Stakeholders say Negril perfect for wellness tourism

WESTERN BUREAU:

When most persons think of Jamaica, images of white sand beaches and all-inclusive hotels spring to mind. But as global wellness tourism surges toward what experts project will be a multi-trillion-dollar industry, local stakeholders are becoming more curious, and optimistic about the possibilities.

Could Jamaica carve out a space as a global destination for healing, health, and holistic well-being? Richard Wallace, chairman of the Negril Chamber of Commerce and head of Destination Assurance, certainly believes so. For him, the key lies in Negril.

“Negril has the potential to be ... a health and wellness destination (because) ... the atmosphere here, it’s relaxed, it’s calm, it’s serene, it’s good for rehabilitation, relaxing whether on the beach or on the cliffs,” he said in an interview with The Gleaner.

He says visitors already experience the luxury of wellness in the resort town. “It’s a place where people can unwind and recuperate and ... spend time, connect with nature and ... feel that healing from the earth, the water, the sun and the sand beneath your feet, between your toes and that relaxing atmosphere that provides that healing.”

In addition, fresh, organic, and locally sourced food is readily available . “A lot of our food that is consumed here is grown in central St Elizabeth. It’s natural food, not a lot of GMOs and so like some of the food that you get in developed countries. This is better for healing and provides more nutrients,” Wallace says.

He acknowledged however that Negril does face a few barriers, particularly relating to ease of travel, movement. A trip to and from the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, for example may take up to three hours, depending on the traffic.

“What we need is accessibility,” Wallace stressed. “If we can reduce the drive time from Montego Bay to Negril to 30 (or) 35 minutes, which is what it would be if we create that highway ... . Negril Beach will be flooded with thousands of tourist day visitors coming in. And these day visitors don’t go inside (the) all inclusives. They are going to Negril’s beach. They’re going to be walking up and down. They’re going to be spending money with vendors and bars and the water sports people.”

Wallace believes that with better infrastructure, Negril’s wellness economy could thrive, and hotels, spas, small businesses and communities would benefit.

NEED FOR NATIONAL STRATEGY

But while he speaks from direct experience, Keisha Blair, economist, foreign direct investment expert, and founder of the Holistic Wealth Movement, locates Jamaica’s opportunity in the global space.

“Wellness tourism will be one of the fastest growing tourism sectors worldwide,” she explained. “Given that that’s the case, Jamaica has a chance to create sustainable jobs and diversify their tourism income and support local entrepreneurs. So, there’s a lot of links between wellness tourism and national economic resilience.”

Blair referenced figures from a World Economic Forum (report) showing that the global wellness tourism sector could reach $16 trillion of global GDP by 2034, accomplishing around half that by 2030. “As of last year, it was seven trillion already. When you look at it, it’s even conservative,” she noted. Based on this current standing, wellness tourism may prove to be worth even more than projected.

She stressed the urgency. “We really are at that inflection point right now ... . By 2030, it’s going to reach eight trillion ... . Jamaica needs to move.”

She suggests that Jamaica already has the raw material in its culture, spirituality, food, music, and the natural environment. What’s missing is a coordinated national strategy. “It means that we need to develop a strategy, a national strategy, to target those visitors and to market to those visitors,” she said.

That she says, also means shifting focus away from only all-inclusive resorts. “What this fosters is longer stays, and people come in for wellness, so they’re taking more advantage of the communities around them, of the resources around, not just being cooped up in a hotel,” Blair argued.

“They’re doing mindfulness sessions, they’re doing yoga ... and it means that local entrepreneurs can get more involved.”

UNIQUE ADVANTAGE

Dr Duane Chambers, a cardiac radiologist and founder of Caribbean Front Desk (CFD), a health and wellness tourism facility, is keen on promoting the bridge between medical care and wellness experiences. He believes Jamaica can compete in both.

“Wellness tourism ... . some people use that as a big umbrella term to include both medical and … ‘wellness tourism’,” he explained. “Medical tourism is where ... people travel ... to seek medical care abroad. Wellness tourism generally is for health conscious travellers (who) will travel to another country to engage in health seeking activities such as spas or yoga.”

He says that Jamaica has a unique advantage. “Jamaica is one of the only countries in the world where psilocybin, which is mushroom therapy, is legal and available and has been shown to help with ... things like major depression,” Chambers noted.

CFD onboards spas, yoga instructors, and psilocybin therapy providers into packages for travellers. As of 2023, at least four psilocybin-focused resorts were recognised in Jamaica while the hallucinogen remains banned in the Unites States, Europe, Canada and other regions.

Notably, on the medical side of wellness, Dr Chambers’ platform is pushing for international accreditation of local facilities.

“A lot of people may not realise it but it’s currently happening in Jamaica,” Chambers said. “There are people that come into Jamaica for all sorts of surgical procedures ... . By bringing international accreditation to our facilities we hope to attract patients from North America because of course the cost of our treatments would be much lower.”

Chambers also sees opportunities in community tourism and even the herbal industry. “If properly managed and properly marketed ... it could explode,” he said. “Jamaica is really unique in the plant species that we have ... there are untold cures for lots of diseases that exist.”

The consensus is that Jamaica cannot afford to miss the wellness wave.

“Tourism is our biggest foreign exchange earner,” Chambers emphasised. “Currently this is our gold. This is our natural resource. Our culture really is our biggest natural resource.”