Dominica’s new rainforest resort set to become the next hot eco-destination
Jungle Bay Resort & Spa sets an example for the rest of the Caribbean
Point Mulatre, Dominica (November 16, 2005) - Jungle Bay Resort & Spa on the Caribbean island of Dominica, also known as the Nature Island of the Caribbean, officially opened its doors to guests on October 31, 2005.
Situated along Dominica’s scenic southeast coastline bordering Morne Trois Pitons National Park - the only UNESCO World Heritage Park in the eastern Caribbean – Jungle Bay is a model for ecotourism development in Dominica. To maintain the rainforest in its pristine state, the construction techniques and operating practices of Jungle Bay minimize adverse impacts on the environment by using conservation technology through waste management, energy use, and other techniques to limit disturbance to the ecosystem.
The project has been deliberately labor intensive in its construction in an effort to provide broad financial benefit to the surrounding communities. The resort was built largely by unemployed farmers from surrounding villages who were displaced by the decline of the island’s banana trade, which was precipitated by WTO rulings against their previously protected industry. They used wood, discarded stone from an old mining quarry, and developed what one speaker referred to as an architectural masterpiece. In turn the farmers developed a range of transferable construction skills.
The resort’s thirty-five private cottages, elevated on wooden posts beneath the canopy of gomier and cedar trees, feature Pacific-inspired platform beds, antique Morris chairs, and other tasteful furnishings and fixtures all built by the local work crew. Many cottages also boast ocean views.
Jungle Bay was designed to host holistic retreats, exotic 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 features two studios with dramatic views of the ocean. The center can also host group meetings and conferences. The property’s Spa du Soleil offers numerous pampering treatments in five studios that open to the sounds of the ocean surf, as well as couples massages on the seaside deck. In addition, guests can partake in a range of activities, hikes, and tours to the islands many natural attractions or explore the many unique features of the resort.
Its rustic Pavilion restaurant serves organically grown local gourmet cuisine and overlooks Jungle Bay’s volcanic rock swimming pool and the Atlantic Ocean. Guests can also socialize in the Coconut Bar.
“Jungle Bay is much more than just a hotel or a resort,” says Jungle Bay’s owner and 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, a native of Dominica, is very active in conservation and community issues. While he was planning and developing Jungle Bay Resort & Spa, Raphael spearheaded several important community development and tourism awareness initiatives. He helped found the South East Tourism Development Committee (SETDC), whose mission is to help develop local capacity in order to take advantage of the economic opportunities that Jungle Bay brings 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 to highlight awareness of conservation issues among young people. 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 providing 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, is the world’s first nation to be declared a Green Globe 21 Benchmark Certified destination – a feat that only two other destinations have since earned. The certification demonstrates the country’s dedication to environmentally and culturally sensitive tourism, which among other things, also ensures that local residents benefit from tourism revenue.
Green Globe 21 is one of the world’s 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 be a more viable long-term alternative to the mass tourism focus of the rest of the Caribbean. The island nation boasts many nature-related activities, including year-round whale watching, scuba diving, rainforest and waterfall treks, volcano and hot spring visits, mountain biking, and more.
Jungle Bay’s example of low-impact construction techniques integrated with 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 contact Jungle Bay Resort & Spa at (767) 446-1789 or junglebay@cwdom.dm.
Disclaimer: The information in this article/release was accurate at
press time; however, we suggest you confirm all details and prices
directly with vendors.
HOME | HOTELS | VILLAS | CRUISES | ACTIVITIES | SHOPPING | RESTAURANTS | MAPS | SPECIALS | YELLOW PAGES | NEWS
