Wonderful Nature Island Gem
By Sobers J. Esprit, Division of Tourism, National Development Corporation, Dominica

The Caribbean conjures an image of sea, sun, fun, beach, rum, and exotic life-style. To most visitors this is a region of exotic grandeur, where one can find the best sandy beaches, warm sunshine, a variety of the best cuisine, lively and exciting music, and some of the most extraordinary people.

The Caribbean is also about tropical splendour, a rich and diverse cultural heritage and unimaginable landscapes and seascapes. But of all the islands in this warm and exotic archipelago, there is one that truly defines nature and tropical brilliance. Dominica, known as The Nature Island of the Caribbean, is in the centre of the arch of the Caribbean archipelago, nestled between the two French departments of Martinique and Guadeloupe. Its nature island image is derived from its vast tropical rainforests, its beautiful and amazing vistas and its world heritage status.

DOMINICA (pronounced Dom-en-ee'-ka) is also known as Waitukubuli, the name given to the island by its Carib Indian inhabitants, meaning "tall is her body". According to a recent promotional piece on Dominica, the island is tall in many ways. She stands tall and unrivalled in natural wonders, beauty, and exotic plant and animal life. The island is tall for its rich and vibrant cultural heritage; tall for its dynamic music culture; tall for its amazingly warm and friendly people; tall for its sheer greenery and majestic landscapes and seascapes.

Visitors to Dominica are always impressed by the island's untamed beauty, lofty mountains, spectacular vistas, and greenery. Dominica boasts of a thousand shades of green. The island's abundant rainfall helps nurture its rainforests and sustains its eco-systems. This is what gives Dominica its nature island image.

Dominica is not your typical Caribbean destination of sun, sea and sand. It's not your island of large resorts and high rise buildings. It is the picture image of a modern day tropical paradise. Dominica has been able to retain most of its natural ecosystems, partly due to its strong conservation programme, and the ability of its people to live in harmony with nature while most of the other islands have lost most of their forests.

It is this love of nature and its ability to sustain its eco-systems that is giving Dominica such an international appeal among nature lovers and visitors seeking a different travel experience in the Caribbean. Those looking for pristine ecosystems and things natural can find them no-where else than in Dominica. Over the past decade, eco-tourism and nature tourism in the Caribbean have become synonymous with Dominica. No other island can boast of 365 majestic gushing rivers and streams, hot springs, towering waterfalls, abundant tropical rainforests, hundreds of indigenous plant and animal life, and, amazing but true, the island is as beautiful below as it is above land.

Dominica is rated among the top five dive destinations in the world. Its underwater world is as fascinating as its majestic upper-side, with rolling coral fields, precipitous pinnacles, sheer walls, thermal vents and exotic marine life. This is truly an island of sheer adventure, excitement and outdoor experience. From its one of a kind boiling lake, its whales and dolphins, its parrots and hundreds of beautiful birds, its agouti and manicou, its hugh chatanier trees, and its crystal clear waters, Dominica is the ideal nature destination.

Dominica's strong conservation policy and its rich natural resource endowments have not gone unnoticed by the international community. In 1975, the island established the first of four national parks and a marine reserve. The Morne Trois Pitons National Park was established by an Act of Parliament, which signalled the island's commitment to conservation of its rich biological and ecological diversity. In 1986, the Cabrits National Park was established combining a terrestrial and marine area into an important area of conservation. The Cabrits also contains some of the most important remnants of the island's colonial architectural history and tradition. A large part is what is known as Fort Shirley at the Cabrits have been restored and put to use in the recent past. In 2000, the Morne Diablotin National Park became the fourth area to be put aside for posterity. A Marine Reserve was also established in the Soufriere/Scotts Head area making it the only protected marine park on the island. But the most important distinction was to come in December 1997, the Morne Trois Pitons National Park was inscribed by UNESCO on the World Heritage list, giving it the distinction of being the only Natural World Heritage Site in the Eastern Caribbean. Many of the island's well known attractions including the boiling lake, the fresh water lake and the Emerald Pool, can be found within the park.

Whilst nature abounds in this 289 square mile rugged and mountainous island, it is also endowed with vestiges of the richest culture and tradition in the Caribbean. With a great tradition dating back to its early days, Dominica's cultural heritage is a mixture of its Carib, European and African influences. The major impact of the French and French West Indian civilisation on the island's socio-cultural and historical existence, has resulted in its vibrant and rich Creole heritage. From the Creole language spoken by the majority of its nationals, to the cuisine, folklore and traditions, Dominica is truly a Creole society. Today's cultural landscape is shaped by the strong presence of the indigenous Carib people, who have survived more than 500 years of European colonialisation, and the retentions of the African presence over the past couple centuries. The caribs have retained much of their craft making tradition, with basket-weaving and other utilitarian craft dominating Carib life and culture. There is also a strong retention of Carib dance and other cultural and artistic expressions, all of which are now being packaged for a new and modern Model Carib Village in the Carib Territory that will soon form part of the tourism product offerings in Dominica.

The African presence has left an indelible imprint on the island's cultural landscape as well. From the dance to music, language to cuisine, social expressions to economic existence and subsistence, it has helped to fashion a vibrant and rich culture. Today's Dominica is a land of music and dance, with music dominating the space and time in The Nature Island. The rich music culture has given the island the means to develop one of the foremost musical events in the Commonwealth Caribbean. The annual World Creole Music Festival (WCMF) has become an event of choice for musicians and music aficionados of Creole music in the Caribbean. The festival attracts groups and individual performers from across the Creole speaking world as well as samplings of musical idioms and expressions from the English Caribbean, that all relates and retains influences of Creole and music of fusion.

There is much more to talk about in Dominica, but the appeal of the island stems very much from its unspoilt nature and the newly found interest in discovering its many adventures. Visitors whether coming by air or by sea have a wide range of experiences and opportunities to see, and to feel the Dominican experience. The island promotes many and a varied set of activities year round. From the dive and other watersports activities, festivals like the annual pre-lenten carnival and the WCMF, hiking and nature walks, whale and dolphin watching, Carib Indian adventure and exploration, culinary delights, rainforest adventure tours, and much more.

 Dominica's economic fortunes have been changing over the last two decades or so, with the island breaking its dependence on agricultural production, mainly on banana crop production. It's an economy in transition and development. Greater emphases are now being placed on moving the economy towards a more service oriented one rather than the decades long dependence on bananas. Tourism and other services including off-shore banking, information and communications technology, as well as light manufacturing, agro-processing and agri-business are now taking up the slack from a declining banana industry.

The future of the island will however depend on the quality of its human resource capabilities, and efforts in that direction are gaining more grounds. A recent project to create a national college system for the island, merging the Clifton Dupigny Community College (Academic and Technical schools), with the Nursing School and the Teachers College have now fully materialised. The State College opened its doors to the first groups of students this past October, delivering programmes and courses at the Associate Degree level. This and other initiatives at human resource development will form the basis for propelling Dominica into the 21st century and creating a new and modern society, 24 years after independence.

But like in other islands of the Eastern Caribbean, the current systems of globalisation and trade liberalisation will pose many challenges on small and open economies and society. Tourism will remain one of the most important options for the island, as it attempts to improve the quality of life of its people and to play its part in this global environment. Its natural and cultural endowments will remain its major competitive advantages if it wants to expand on the current level of growth and development in this sector.