The Caribbean Spa and Wellness Association (C-SWA) supported by the Caribbean Export Develop-ment Agency launched its new website last week as it advanced plans to promote the Caribbean as a leading spa destination by 2015.
According to a press release, the “Development and Promotion of the Caribbean Health and Wellness Tourism Sector” project is being conducted in partnership with C-SWA and is funded by the UK’s Department for International Development through the Caribbean Development Bank.
At a press briefing held last Friday, Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director of Caribbean Export said the region had the ideal environment for a thriving health and wellness sector. C-SWA chairman Steve Andrews echoed this view, adding that the global economic crisis was leading to a “more stressed out people” looking for the tranquility found at spas.
Andrews also pointed out that it can take as long as 18 hours to reach Thailand from North America yet that country’s health and wellness sector has grown by 12 per cent.
He posited that the Caribbean had the potential to divert some of the traffic from those destinations, particularly since it would mean less hours travelling.
A Commonwealth Secretariat study said the global health and wellness industry is a US$40 billion international market, growing at 30% per annum.
Further, it estimates the Caribbean’s potential for generating export earnings from this sector at US$175 million.
“The industry’s growth makes it attractive and the Caribbean has the advantage that service and product providers that are already in the tourism market can diversify their products to attract more customers by targeting specific markets,” the release said. However, there is need to promote the health and wellness tourism sector in the Caribbean and internationally, and one of the most cost effective means of doing this is via a website or web portal.
