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Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, secretary general of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation.

Caribbean VeggieFest spices up health & spa conference

The Caribbean VeggieFest, combined with the Health Tourism & Spa Conference, has taken a new twist. The event, produced by Positive Tourism Limited, is a plant-based vegetarian culinary festival with an 'Ask the Chef' feature segment, combined with a professional trade show for the wellness professional.

Ambassador the Honorable Richard Bernal and Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, secretary general, Caribbean Tourism Organisation, return as keynote speakers at the festival and conference to be held March 15-16. The venue is the Rhodes Hall Plantation & Resort in Green Island, Hanover.

Both keynote speakers will address the theme, Caribbean Healing Streams of Wellness. Vanderpool-Wallace will address the gathering on Saturday, March 15, at 11:00 am. on the topic: Expanding the Wellness Industry within the Caribbean.

position taken

Ambassador Bernal, a Jamaican national, is a professional economist and currently serves as director general of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery. He will expound on Expanding the Wellness Industry within the Caribbean and will examine the need for regional integration and health spa standards for health tourism on Sunday, March 16, at 9:00 am.

Dr Aris Latham, an international specialist in food science and the marketer of Sunfired Food (www.sunfiredfoods.com), returns with a gourmet raw food performance and an 'Ask the Chef' feature showcase.

Head physician of Lifestyle Transformation Centre, Dr Danovan Whyte speaks on Saturday 1:30 p.m.- 2:30 p.m. He will discuss along with a panel, the subject Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food, moderated by Theo Chambers. This panel of experts also features Dr Heather Little-White, nutritionist and managing director of Little-White & Associates Ltd.

For the wellness entrepreneurs, an empowerment session awaits. Winston Stona, Blue Mountain Aromatics, moderates the panel which will discuss 'Producing, Manufacturing, Using and Exporting Indigenous Natural Spa Products' with Dr Diane Robertson, international herb specialist and pharmacist and Stella Gray, spa elder, Fern Tree Spa at Half Moon.

other speakers

Other speakers include: Ben Tsedek Ben Yehuda, representing Everlasting Life Health Complex.

The Caribbean Health Tourism & Spa Conference is a professional trade show which attracts stakeholders in the Caribbean and international health and wellness sector. The exciting two-day programme will begin with a sacred healing ancestral tribute by IIon Station, the indigenous healers of the West. The programme will include an extraordinary chef competition led by Bill Moore of the Culinary Federation of Jamaica. There will be eight expert panel presentations, 13 workshops and demonstrations and two special interest presentations.

Entry is free; however, there is a charge for seminars and demonstrations. For more details visit: www.caribbeanveggiewellness.com or call Positive Tourism Limited at 876-381-1591 or 957-9243.