DOT director for medical and wellness tourism Roberto Abalado III disclosed that a technical working group composed of representatives from five government agencies has been working to revive the industry to draw more medical travellers to the Philippines.
The Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) wants to relaunch the destination as a wellness spot this year.
DOT director for medical and wellness tourism Roberto Abalado III disclosed that a technical working group composed of representatives from five government agencies has been working to revive the industry to draw more medical travellers to the Philippines.
“We are still relatively unknown (in the medical tourism sphere) despite the fact that we have one of the best (medical) prices in the world,” Abalado said.
The relaunch will involve the unveiling of a new brand for the industry, he added.
Government data showed that Filipinos’ health-related expenditures grew by an average of 8.2% per year from 2009 to 2016, faster than the growth of other consumer spending sub-sectors such as hotels and restaurants (7.3%), food and beverage (5.5%), communication (5.1%), and clothing and footwear (1.4 %).
But the country’s standing in the medical tourism industry has remained the same since 2016, an indication that initiatives being undertaken were not enough to push the country’s ranking up, Abalado said.
The Medical Tourism Index (MTI), a country-based performance measure to assess the attractiveness of a country as a medical tourist destination, lists the Philippines as 19th in global ranking among its destinations.
It placed 16th in the medical tourism industry and 19th in the quality of facilities and services.
Abalado said investments in infrastructure and services, better air connectivity, quality assurance, and aggressive marketing are some of the missing elements that could spur growth in the medical tourism sector.