RUSSELL… well being and wellness tourism by its huge choices presents an excellent alternative for us to additional diversify the tourism product. Vacationers are additionally now searching for completely different experiences, therefore, the extra we will provide, the higher our possibilities to additional develop the sector annually
Because the potential for Jamaica’s indigenous natural wonders and pure sources proceed to stay largely untapped, president of the Jamaica Resort and Vacationer Affiliation (JHTA) Robin Russell believes that as a rustic we’re simply barely scratching the floor because it pertains to well being tourism.
Already a world chief within the leisure tourism house, Russell, talking with the Jamaica Observer just lately, mentioned there’s heaps extra worth that may be extracted from the profitable sector if we will critically exploit extra of our wealthy pure and cultural belongings.
“Well being and wellness tourism by its huge choices presents an excellent alternative for us to additional diversify the tourism product. Vacationers are additionally now searching for completely different experiences, therefore, the extra we will provide, the higher our possibilities to additional develop the sector annually,” he additional informed the Enterprise Observer.
“I consider with the completion of Cornwall Regional and all our different medical services we will add extra power to our native well being sector. On the therapeutic facet, we’ve been doing a whole lot of retreats by way of medicinal mushrooms and different types of remedy comparable to yoga, which have all helped to current higher alternatives for us as a rustic.
“I believe one of many issues that we’ve, nevertheless, not been capable of absolutely extract full potential from is our pure spas comparable to Milk River, Bathtub, and others. Equally, one other space we’ve seen popping out of our annual well being and wellness boards can also be using the pure herbs now we have, a lot of which possess huge quantities of medicinal worth. Whether or not it’s the castor oil or guinea hen weed, the efficiency of our native herbs and the way in which individuals have been utilizing them collectively or individually as remedies for numerous sicknesses is turning into more and more well-liked, rife with wealthy alternatives,” he added.
The JHTA head, pointing to a rising variety of pharmaceutical medication now having opposed unwanted effects, mentioned that the rise in reputation of those pure herbs when used as potions or ointments carries huge potential on rising as a lot safer options.
“As extra individuals proceed to faucet into this space in quest of pure cures, it additionally presents big alternatives for additional improvement of the burgeoning well being tourism market. It’s now seen the place increasingly more individuals have been coming to Jamaica and taking these merchandise again, even of their uncooked types, to their nations of origin abroad. Primarily based on these improvement, we’ve seen the place there’s positively big potential, and I’m curious to see the place we will go along with it,” he acknowledged.
Presently mentioned to be missing enough analysis and ample ranges of funding, the medical tourism section, if correctly developed, he believes, can add considerably to Jamaica’s booming vacationer product which final 12 months introduced in roughly 4.3 million guests and $4.3 billion in earnings.
“I believe now we have solely to this point been scratching the floor when it comes on to well being tourism, as I don’t suppose now we have completed the complete analysis which attracts on the experience of lecturers as properly the required ranges of scientific testing to find out the complete potential of those pure merchandise and even to get them to internationally licensed ranges, which might finally assist us to extract extra worth from these sources,” Russell mentioned.
Additional touting the export potential of those sources, he mentioned the time has come for us to maneuver past exploiting these merchandise of their uncooked kind and transfer in direction of having actual worth added.
“In too many situations we’re solely choosing these merchandise out of our backyards or going into the bushes for them and utilizing them to do some factor, what we, nevertheless, have to do is to start to noticeably take into consideration cultivating huge acreages of those merchandise in order that they are often mass produced and used to additional add worth to the general tourism product,” he mentioned, noting that whereas a few of that is already being completed, there stays a lot room for extra to be completed.
“Tourism is an export product, so when a customer involves Jamaica and is ready to strive a brand new cleaning soap that may remedy their eczema, once they return residence it’s possible that they’ll wish to purchase extra and even order for family and friends — additional opening the market to the broader world. The potential, subsequently, rests with how far our producers can take these merchandise as they work to produce the demand as they unlock higher worth added,” he additionally mentioned.
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, talking on the sixth well being and wellness convention held in Montego Bay final November, mentioned that with Jamaica having greater than 300 medicinal vegetation, its ample inventory of pure sources offers a aggressive edge which ought to be exploited to draw extra of these travellers searching for transformative experiences past the standard solar, sea, and sand or leisure choices.
In 2023, the Authorities, collaborating with the Ministry of Well being and Wellness and the Jamaica Promotions Company (Jampro) had indicated that it could be transferring to formulate a well being tourism coverage which is to turn into a necessary framework that may define the rules, tips, and procedures for selling and regulating medical tourism within the nation.
Well being tourism, popularly considered as individuals travelling from one nation to a different in quest of medical therapy, has over the previous couple of years grown to turn into a world development set by customers searching for to reinforce their well-being by journey experiences.
With prices for some therapy choices in Jamaica mentioned to be about 50-70 per cent much less when in comparison with that of nations such because the US, Authorities, in taking steps to enhance the native health-care sector, Bartlett mentioned, has seen the nation in current instances setting its sight on turning into a frontrunner within the international well being and wellness market.
A report by Jampro, completed on the worldwide well being tourism market greater than a decade in the past, exhibits the place, at the moment, greater than 8 million individuals worldwide have been mentioned to be travelling for medical procedures. In flocking to a variety of well-liked nations they have been discovered to be searching for out primarily elective procedures, starting from beauty surgical procedures, laser companies, and different different medical options as a part of their therapy routine.
“With its status for world-class medical professionals, robust community of diagnostic services, indigenous pure herbs and mineral spas, nice hospitality and being close to shore to the world’s largest supply marketplace for medical vacationers, Jamaica is uniquely positioned to achieve success on this fast-growing trade,” the report acknowledged.
Russell, in additional highlighting Jamaica’s distinctive place as a participant within the international well being tourism market, mentioned that whereas it stays residence to all kinds of indigenous vegetation having good medicinal properties, additionally mentioned that as a rustic “we proceed to take this as a right as we miss out on a variety of nice alternatives from which we will really profit”.
“We have to select a handful of those pure cures and actually put some analysis behind understanding extra about them, as we additionally undertake the mandatory investments wanted to develop the trade in order that exterior of vacationers coming right here to learn from them; we will additionally start to bundle and expor —, after which the sky is the restrict,” he mentioned.
