Abstract
The island-nation of Dominica, 790 km2 in area, is located approximately 1126.5 km Southeast of Florida, USA. In the mid-1990s, Dominica embarked on developing the 183.5 km Waitukubuli National Trail (WNT), the first and only national trail model in the Eastern Caribbean. The 14-segment WNT, officially opened in May 2013, passes through some of the island’s most diverse landscapes. WNT was designed to link as many rural communities as possible and promote ecotourism and community socioeconomic development. Rehabilitation work continues on the WNT and the rest of Dominica, following the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria of 2017. This article, based primarily on a limited questionnaire survey, selected interviews, and literature review, explored the research question ‘What were the challenges faced by a small-island nation in the development of a National Trail? Five specific research objectives focused on the conceptualization, implementation challenges, partnerships fostered, national and sub-regional significance, and future outlook of the Trail were considered. Questionnaire respondents identified the island’s topography and negotiations with private landowners as significant trail construction challenges. A 100% of survey respondents anticipate that reliable funding to support timely maintenance would likely be a critical future issue. Some respondents identified marketing, public engagement, and visitor safety as potential issues. Face-to-face interviews found strong support for the WNT. The interviewees were confident that Dominica would realize sustainable socioeconomic benefits from the Trail. The article concludes with lessons learned and proposes strategies and research themes to ensure the Trail’s sustainability.
Highlights
Published: 30 January 2021The Interagency Trail Data Standards Team in the United States of America (USA)defined a trail as “A linear route managed for human-powered, stock, or Off-HighwayVehicle [OHV] forms of transportation or for historical or heritage values” [1]
According to Wiltshire, the Waitukubuli National Trail (WNT) concept was motivated by his years of experience living in the UK, where long-distance trails are top-rated and well supported
Would give practical expression to the concept of sustainable tourism or ecotourism, because its appeal would primarily be to the sort of visitors who love and respect the natural environment and are passionate about its conservation while contributing to its economic development” [13]
Summary
Published: 30 January 2021The Interagency Trail Data Standards Team in the United States of America (USA)defined a trail as “A linear route managed for human-powered, stock, or Off-HighwayVehicle [OHV] forms of transportation or for historical or heritage values” [1]. The Interagency Trail Data Standards Team in the United States of America (USA). Defined a trail as “A linear route managed for human-powered, stock, or Off-Highway. A nature trail, according to Douglass [2] “ . Is a route designed to lead users to places where points of geological, biologic, historical, or cultural interest can be explained to them.”. Eyler et al [3] presented a slightly different definition when they stated that a trail “ . Long-distance trails (or long-distance tracks, paths, or greenways) in the United. Kingdom (UK) are the longer recreational trails mainly through rural areas, used for nonmotorized recreational traveling (walking, backpacking, cycling, or horse riding). Many trails in the USA are much longer. There was no evidence in the literature of the existence of long-distance or national trails on island developing nations
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
