Caribbean Health Tourism & Spa Conference 2008  

Background

The Caribbean Health Tourism & Spa Conference was held March 15-16, 2008 at Rhodes Hall Plantation & Resort in Green Island, Hanover, Jamaica, W.I.  This event was endorsed by the Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Private Sector Development Company (PSDP), Jamaica Business Development Centre (JBDC), Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), and the Jamaica Tourist Board. It was sponsored by the Sunday Herald Newspaper, Sandals Beach Resort & Spa, TVJ, Positive Tourism News, Duty Free Association of Jamaica, Reggae Drops Spring Water, and Lifestyle Transformation Centre.

Caribbean Health Tourism.com is considered the portal for Caribbean Health Tourism. This is evidenced by its position in Google appearing in the top 5 listings using the following key words: Caribbean Spa Tourism, Caribbean Health Tourism & Caribbean Medical Tourism.

The Caribbean Health Tourism & Spa Conference and the Caribbean VeggieFest are productions of Positive Tourism Limited, an Internet marketing communications, public relations and management company based in Jamaica, W.I. These productions are assisted by the promotion and advocacy of the Caribbean Resort & Day Spa Association (CRDSA), a professional organization that advances and promotes the business interests of members belonging to the spa and wellness industries, keeping them abreast of the latest spa trends & development through continuing education training seminars, workshops and networking opportunities.

As a result of the rapid expansion of the emerging Health Tourism sector and the pioneering efforts of the producers of the Caribbean Health Tourism & Spa Conference in positioning Jamaica and the wider Caribbean as the premier Health and Spa destination, its executives had been invited in May 2006 to represent Jamaica at the Alternative Health & Wellness Conference of the Inter-American Development (IDB) Bank in Washington D.C.   More recently they have been invited by the IDB to present on a Health & Wellness Panel at the Conference on the Caribbean 2020 Vision; a conference which brought Caribbean nationals, government, industry experts and investors together to present and share relevant information to advance the region.

Recent developments in the international health tourism domain has prompted Greece’s Health Tourism Integration Specialist, Constantine Constantinides, CEO Healthcare Cybernetics Limited to appointed Sharon Parris-Chambers, President, Positive Tourism Limited, in the Spring of 2008, as the first country representative from Jamaica as a board member to the first International Health Tourism Council headquarter in Dubai, UAE.

Challenged by Eric Light, President of the International Medical Spa Association (IMSA) to make an impact in standardizing the spa industry in Jamaica at the conclusion of the panel presentation at the IDB Conference in Washington D.C. in 2006, Caribbean Resort & Spa Association  agreed to lead the standardization & accreditation initiative in Jamaica and has partnered with the Tourism Product Development Company to undertake this revolutionary work. Since 2007, this effort is supported by a spa standards development steering committee lead by Winsome Belnavis, New Lifestyle Wholistic Clinic & Spa; coordinated by Rose Marie Headley-Smith and Ann Marie Rodrigues, TPDCo Quality Standards Division. The committee is supported by members’ representative of HEART/NTA; NCTVET; Ministry of Health, Bureau of Standards, Caribbean Herbal Business Association, Resort & Wholistic Spas; Consumer Affairs Commission; and Northern Caribbean University. The final document will be gazetted in Jamaica and thereafter final approval will be sought from CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards & Quality (CROSQ).

Wellness Revolution

 The Wellness Revolution, which came into prominence back in the 1990s, has anticipated the growth of  the wellness industry’s trillion dollar business.  The phenomenal growth of health tourism around the world cannot escape the notice of those having more than a passive interest in this market sector.  In the United States alone Americans spend a conservative estimate in excess of 20 billion dollars on healthcare outside their country.

Health tourism is broadly defined as people travelling from their place of residence for health reasons.  In addition to conventional healthcare (medical), this definition encompasses health & wellness, spa tourism; convalescent, addiction treatment, retirement communities, and some alternative health services. (World Bank, 2005).

