The Department of Tourism (DOT) is seeking to capture the Middle East market as it positions the Philippines as the “next emerging medical and wellness destination” in Asia.
According to Philippine News Agency, the direction was announced on May 5, 2023 during the signing of a partnership deal between the DOT and Dubai-based Agora Group, ahead of the first International Health and Wellness Tourism Congress (IHWTC) 2023 in Dusseldorf, Germany which will happen from June 8 to 9.
The signing, which took place at The Medical City in Pasig, was attended by DOT Secretary Christina Frasco where she revealed how nationals from the Arab states have a “culture of medical travel.”
Sec. Frasco emphasized the importance of Manila’s participation in the IHWTC. She said that it will reflect how the DOT, under the Marcos administration, conveys its “seriousness” in prioritizing medical tourism as a marketable product around the world.
“We are giving the Philippines a fighting chance at becoming a tourism powerhouse in Asia. And we recognize that medical tourism and wellness tourism hold one of the keys to this endeavor, because we have the people, we have the facilities, and we are adjusting government policies to ensure that the climate for medical tourism to thrive will ensue,” Frasco said in an interview.
Further, she explained that the Middle East is not the only region they are eyeing for this venture, and that their presence in the congress “will position the Philippines as a viable destination globally, in terms of offering medical tourism and wellness.”
Meanwhile, Hadi Malaeb, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Agora, was also present in the signing. He bared that the international event will gather the top 100 buyers from all over the world, with an expected combined spending budget of over USD8 billion or approximately PHP441 billion.
In its initial presentation to the DOT, Agora Group Dubai estimated global health and wellness tourism to be worth USD45.5 million to USD72 billion, with 14 to 16 million crossborder patients and an average spend of USD3,800 to USD6,000 per visit.
“The event is not only focused on medical tourism. The wellness and health segment is a much wider spectrum of services including spas, cosmetic surgeon, general surgery, sports tourism– so all of these supporting institutions within the medical field can benefit from being part of the event,” Malaeb said.
According to Frasco, the DOT has been actively promoting the Philippines’ diverse tourism products and destinations in hopes to achieve a “full recovery” of inbound tourism next year.
She reported that the country has generated over PHP1.7 trillion in receipts both from international and domestic visitor spending.
“So, we’re looking for this figure to grow in the years to come, especially that we foresee the 100 percent recovery of domestic tourism this year, and also the recovery of international tourism in terms of obtaining 4.8 million towards our goal of obtaining 100 percent recovery next year,” Frasco said.
