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New Eden Gardens Wellness Resort and Spa to Boost Health Tourism

Release Date: 
Thursday, March 27, 2014 - 11:15

Kingston, Jamaica: March 26, 2014: Jamaica’s push to develop health and wellness tourism has received another major boost with the opening of the Eden Gardens Wellness Resort and Spa in Kingston. The facility was officially opened by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson-Miller yesterday, March 25, 2014. The 18-room property boasts the first Semi-Contempo Spa in Jamaica, a fitness centre, chiropractic centre and offers Chinese acupuncture services.

Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, the Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill joined Prime Minister Simpson-Miller in welcoming the investment, citing that the property will help to further boost health and wellness tourism.

Prime Minister Simpson-Miller said “we see the private sector as our partners in development. That is why we hail this $550 million dollar investment represented in Eden Gardens Wellness Resort and Spa. And I am happy to note that employment has moved from eight staff when it opened three years ago to 95 today.”

The Prime Minister also underscored that Jamaica has the attributes to succeed in health and wellness tourism. “We have a well-developed medical infrastructure, world-renowned cadre of nurses and doctors and have demonstrated expertise in medicine. There is no reason why Jamaica cannot attract significant investments and tourist  flow in this area,” said the Prime Minister.

Minister McNeill said, “The Eden Gardens Wellness Resort and Spa fits perfectly into the Ministry’s strategy to reposition Kingston as a vibrant metropolitan tourist city, and also, our resolve to establish a firm foothold in the health and wellness sector of the world tourism market.”

Dr. McNeill also expressed that the continued development and diversification of the tourism product remains a major priority, which is guided by the Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development. It was noted that a strategy has also been conceived to position new medical facilities that would meet international accreditation and thereby compete globally to take advantage of Jamaica’s proximity to the North American market. 

The Minister outlined that “critical to this process is the development of health and wellness tourism. The opening of this facility, together with the recent press launch of the Hospiten hospital in Montego Bay and other projects which are being brought on-stream, reinforce the policy and strategy that has been drafted and further signals that we are making significant progress.”