Plans on stream to develop ‘spa’ tourism

THE development and promotion of the Caribbean Health and Wellness Tourism Sector Project is important in helping the region develop its health and wellness sector, which would lead to the growth of one of the region’s main sources of foreign exchange – tourism.

This is the belief of Valarie Pilgrim, Operations Officer at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), who delivered remarks at the Caribbean Spa and Wellness Launch at the Radisson Aquatica Resort last Wednesday.

Some of the individuals involved in the spa and wellness
industry in attendance at the Caribbean Spa and Wellness
Launch on Wednesday at the Radisson Aquatica Resort.

“One such project is the ‘Development and Promotion of the Caribbean Health and Wellness Tourism Sector’. The objective of this project is to contribute to the growth of the health and wellness segment of the tourism industry and, by extension, the diversification of the region’s tourism product.”

She said that this initiative would include three basic elements, the first of which is the preparation stage.

“The project has three main components, the first of which is planning, which includes market research and strategy development. The main output of this component is a comprehensive regional strategy and action plan for the development of the sector.”

This is naturally followed by executing the project based on the information and data gained from the research. It will also include developing the required standards that persons who are involved in this industry would need to have.

“[Next is] implementation, which involves standards development. The main output of this component is...internationally benchmarked standards and provision of technical assistance to businesses within the sector to implement these as voluntary standards. The project will also initiate the process of the establishment of mandatory standards for the sector.”

It would also involve promoting this initiative and stakeholders believe that in order to make this experience different from the spa and wellness experience that can be achieved anywhere else in the world, some Caribbean flavour must be added to this experience.

“[The] marketing and promotion component focuses on the development and promotion of a unique Caribbean spa and wellness experience. Technical assistance will be provided to assist businesses within the sector to develop and consistently deliver this differentiated, high quality Caribbean spa and wellness experience.”

She said that initiatives that they support are provided with “technical assistance to help Governments put in place the administrative, legislative and policy framework to meet their commitments under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and the CARICOM Single Market and Economy; assistance to the private sector to access new export markets; financial and technical resources to improve product testing and to enhance the quality of products exported; technical assistance to improve business processes and reduce red tape in trade processing; and technical support to develop existing or new high potential export sectors, including various priority service sectors”. (PT)