MONTEGO BAY, St James — Minister of state in the Office of the Prime Minister Homer Davis is calling for the launch of a massive campaign to sell the resort city of Montego Bay as the healthiest destination in the Caribbean in order to cash in on the over US$2-trillion health and wellness tourism sector.

“The health and wellness industry today has a value of well over US$2 trillion dollars and it is my view that the time has come for Jamaica, as the tourism capital of the Caribbean, and Montego Bay, the tourism mecca of Jamaica, to start a major campaign to market our country as the healthiest destination in this region,” Davis stated.

He was speaking at the official launch of the Courts City Run, dubbed the “Return of the Great Run 2023”, at the Holiday Inn Resort on Tuesday. The run, conceptualised by journalist and philanthropist Janet Silvera 10 years ago, returns this year after a three-year hiatus.

It will be staged in Montego Bay on Sunday, May 7.

Over the last decade, the western Jamaica-based charity has funded scholarships and education grants, amounting to $23.5 million, for a number of tertiary-level students.

Davis argued that apart from its contribution to higher learning, “events like the MoBay City Run have given Jamaica a great opportunity to become a major player in the health and wellness tourism sector”.

“Ladies and gentlemen, looking at the history of the MoBay City Run, I am sure you will recall that it started with Miss Silvera auctioning some of her fabulous dresses which resulted in $600,000 being raised in the first year,” Davis argued.

Recipients of scholarships from the charity run, Dr Akil Gardner and final year CARIMAC student Shanna-Kay Brown, reflected that the scholarship allowed them to study freely without a financial burden on their shoulders.

“I really, really needed it. And it helped me, basically covered my boarding for my fourth year [at UWI, Mona]. And just the fact that I had that off my mind — because students can relate — when you’re in a position where you’re trying to get your work done, and you’re like, boy, this a go pay or that a go pay and you’re not sure what’s gonna happen, it can actually affect your performance. And having that peace of mind, personally, was of great benefit at the time, and I’m very grateful,” Gardner said.

“So, essentially, I implore everyone in attendance today (Tuesday) to appreciate the positive changes that this initiative is bringing in people’s lives, to support it as much as you can, and for as long as you can, make the foundation become bigger and better and able to reach even more individuals in the future,” he added.

For her part, Brown, who said she was better able to focus on her academics as she “had a psychological ease to not having to worry about my finances”, added that she was truly appreciative of the no-restrictions on age limits being attached to the scholarships.

“I felt at ease having received the scholarship because a lot of scholarships, they have strict age regulations, and so forth. I was so happy that they didn’t have that much requirement,” Brown said.

Simone Mahabeer, brand manager, Courts Jamaica, said her company “is proud to be a part of an institution such as this that seeks to improve the lives of Jamaican citizens through charity and education”.

“As the largest charity run in western Jamaica, the MoBay City Run has a marked legacy of over $23.5 million in aid provided to those most needed since 2013. The team has been tasked with bringing all of Montego Bay together for the greater good 10 years since its start; the goal remains the same,” Mahabeer said.

Dr Patrick Prendergast, campus director, The University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona, Western Jamaica Campus (WJC), underscored that the run is not merely about higher education but also about the building of capacity.

“It is a little bit more than that; it is about securing our future; it is about enhancing our potential; it’s about improving our environment or health situation as we have seen and heard from our testimonials,” Prendergast stated.

For her part, Silvera has committed to working with her team to perpetuate the run and assist needy students to attain higher education.