Bahamas Targets Wellness Tourism

Health and wellness services could become a ‘niche’ tourism sector for the Bahamas, an industry executive telling Tribune Business that a local chapter of the Caribbean Spa & Wellness Association (C-SWA) is set to be formed this year. The move is designed to put the Bahamas on track to becoming one of the leading health and wellness vacation destinations.

Janette Martin-Isaacs, president of JEMI Health & Wellness Spa, and one of the directors of the C-SWA, told Tribune Business: “Tourists come here already to rest and relax. “If we are a part of C-SWA and we form a local chapter, which we intend to work to complete this year, then we will reach out to all the spa and wellness owners here in the Bahamas so that we could compile our data and see what our indigenous products are, and how we could market that so that we become one of the leading destinations for spa and wellness vacations.

“That would bring money into our tourism industry and individual business as well. This could definitely be a niche for us. I think for the last few years there has been focus on the health industry, where persons came for medical services. With spa and wellness services it’s more than medical services; these are well people looking to have a well and healthy vacation.”

Caribbean nations such as the Bahamas could capitalise on the $40-$60 billion global health and wellness market, with the C-SWA leading the push by aiming to increase the sector’s visitor arrivals and revenues by as much as 10 per cent by 2015.

The C-SWA, supported by the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export), recently launched its new website, marking the beginning of their plan make the Caribbean a leading spa destination by 2015. The proposed web portal will assist Caribbean Export and C-SWA in virtually promoting the region as a health and wellness destination.

Source: Tribune 242