Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has announced that over 200 people are presently employed on the Cable Car project in Laudat, with a large number being locals.
He made the announcement during a site visit to the Cable Car Development on Thursday.
“There are 210 people employed there on site, except with a few non-nationals, everybody here is Dominican,” Skerrit revealed.
The Prime Minister pointed out that he has interacted with several people who are working at the site.
“While they would like to see the Cable Car completed, they are hoping that there is a delay in the construction, because they are being paid well,” he stated. “As a matter of fact they are being paid about 25 percent more than what they would have [been] paid otherwise.”
Skerrit believes that following completion, more visitors will be getting off the cruise ships to enjoy the Cable Car experience.
“You are going to see more people getting off the cruise ships once it’s constructed and otherwise, because people would want to have an opportunity to enjoy this Cable Car experience” Skerrit noted. “Because the reality is, when the cruise ships come they want to ensure that they have as many attractions as possible.”
He continued, “ We have an edge over many of the Caribbean countries in respect to our natural attributes, but we have to ensure that we have the proper washrooms and change rooms at those facilities, that we have the necessary restaurants and bars…this Cable Car has taken that into consideration.”
According to the PM, this is a beautiful story unfolding in the Roseau Valley.
“From a Roseau Valley standpoint, I believe the Roseau Valley people need to position themselves. How do I benefit from this directly and indirectly? Skerrit asked. “What are the additional things I need to do to be able to get some money from the tourists coming in and visitors coming in?”
From a Dominican viewpoint, Skerrit believes that the construction of the Cable Car will allow for more family outings.
Parliamentary Representative of the Roseau Valley Constituency, Dr. Irving McIntyre added that this is a major project and it means a lot for his constituency.
“As a matter of fact, every other person I greeted here is from my constituency, so you could imagine the sort of economic impact it has in terms of employment and how much money is being driven in the Roseau Valley economy, so it really means a lot to us,” he said.
He mentioned also that in the Roseau Valley, the Geothermal Plant will also be built in the near future.
“Some people may be concerned about their employment after, but very soon the Geothermal Plant will start,” he stated.
He continued, “Employment is really a thing of the past in the Roseau Valley.”
McIntyre believes that such development is not merely sustainable from an ideological standpoint, “but it is also the responsible way we are approaching this sort of development.”
Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Denise Charles-Pemberton concurred that this project truly promotes sustainable tourism.
“Because, 1. It has minimal impact on the environment and as you can see the tram goes from one end to the other, but it’s not affecting our natural infrastructure too much and then it will also give people access to the second-largest Boiling Lake in the world,” she stated. ” It’s something that we want to share with more people, but because it was a 6-hour hike many people are reluctant to do it and especially if you are differently-abled you wouldn’t be able to access it, if you had to bring children…”
She predicts that the Cable Car project will create more traffic to the Roseau Valley and increase economic activity in this area.
“Secondly, it will benefit the local community because more tour guides are going to be needed, more taxi operators are going to be needed, so it’s going to create a major opportunity for people involved in the taxi industry right now to invest in more costa buses,” Charles- Pemberton explained.
She further explained that depending on the number of people who will require a bus to visit the area daily, this will certainly increase the current demand.
“So, it is empowering people in the local community to take advantage of that opportunity, so invest in a coaster bus,” she advised.
Spanning 6, 600 meters and featuring two stations and 20 support towers, the cable car will whisk visitors to one of the island’s most distinctive natural sites–the Boiling Lake–in under 20 minutes.
The first station, located at the base or take-off point, will include an administrative building, concierge station, ticket office, boutiques, boarding area, and food court. The top station will contain a restaurant and viewing platform.
The Cable Car is projected for completion by December 2025.
how many locals
Negative,negative,negative,typical UWP stay home and do nothing.You are not seeing anything on the ground because,you are not living in Dominica and spreading fake news,propaganda and lies.
De economy not really feeling that nuh Skerrit
That’s besides de fact dat our population on de ground is definitely less than 770,000.
I don’t know anyone working on this project.
Political partisan beliefs can do strange things to the mind. If you do not know anyone working on this project is there a reason why you would write such a silly comment. When will you awaken and remove your partisan veil, so long.
that is to prove de point of 200 people working
when last you been to de Roseau market on a Saturday
do you see a difference in de improvement of sales
we will be left with a white elephant when the boiling lake dries up. It has many times before. No reason to think that sometime that it won’t be permanent or long lasting and the tourist product will go poof overnight. Anyone remembers the rainforest tram? It is sorta hidden at Laudat, so less of an eyesore
UNESCO is investigating this and other construction works around Laudat considering to withdraw the World Heritage status of Morne Trois Pitons National Park because of all the destruction caused.
Please present a link where UNESCO is investigating such construction. Why are you so malicious posting such comment.
I don’t like the idea of the cable car which I see as a waste of money, but what is your source for this information?