[It also includes Culinary, Lifestyle Transformation, Resort & Destination Spas and Natural and Indigenous Spas which feature a wholistic experience, example Jackie’s on the Reef and the IION Station lifestyle wholistic Rastafarian Village.]

Author of “Patients Beyond Borders”, Josef Woodman, notes in a new guide for those seeking medical care abroad, that 150,000 Americans travelled in 2006, and predicts the numbers will double in 2007. (The Economist, Bangkok, Mar. 2007)

It is important to note the rapid growth of countries that are promoting international medical tourism today: India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Israel, Hungary, Turkey, Cyprus, Cuba, Costa Rica and Venezuela.

The effect of this global trend on Jamaica and the wider Caribbean

The effect on Jamaica and the wider Caribbean has been two fold; it has introduced the imitation of the western lifestyle into our culture on the one hand and created enterprise on the other. Firstly, it has lead to the increase of chronic diseases as Islanders imitate the lifestyles of the rich and famous. This has been acknowledged by Jamaica’s well known health guru, alternative & complementary medical practitioner, Dr. Anthony Vendryes in his newspaper health columns and in his frequent health lectures.

Dr. Leonard Whyte, Chief Medical Director/Natural Health Consultant, Lifestyle Transformation Centre, in an interview with Positive Tourism News, was asked to reflect on the effects of this global trend on Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.

He replied “lifestyle diseases arise as a result of mimicking the first world way of life, which reveals that what was promised is not what it is made out to be. Chronic illnesses: obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and cancer are all lifestyle related.” When the symptoms are suppressed with medication he said, the problem is not solved, but may contribute to other problems.

About the Caribbean VeggieFest:

The inaugural Caribbean VeggieFest was held on March 15-16, 2008 at Rhodes Hall Plantation & Resort and is the only known plant-based culinary festival in the Caribbean which showcases indigenous foods. The festival brings together food & juice purveyors, hotel & restaurant chefs, vegan food stores & chains and wellness professionals with expertise in multiple healing modalities. After three years, the Health Tourism & Spa Conference in 2008 has merged with the Caribbean VeggieFest, extending its reach to consumers interested in the healthy lifestyle. Delegates numbered 2000 plus over the two-day festival & conference.

The Caribbean VeggieFest and Health Tourism & Spa Conference had as its theme Caribbean Streams of Wellness, which were explored by Keynotes:  Dr.  Minister Sar Yadiel, of Damona, Israel who replaced Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, Secretary General, Caribbean Tourism Organization due to illness.  Theo Chambers, Founder & Producer, Caribbean VeggieFest & Health Tourism & Spa Conference, replaced Dr. Richard Bernal who was convalescing.

The festival was divided into three parts: culinary, health & wellness and Spa. The consumer and wellness professional were given clear choices for engagement.

The culinary section will have its focus on preparation of a wide variety of vegetarian foods available in the Caribbean including five star gourmet preparations, raw foods, healthy juices, natural pies, natural herbs & spices, natural wines & tonics (from plant sources). Exhibitors will include vegetarian restaurants, vegetarian food purveyors, juice makers, natural seasoning producers, herb growers, and a farmers market.

The health section will take a more professional approach by having wellness professionals from around the world sharing their knowledge and expertise in the form of workshops and seminars.  This section is usually reserved for individuals who are in the health and wellness industries and are looking to improve their skills, knowledge and marketing strategies.

The spa section will focus on how to run a successful and professional spa. A sample Spa management program will showcase Frontline staff training, customer satisfaction during the spa experience from the time the customer enters the spa until the moment they leave. The use of Caribbean natural products will also be showcased.

Positive Tourism Network demonstrated its commitment to health and wellness through its philosophy of lifestyle transformation.  Our vision of healing the mind, body and spirit through thoughts, words, and food has led to the creation of this Caribbean vegetarian-based event.
Caribbean VeggieFest – Health Tourism & Spa Conference2008 delivered two days of learning, networking and business development that elevated the knowledge and awareness of the delegates to a new spiritual high.

conclusion we exhort you to:  “Let your Food be our Medicine and Let your Medicine be your food.” (Hipprocrites)

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