Jamaica targets wellness, post-covid

Jamaica intends to capitalise on a surge in wellness tourism as people seek relief from the mental effects of coronavirus quarantines as lockdowns lift.

Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, said: “It is safe to anticipate that notwithstanding the toll on the travel industry, a lot of people will be anxious to go to some place where they can revive their spirits and recover from the mental strain brought about by lockdowns that have curtailed their movements for months.”

Bartlett was delivering the keynote address at the opening of the second annual Jamaica Health and Wellness Tourism Conference, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre last week.

He said that the Government and tourism stakeholders have been successful in keeping the sector free from contamination, which will improve its attractiveness as a destination for wellness. Jamaica wants to attract eco-tourists, yoga enthusiasts and fitness buffs.

Bartlett commended the Tourism Linkages Network for staging the conference, which was held over two days under the theme ‘Reimagine, Reset, Restore’. He said: “It is going to take some time, but we will get back there and we must have the tools that are going to propel us forward.”