"Eco",Caribbean's new Tourism Niche

2006-04-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

Unique Adventure Resort Leads New Caribbean Tourism Niche
POINT MULATRE, DOMINCA – Jungle Bay Resort and Spa has crafted a unique vacation experience for active travelers, which has begun to capture a new tourism niche for the Caribbean tourism industry. Jungle Bay, Dominica’s long awaited tourism direction setter, is a unique Public/Private sector initiative developed to set the standard for future tourism development on this rugged rainforest Caribbean island. The new “barefoot luxury” resort with 35 wooden bungalows, carefully tucked like birds nests between the island’s coastal forest canopy, is by all accounts a world class innovation. The resort is tailor made for adventure seekers on a quest for an active, rugged outdoor holiday yet desirous of pleasantries like tasteful deluxe accommodations, spa treatments, yoga classes and culinary delights.

While the rest of the Caribbean is struggling to find alternatives to the traditional “lay on the beach all day and drink piña-coladas” holiday, which, many of today’s travelers find a bit boring, the government of the un-discovered island of Dominica, along with some innovative tourism developers, have been quietly working on a new initiative to capture the would be Costa Rica-Hawaii-Fiji eco-adventure niche traveler. The English speaking East Caribbean island of Dominica (not to be confused with the much larger Dominican Republic) is a unique, rainforest island. Unfortunately, up till now, tourism planners considered the island “cursed by the tourism gods with few white sand beaches and a steep mountainous coastline”. Fortunately for the future, however, this rugged “no-man’s island” of 70,000 friendly inhabitants was blessed with rich tropical flora and fauna, hidden waterfalls, natural mineral springs, scenic vistas, a large boiling lake, 365 rivers and abundant marine life. Dominica is on target to lead the rest of the Caribbean in its quest to diversify its product and to capture a share of the lucrative, growing adventure travel market.

Jungle Bay has introduced a signature “Jungle Spa” Adventure Package that allows travelers to experience an abundance of activity options starting with optional morning yoga classes, followed by scheduled daily excursions like hidden waterfall hikes, ocean kayaking, snorkeling at the famous Champagne Beach,hot springs, biking and the six hour world renowned volcanic crater Boiling Lake Hike. For the cultural/heritage lovers there are tours of the Carib Territory (home of the Caribbean’s last remaining indigenous people), Caribbean cooking classes and presentations on the healing herbs and bush teas of Dominica.

Jungle Bay has found a way to incorporate aspects of daily Dominican life into its tourism product, something Caribbean tourism has hitherto been unable to achieve. A distinctive highlight of the “Jungle Spa” package is the daily spa treatment offered at the resort’s, Spa du Soleil, which has 5 private open studios nestled on the cliff taking advantage of sight and ever-present sounds of the rolling Atlantic Ocean surf. The home-made coconut oil based “jungle bay” massage, facials with natural ingredients, manicures and pedicures are perfect ways to rejuvenate the mind, body and soul and to pamper sore muscles from all the outdoor adventure activities. The Pavilion Restaurant, which overlooks a volcanic stone pool and the Atlantic Ocean, offers organically grown local gourmet cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Fresh seasonal exotic fruit juices are always on the menu. The new rotating dinner menu designed by Chef Neil Cline of the New England Culinary Institute campus in the British Virgin Islands includes an interesting twist on traditional Caribbean cuisine. Guests are amused with menu items such as the “Jungle Teaser” ‘Petite Savanne Fish Soup’ which the Caribbean love doctors claim will increases sexual stamina and ‘Rasta Man I-tal’ which is a vegetarian stew of pumpkin, spinach and okras steamed over curried brown rice, a recipe straight from Moses’, one of our resident tour guide. The “Jungle Spa” package includes airport transfers, accommodations, scheduled daily excursions and tours, all meals (including non-alcoholic fresh fruit juices), ½ hour daily spa treatments and taxes. The new Jungle Spa Adventure resort is generating rave reviews from a range of international guests like Sophie Stafford, editor of the UK’s leading wildlife magazine “… a magical place where wooden cottages nestle in the pristine forest, perched on stilts high in the leafy canopy. Each night, I went to sleep serenaded by a choir of ‘tink’ frogs and every morning awoke to a joyous cacophony of birdsong.” For more details about The Jungle Spa Adventure Package see: www.junglebaydominica.com/adventurepackage.cfm.

The demographics that are emerging strongest from this new Jungle Bay/Dominica/Caribbean tourism initiative include a range of mid to upper income nature lovers, escape weddings & honeymoon seekers as well as corporate team building, incentive and wellness retreat groups. Most of the visitors thus far consider themselves “non-Caribbean tourists” who otherwise vacation in other tropical adventure destinations like Costa Rica, Belize and the south Pacific but not in the Caribbean. If the first year success of Jungle Bay is an indicator of things to come then Dominica and the Caribbean’s tourism industry’s best kept secret, is on its way to help in position the Caribbean as a leader in the growing nature/adventure tourism niche with Jungle Bay, Dominica as it’s epicenter.

Jungle Bay Resort and Spa is located on the South East coastline of Dominica (pronounced "Dom-in-eek-a"), in the Windward Islands of the Caribbean. For more information visit: www.junglebaydominica.com
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Caribbean goes Eco

"Eco",Caribbean's new Tourism Niche