Putting Philippines on international wellness destination map
WHEN my longtime friend Cory Quirino asks me for help, I never say “No,” especially when it involves her advocacy of promoting health and wellness in our country.
Needless to say, she is the best poster girl for health and wellness. I’m not going to venture on guessing how old she is because, ever since we worked together many decades ago at the former Hyatt Regency Manila (now the Midas Hotel) until now, she still looks 28 years old.
So, when Cory told me to help promote the Health and Wellness ConFex 2024, its second edition, I gladly recommended it to all the members of the various tourism organizations that I lead. Although I have to admit that, with Cory spearheading any event, there is no need for additional promotional activities because her name, her image, and what she stands for, bring in the numbers needed for a successful event.
The three-day event was very successful, with dozens of exhibitors and a steady stream of interested health and wellness advocates filling up the humongous hall of the SMX Convention Center at the Mall of Asia Complex. The venue had display booths of the country’s award-winning wellness destinations, specialty shops, items from the leading organic farms, and even medical tourism packages from globally accredited hospitals.
The event’s theme was “Go & Get Better through Wellness Tourism,” which is defined as travel associated with the pursuit of maintaining one’s health and wellness. But, this second edition also pushed for regenerative tourism which calls for tourists to take good care of the place they visit. They have to be mindful of their activities’ social and environmental impact, towards ensuring the sustainability of our Tourism Industry for our much-needed economic growth.
The event also launched Cory’s latest TV show and vlog, OTW (On Travel and Wellness), which will banner the country’s beautiful and breathtaking tourist destinations, while focusing on the importance of keeping a healthy and active lifestyle.
When the event was first launched late last year, Cory announced that her team’s main objective in putting together the event is to push for our country to be known globally as the Health and Wellness destination of the world. However, she also intimated that a lot of work still has to be done to make our country imbibe the culture of wellness and with a lot of support from the government sector.
It is estimated that the market size of wellness tourism is $72 billion and our country ranks only 24th out of 46 identified medical and wellness tourism destinations in the world. This means that we still have a long way to go to improve our global standing.
Why is wellness tourism important? It helps boost our economy because it gives employment and business opportunities to the community while promoting its tradition and culture. As individuals, it boosts our immunity, improves our cognitive functions, provides us with cultural enrichment, supports healthy relationships through group activities and interaction, and restores restful sleep. It also enhances our self-awareness through meditation, gives us a much-needed break from digital dependency, promotes lifelong healthy habits, and leads to better work performance resulting from higher productivity and creativity.
With my dear friend, Cory Quirino, leading the way in this admirable advocacy, I have no doubt that, very soon, our countrymen will become more mindful of what has to be done to stay healthy. Consequently, wellness tourism will become a very important sector of our Industry.
The Health and Wellness ConFex 2024 was made possible with the help of Department of Tourism, Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, Duty Free Philippines, Tourism Promotions Board, Department of Health, Department of Trade and Industry, and the Philippine Coconut Authority.