By Bryle B. Suralta
With the theme “Journey to a zestful life,” the Health and Wellness Conference and Expo is looking to promote the Philippines’ health and wellness industry from April 26 to 28 at the SMX Convention Center.
The three-day event will gather international partners, industry manufacturers and top-of-the-line product suppliers from various sectors of the local health and wellness industry. It is a project of Health and Wellness World, an advocacy program that seeks to transform the Philippines into a health and wellness hub.
ConfEx 2019 will provide a platform for stakeholders to discover the latest global developments, trends and collaboration opportunities. It will also promote competitive brands, products and services on an international scale.
More importantly, the conference will provide the venue for discussing how the Philippines can gain more traction in its growing wellness tourism market.
“Wellness tourism, or travel for the purpose of promoting one’s health and well-being through physical, psychological or spiritual activities, is a thriving global business,” Health and Wellness ConfEx 2019 executive director Cory Quirino said during the event’s media launch.
According to her, the country’s tropical climate and picturesque sites also “promote healing and relaxation.” She also notes that Filipinos’ hospitality, compassion and nurturing nature provide our health and wellness sector with an edge over other markets globally.
Quirino also emphasized that the tourism and wellness sector is “already a trillion-dollar global industry, [as] it continues to grow nearly twice as fast at the world economy.”
Although wellness travelers currently account for just a small percentage in the country’s total tourism revenues, Quirino pointed out that the Philippines has the potential to become a major health and wellness destination in the future.
“We have internationally accredited hospitals and award-winning wellness resorts and spas where highly trained and English-speaking healthcare and wellness professionals provide world-class services,” she said.
Cory also underscored that prices of the various local health and wellness services here are very competitive. She also noted that when compared with rates usually charged in the western world, Philippine establishments charge much lower even when the cost of travel and accommodation is included.
Among the highlights of the three-day conference are talks from top executives of the Department of Tourism, Department of Health and the Tourism Promotions Board. They will be talking about the government’s plans and programs for the health and tourism industry.
Officials of some of the country’s leading health and wellness facilities, such as The Farm at San Benito, Healthway Medical Inc. and The Zen Institute, will be at the event to share their business experiences and insights as well.
Meanwhile, the event exposition, which will run simultaneously with the conference, will showcase various health and wellness products and services for the attendees. The event exposition will be offering exclusive marked down prices of organic products and wellness travel packages.
ConfEx 2019 is co-presented by ABS-CBN and sponsored by Organique, Mestiza, The Zen Institute, The Farm at San Benito, Toledo Medical Companies, Conrad Manila Hotel, Oh So Healthy, Healthway Medical Inc. and Manulife.
The Health and Wellness Conference and Expo is open to the public. For more information, go to Confex@healthandwellnessworld.com.
