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Volume No. 1 Issue No. 73 - Monday November 21, 2005 |
Rainforest Resort Opens in Dominica
 by Sam Raphael
Point Mulatre, Dominca � Not even the Prime Minister missed the opportunity to attend the recent official opening of Jungle Bay Resort & Spa on the Caribbean Island of Dominica, also known as the �Nature Island of the Caribbean�.
The celebration of the formal opening of this highly anticipated resort was very significant to the people of Dominica.
 The Minister of Tourism Mr. Yvor Nassief highlighted the role that ecotourism is destined to play in the overall development strategy of Dominica.
He stated that the new 55-acre tropical rainforest retreat is an example of the type of investment Dominica is seeking to help boost the island�s economy.
Dominica�s Prime Minister Mr Roosevelt Skerrit, in his support of ecotourism and Jungle Bay, stated that �Jungle Bay is a model for tourism development in Dominica� and that the new wellness resort will be his Dominican �Camp David�.
Dominica recently launched a tourism strategy/master plan that focuses on developing the island as an ecotourism destination.
Jungle Bay is situated along the scenic southeast coastline bordering Morne Trois Pitons National Park, the only UNESCO World Heritage Park in the Eastern Caribbean.
The resort was built largely by unemployed farmers from the surrounding villagers that were displaced by the island�s banana crisis.
They used wood, discarded stone from an old mining quarry and developed what one speaker referred to as an architectural masterpiece.
The resort�s thirty-five tastefully furnished cottages are elevated on wooden posts beneath the canopy of Gomier and Cedar trees.
They are furnished with Pacific inspired platform beds, antique Morris Chairs and other tasteful furnishings and fixtures all built by the local work crew. The cottages are private and many have a view of the ocean.
The resort is designed to host holistic retreats, exotic Caribbean weddings and visitors seeking to explore the natural wonder of Dominica. Guests can practice yoga, a major theme of the resort, in the yoga center, which has 2 yoga studios with dramatic views of the ocean.
The yoga center can host group meetings and conferences. Organically grown, gourmet local cuisine is available at the rustic Pavilion restaurant, which overlooks the volcanic rock swimming pool and the Atlantic Ocean.
Guests can socialize in the Coconut Bar or explore the many amazing unique features of the resort.
The resort�s health spa, Spa du Soleil, has 5 studios that open to the sounds of the ocean surf. Spa du soleil offers numerous pampering treatments including couples massages on the seaside deck.
Jungle Bay offers its guests a range of activities, hikes and tours to the island's many natural attractions.
�Jungle Bay is much more than just a hotel or a resort,� said Jungle Bay Resort and Spa owner/developer Sam Raphael, �it is an example of how we can develop guest accommodations and not adversely impact the natural environment.
It is also a working model of community tourism, an idea whose time has come. We can do all these things and not compromise the high quality and standard the industry demands.�
Raphael is a native of Dominica who has been very active in numerous conservation and community issues. While Jungle Bay Resort and Spa was being planned and developed, Raphael spearheaded several important community development and tourism awareness initiatives.
He helped found an NGO called the South East Tourism Development Committee (SETDC) whose mission was to help develop local capacity to be able to take advantage of the economic opportunities that Jungle Bay brought to the area as well as to help ensure the environmental protection of the area.
Some of the many community projects SETDC has spearheaded include development of sites and trails linked with heritage-based economic activities, and working with schools in highlighting awareness among young people with respect to conservation issues.
Jungle Bay and SETDC were integral partners in starting the turtle preservation efforts in the southeast of the island to counter poaching activities, while simultaneously proving an educational attraction to resort guests and a source of revenue to the community residents.
The resort hires exclusively from surrounding communities and purchases services and supplies from local farmers and entrepreneurs, keeping aligned with international ecotourism principles.
Jungle Bay also recently financed tuition fees for all high school students in the Carib Territory, the Caribbean�s last remaining indigenous Carib Indians.
The Commonwealth of Dominica (pronounced "Dom-in-eek-a"), located in the Windward Islands of the Caribbean, was the world�s first nation to be declared a Green Globe 21 Benchmark Certified destination, a feat that only 2 other destinations have since earned.
The benchmark certification shows the country�s dedication to environmentally and culturally sensitive tourism, which, among other things, also ensures the local residents benefit form the tourism revenue.
Green Globe 21 is one of the strongest and most acknowledged green tourism certification programs.
The government of Dominica, through the certification process and other projects, has embraced ecotourism as its new form of economic development, as it has proven to become a more viable long-term alternative to the mass tourism focus of the rest of the Caribbean.
The island nation is sure to keep nature-loving travelers busy, as it boasts activities including year-round whale watching, scuba diving, rainforest and waterfall treks, volcano and hot spring visits, mountain biking and more.
In maintaining the rainforest in it�s pristine state, the construction techniques and operating practices of Jungle Bay minimizes adverse impacts on the environment by using conservation technology through waste management, energy use, and other techniques ensuring limited disturbance of the ecosystem.
The project has been deliberately labor intensive in its construction in an effort to provide broad financial benefit to the surrounding communities.
During construction Jungle Bay helped the people of Dominica�s southeast develop a range of transferable construction skills.
This was very timely since local residents were forced to transition after the decline of the banana trade, which was precipitated by WTO rulings against their previously protected industry.
Many speakers and participants attending the celebration to commemorate the opening of Jungle Bay remarked on the timeliness of the new resort since the island is eagerly seeking new investment especially in ecotourism.
Jungle Bay�s example of low impact construction techniques integrated with the community involvement and a capacity building strategy for surrounding communities without compromising luxury and a high quality guest experience is an example that the Caribbean tourism industry should try to emulate.
For more details about Jungle Bay Resort and Spa visit: Jungle Bay Dominica
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