The global medical tourism industry, which presently hovers around $56 billion, will be worth  $100 billion by 2012, according to industry figures.

'Women’s Healthcare,' an inaugural event at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre, has been showcasing the healthcare travel industry, which is growing 15 to 20 percent per annum, highlighting the benefits of traveling abroad for both preventative and curative medical procedures. 

Spearheading this expanding market is the Spa Association of the Philippines, which reported a 200 per cent annual growth of the Asian spa industry in the Asia- Pacific region, the fastest growing sector of tourism in the area.

While medical tourism for cosmetic purposes is prevalent, offering customers the option for procedures as well as recovery time away from home - preventative medical tourism is growing in popularity for those who don’t want to wait until something is broken to get fixed, said a senior official.

“Healthcare tourism has grown tremendously in the Philippines and is now the number two priority for the government,” said Marjorie P. Lopingco, president, Spa Association of the Philippines, who spoke at a Women’s Healthcare seminar on Friday.

“It’s not just about curative medicine, but also preventative. We see proactive people who want to take care of their bodies and reward themselves at the same time.”

Also speaking at the seminars was The Department of Tourism from the Philippines who revealed some of their more popular health and wellness tourism packages, such as the Tee-off to Wellness, which contains golf games, luxury hotels and massages interwoven with a comprehensive medical check up, including routine Urinalysis, chest X-rays and blood tests.

“The Philippines is growing in popularity as a medical tourist spot due to its natural beauty and resources. We have more than 100 species of wild plants that have therapeutic value and we are known for our hospitality and healing hands,” Lopingco added. 

He said UAE was one of the biggest markets for out-bound medical travel, having sent out 92,000 patients overseas in 2007. 

In response to this trend, IIR Middle East, the organisers of Women’s Healthcare, have announced the launch of Healthcare Travel Congress & Exhibition, which will take place at Al Bustan Rotana Hotel from November 4 to 6.-TradeArabia News Service