transformed, considering the devastation the Category 5 Hurricane Maria left when it hit the small island on September 18th of 2017. “It is hard to believe that little more than a year ago, all this was devastation,” says Rex after visiting the island.

Travel + Leisure on Voluntourism

Travel+Leisure magazine talks about voluntourism and the strong community values at the heart of Dominica’s recovery post-Maria. Local businesses reportedly each “adopted” one or a few of the 14 segments of the Waitukubuli National Trail – a tourist attraction for adventure seekers, devastated following Maria. Each took it upon themselves to clear the debris and restore the surrounding areas to their former beauty.

Whale Watching with FT, Truly Belong and the Australian Financial Review

In February, The Financial Times wrote about sperm whale watching in Dominica and how mindful the island is about protecting these majestic creatures who call the nearby waters their home. Truly Belong magazine explained that free-diving with sperm whales is highly regulated in Dominica, with licences limited to only 10 per year, each allowing just six people to swim with them – if they are lucky enough to spot them. Richard Waters of The Australian Financial Review named them “magnificent, empathetic creatures” as he free-dove alongside them in Dominica, adding: “never have I felt so small, so thankful of being granted an audience.”

Sustainability Thanks to Citizenship by Investment

Meanwhile, a dreamy resort with eco-luxury villas hidden across a rainforest clifftop overlooking the ocean has opened its doors and travel heavyweights have not ceased to praise it. The Residences at Secret Bay is Dominica’s first five-star resort and operates under the island’s world-leading Citizenship by Investment Programme (CBI). The latter sponsors a series of developments on the island, including a geothermal plant to power the entire island with clean energy, and an ambitious initiative to resettle 5,000 Dominicans affected by Hurricane Maria and Storm Erika into new, modern, hurricane-proof homes.

The CBI Programme, which runs with the ‘Global Community’ mindset, allows reputable foreign investors and their families to acquire Dominica’s citizenship in return for a contribution to the island’s economy. After they pass Dominica’s due diligence checks – which The Financial Times’ PWM magazine ranked as second to none in its 2018 CBI Index – the citizenship hopefuls can choose to either invest in pre-approved real estate like the aforementioned Secret Bay and many other sustainable hotels and resorts, or to contribute to the Economic Diversification Fund – a government-held fund that then finances socio-economic initiatives and supports sectors like ecotourism, education and healthcare.

UN Pledge for World’s First Climate Resilient Nation

Two years ago, Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit pledged to make his country “the world’s first climate resilient nation”. This month, he attended the UN meeting on climate and sustainable development, where he proposed a series of urgent solutions to combat climate change and build resilience. Meanwhile, the island’s recovery is reflected in the Economic Commission for Latin American and the Caribbean’s recent forecast that Dominica’s GDP would grow by 9% this year.