Above: Ile a Vache

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haiti will break ground on a new airport on the island of Ile a Vache this month, according to Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe.

The airport will launch construction on Aug. 20, according to the Prime Minister, who announced the move on social media.

The island is about 52 square miles in total.

Haiti has big plans for Ile a Vache, an island south of the country it sees as a major part of its renewed tourism push.

Haiti Tourism Minister Stephanie Villedrouin has said the country is looking to develop “low-density, sustainable tourism,” on the island.

In March, the government released its general plans for development on the island, which would focus on “cultural heritage, agro-tourism and history.”

Lamothe first mentioned the government’s interest in developing the island in an interview with Caribbean Journal at the end of 2012.