BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

The Caribbean region has been encouraged to market itself to the United States, Canada and Europe as a 'Mecca' for health and wellness tourism.

Tourism Minister Richard Sealy said since many Caribbean economies rely on tourism as a major foreign exchange earner, it was time for the region to create a new niche for itself.

"I think that it is a necessity for us given that tourism is our main industry, and given our limited resources and the fact that a hardworking and well educated work force is about all we have going for us," he told regional participants Monday at a Caribbean Export Development Agency three-day seminar.