MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica– Showing nearly on the fifth staging of the Jamaica Well being and Wellness Tourism Convention on the Montego Bay Conference Centre in the present day (November 16, 2023), Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, stated creating the well being and wellness subsector was among the many ministry’s development technique objectives, “providing guests an unmatched worth proposition, based mostly on innovation, diversification, and differentiation of our tourism product.”
He stated this type of differentiation would produce tourism experiences that would not be replicated by different locations.
“The richness of our biodiversity and the potential for nutraceutical merchandise which might be in demand and provide a lot risk for well being and wellness put Jamaica as a premier vacation spot within the Caribbean specifically, as we’re the nation with maybe extra choices for well being and wellness than all of the English-speaking Caribbean islands mixed,” stated Mr. Bartlett.
With an elevated demand for well being and wellness and security requirements following the COVID-19 pandemic, he pointed to an exponential development in spas and different well being merchandise globally and “even right here in Jamaica, as we have now seen a proliferation of well being and wellness actions in varied areas.”
Globally, the well being and wellness subsector of the tourism business is claimed to be valued at some US$4.3 trillion, and in response to the managing director of the worldwide healthcare and actual property investing agency NovaMed, Dr. David Walcott, “on this hemisphere we haven’t even begun to scratch the floor.”
Well being and Wellness Convention
Dr. Walcott was a panellist on a fireplace chat on the convention, which is operating over two days below the theme “The Blue Ocean Revolution: Unlocking the Potential of Well being and Wellness Tourism.” Nonetheless, pinning his remarks on “Investing in a Complete New Period of Well being and Wellness,” Dr. Walcott says, “We’ve got to recognise the developments that the worldwide viewers is responding to.”
He gave as examples the urge for food for personalised, customised choices, a wellness experience that’s much less product-oriented however extra on a curated expertise, echo-friendly wellness merchandise, “an enormous space that we haven’t even scratched the floor on,” and built-in wellness expertise.
In the meantime, Chairman of the Well being and Wellness Community of the Tourism Enhancement Fund, Mr. Garth Walker, stated the convention was a celebration of the strides that had been made and the potential that lay forward within the vibrant realm of well being and wellness tourism.
He stated the wealthy range of experiences and views introduced collectively within the convention was testomony to the worldwide impression and significance of well being and wellness tourism, and “Jamaica is about to advertise current services and products whereas strategically creating and advertising spa amenities all through the island.”
The aim, stated Mr. Walker, was to boost and develop Jamaica’s well being and wellness merchandise and packages, positioning it as a typical area of interest on the planet of tourism and showcasing the nation as a premier vacation spot for these searching for not only a trip however a holistic wellness expertise.
President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, Mr. Robin Russell, additionally underscored the rising pattern of tourists travelling for well being and wellness and famous {that a} pattern was now creating with native inns introducing extra natural merchandise into their meals and integrating fresh-grown gardens on their properties.
He careworn that “the patron is now demanding it, and we have now to provide it to them, and we do it naturally, which is why it’s simple for us to do.”
Mr. Russell additionally said that there was a transfer to get Jamaicans right into a more healthy way of life, to reside a greater life, “and after we talk about these individuals coming to Jamaica and experiencing wellness, I might say that we have now to be nicely additionally.”
