Barbados serious about health and wellness tourism

The government of Barbados wants to encourage health and wellness tourism, but with the money coming from the private sector. The government role should be to provide the legal and regulatory framework for expansion and private investment. Establishing a National Health Care Quality Council will help to ensure that growth is from a secure base.

The government of Barbados wants to encourage health and wellness tourism, but with the money coming from the private sector. The government role should be to provide the legal and regulatory framework for expansion and private investment. Establishing a National Health Care Quality Council will help to ensure that growth is from a secure base.

This basis, says the Ministry of Health, is among several recommendations made last year to the government by an inter-sectoral task force that examined the development of that segment of tourism on the island. It sees opportunities to target the US and Europe with a range of wellness offers. The target market is seen as “ An aging population with increasing demands for cosmetic surgery, spas and retirement communities. There is also growing affluence amongst the younger population, particularly in the US who rate vacations that offer spa facilities, fitness and addiction treatment as highly desirable.”

The island’s established tourism infrastructure with good transport and hotels is seen as a platform on which a health and wellness tourism market could be built. It has a good climate, low labour costs, reliable communications and transport infrastructure, first class hotel and tourism services, an educated population, and well-trained practitioners in an established health and medical service in both public and private sectors.

The task force recommends that the government seeks technical assistance to undertake a study and development plan; draft a Health and Wellness Tourism Development Incentives Act; develop new legislation to address this aspect of tourism; and establish coordinating bodies to manage the six sectors of wellness promotion, complementary and alternative medicine, healthy food alternatives, assisted living, universal access to tourism products and services, and conventional medicine. One recommendation, a wellness council to act as the regulating body for wellness professionals such as Reiki experts, reflexologists and massage therapists- has already been acted on.

Barbados wants to create a health and wellness tourism product that is distinct from others in the Caribbean. The establishment of a National Health Care Quality Council is needed as in order to attract health and wellness tourists, high quality standards are paramount and there is a need to ensure that health care standards are at world-class levels. It will be established to be the national co-coordinating agency for quality management in the health sector. The council will provide annual reports on the quality of the sector, set benchmarks by which performance can be measured and establish performance standards and protocols. It will have measurable indicators and evidence-based tools that should be applied in every aspect of the health services, as well as audit the performance of institutions and develop links with reputable international agencies to help with benchmarking, peer review and accreditation.

Wellness tourism needs to be expanded within Barbados. Across the island, there are numerous hotels that offer spa packages, but there is a lack of other well-being facilities that package accommodation and treatment together to attract long-stay visitors.
Ministry of Health