With the completion Dominica’s Waitukubuli Nature Trail near, this presents a great opportunity for the island to promote an active lifestyle to its citizens and to others around the Caribbean. While projects such as these are often use to promote tourism, we should never forget that with the rising costs associated with non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heat disease and stroke, we also have a mandate to promote healthy behaviors and healthy lifestyles.

So, alongside the marketing campaigns across countries such as the United States and Europe to attract those interested in super hikes, I would like to see the government also support a local health promotion and/or social marketing to educate citizens on the benefits of such a trail to their everyday lives.

In the past few weeks, two sets of teams – a Welch couple and a group of Dominicans – have completed the 14-segment trail. Their stories are reported here and here, respectively.