by Pearl Fontaine
Government Information Service
Implementation activities on the Waitukubuli National Trail (WNTP) are now in high gear. Edison Henry, Project Manager, stated this at a press conference to discuss updates on the Waitukubuli National Trail, Monday, April 04, 2011.
Infrastructural activities include trail works, the building and erection of signs, tables, benches, shelters, segment markers and pedestrian bridges and crossings.
Funded by the European Union and the Government of Dominica, the Waitukubuli National Trail is said to be on track for its commissioning in December of 2011.
Henry says the Waitukubuli National Trail is an entity that brings the island to life.
 Project Manager,
Edison Henry
“This trail will in fact open new avenues, new opportunities and basically give Dominicans one more thing to be happy and proud about this nation. We want to bring to your attention the completion of the trail by two (2) persons from Whales who did it in sixteen (16) days and then two of our very own, Jerry and Clement who completed the trail in six (6) days. This means the trail does exist. It is there for the enjoyment of all and I would say even now as it is being constructed. I want to continually encourage each persons to walk the trail Let us benefit from the feedback; let us benefit from how we can improve so it continues to be a beacon of economic hope for our island.”
Henry said that three bridges have already been constructed within the trail.
“The other aspect is our gazebos and for the most part, those have been going up very speedily. We have completed the first four segments. All of the gazebos on those segments are up. We are now concentrating on the last five (5) segments and we have even gone ahead of our schedule and started on the final five (5) segments which is the interior of the island. We are well on course to completing the entire infrastructure required.”
Softer activities are also on-going in the areas of marketing, product development and management.
Project Manager, Edison Henry said that the trail needs to continually benefit from collaborations and there is a need to generate as much stakeholder involvement as possible.
Roselyn Paul, Project Officer, said that the project management unit has been undertaking awareness activities throughout the island.
“We continue to go to the communities as part of our community sensitisation programme. This is done through indoor sessions as well as open air campaigns and education training activities. We also have youth outreach programme where we have our team members going to the schools to visit and conducting field trips to the trail with school students and young people alike. This past weekend, there were five (5) different groups including the Pierre Charles Secondary School, the Dominica State College and another agency as well as a group of young persons from Paix Bouche on the Waitukubuli Trail doing some different segments. Last month, quite a few agencies, schools, youth groups and adventure clubs have been walking the trail.
This is what it is about. We seek for the active involvement of persons, sensitising them so everyone would own the trail. Hopefully, we will be able to install that sense of pride in what we have as well as rediscovering who we are as a people. This is because the trail showcases not only our natural heritage, but our cultural heritage, our history and our tradition. It is only when we deepen this appreciation then all of us will be marketing the trail together.”
 Project Officer,
Roselyn Paul
The Discover Dominica Authority has collaborated with the PMU in marketing the WTNP.
“We sell the trail through trade shows through the Discover Dominica Authority. However, we also have a number of press trips and farm trips. We have seen people from trek magazines and others. For the year, we have had over sixteen (16) press and farm trips coming to walk the trail and to disseminate the information to the regional and international world. We have been having very high interest levels in the trail. For the year, we have seen people who have come and tried to walk the trail from all over the world: Whales, Austria, Germany, France and the Caribbean.”
The Waitukubuli National Trail Project encompasses one hundred and fourteen (114) miles of trail spanning and twisting the length of Dominica. From Scott’s Head in the south, right up to Capuchin in the north, the trail winds from one end of Dominica to the other. |
