Minister of Tourism, Richard Sealy (second left) chatting with John Stinson (third left), chief executive officer of Choice Medical Services, a medical tourism company based in Canada. Dr Jacob Thomas, group medical advisor of Subang Jaya Medical Centre Sdn Bhd in Malaysia (left) and Philip Williams, executive director of the Caribbean Export Development Agency (right) listen in.

by STACEY RUSSELL

AS BARBADOS looks to export more of its services, Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy says the island needs to exploit the health and wellness industry that is now valued at US$40 billion.

Yesterday at the opening of an Exporting Services to Canada seminar hosted by the Caribbean Export Development Agency and the Trade Facilitation Office, Canada, Sealy said this industry was growing at 30 per cent per annum.

"It is growing higher than the rate of global tourism which is the fastest growing industry in the world. So we need to add that niche to our other offerings – conference tourism, sports tourism, heritage tourism and weddings," he noted.

The seminar, also a Caribbean Health and Wellness Tourism Strategy Meeting, is taking place at Accra Beach Hotel & Resort, Rockley, Christ Church, and finishes tomorrow.

Approximately 80 participants from 13 CARIFORUM (CARICOM & Dominican Republic) countries are attending.

The minister told them diversifying economies should be a major part of any forward strategy for services export.

"As it stands right now, 70 per cent of the foreign exchange Barbados earns is from tourism. I think that is a little high. In St Lucia, it is 85 per cent . . . . Clearly, to diversify to other services is a necessity if we are going to develop in a more holistic fashion," he said.

He encouraged the Barbados Coalition of Service Industries to look extensively at health and wellness for export as Barbados expands a service-driven economy.

"It is appropriate that you are starting with looking at Canada. I think that it is also appropriate that you are starting by looking at tourism."