Developing a place for the Caribbean in the Health and Wellness segment

THE launch of the Caribbean Spa and Wellness Association (CSWA) Website last week speaks to
generating business for the region.

The statistics speak to the opportunities that can be garnered from this industry not only in terms of arrivals, but spending. The global and wellness (H&W) industry is a US$40 billion international market, growing at 30 per cent per annum, according to a Common Wealth Secretariat Study, which also estimated the Caribbean potential for generating export earnings from this sector at US$175 million.

The CSWA was officially launched in 2006. The mission of the CSWA is to foster and promote the growth of the industry. The Caribbean Export Development Agency is presently managing the website project for the “Development and promotion of the Caribbean Health and Wellness Tourism Sector”. This project is being conducted in conjunction with the Caribbean Spa and Wellness Association (CSWA) and is financed by the Caribbean Development Bank.

One of the areas that has been a challenge in the health and wellness segment, particularly in Barbados, has been standards.

“To carve a niche in Barbados as a spa destination will take a focus on standards and regulation of massage therapy and aesthetics.”

This is the belief of Tracy Archer, Spa Manager at The Spa at Sandy Lane.

“There is a huge market that is driven by spa and wellness, however, in Barbados if we are developing this niche, some groundwork has to be put in place. Also, as part of the Caribbean Spa and Wellness Association, we talk about how to develop this industry to get into where the islands across the board offer a high quality product. We have started to work in this direction by setting the framework of the industry,” she maintained.

The CSWA website brings together all the great Caribbean locations that international clientele would be interested in, such as spas of a high standard, natural resources and also the island itself.

Chairperson for the CSWA, Steve Andrews, is very optimistic that this site will make an impact for the Caribbean, bringing together all the different locations is essential for the international clientele to be able to tap into this market.

Also in terms of a driver for the regional market, this is also an area of major interest.

The website at this point is a work in progress, but it is a comprehensive website that represents the different islands and what they offer in a concise and attractive manner. This segment is a major area of interest; there are people who travel throughout the world to do yoga. We will be looking at further developments such as looking into E-commerce capabilities, more information on different activities the country offers, etc.”

He also indicated that, “This area is already a ready market for product development and can drive sales. If locally-made items are used in spa, many international guests want to order products to take back with them. The website will not only promote the tourism sector, but also offer products and services.” (NB)