DoT Medical Tourism program partner with global leader

The Department of Tourism (DoT) is positioning the country as an emerging medical and wellness tourism destination in Asia with the recent tie-up with a global leader in the medical and wellness industry.

Witnessing signing ceremony were (from left) DoT Assistant Secretary Verna Covar-Buensuceso, Office of Product and Market Development (OPMD) Director Paulo Benito Tugbang, Agora Group Philippine Representative Angel Bognot and Eugenio Jose Ramos, MD, MBA, president and COO of The Medical City. 

DoT formally inked an agreement with Dubai-based Agora Group, the “pioneer and leader in providing business solutions and productivity in the health and wellness tourism,””o be a partner for the prestigious and high-level gathering of tourism stakeholders and medical professionals at the First International Health and Wellness Tourism Congress (IHWTC) 2023. The event is slated for June 8 to 9 in Dusseldorf, Germany.

The agreement was formalized by Secretary Cristina Garcia- Frasco and Agora co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Hadi Malaeb, at one of the country’s leading medical facilities, The Medical City in Pasig.

In its initial presentation to the DoT, Agora Group Dubai estimated the global health and wellness tourism to be worth $45.5 to $72 billion, with 14 to 16 million cross border patients and an average spend of $3,800 to $6,000 per visit.