The Department of Tourism (DOT) is pitching opportunities in healthcare, digital health, rehabilitation, and wellness resorts to foreign investors as the Philippines seeks to establish itself as a regional medical and wellness tourism hub.
Speaking at the Arangkada Philippines Forum, DOT official Dita Angara-Mathay highlighted the country’s skilled healthcare workforce, established hospitality industry and proximity to aging populations in East Asia.
“We invite investors to look at the full range of opportunities, healthcare facilities, diagnostics, digital health, rehabilitation, wellness, hospitality and long-stay communities,” she said.
Potential investment areas include cancer treatment, dialysis, cardiovascular care, orthopedics, fertility services and preventive healthcare. Digital health technologies, such as telemedicine, AI-assisted diagnostics and remote patient monitoring, also offer opportunities for foreign partnerships.
The Global Wellness Institute valued the Philippine wellness economy at $47.3 billion in 2024, ranking it 23rd worldwide and eighth in Asia-Pacific.
Angara-Mathay said tourism enterprise zones could support integrated developments combining hospitals, wellness facilities, accommodations and retirement communities.
She also identified Clark, Cebu, Iloilo and Davao as potential regional healthcare hubs that could expand access to specialized services beyond Metro Manila. Public-private partnerships could further support investments in specialty hospitals and diagnostic facilities.
“Our objective is not simply to attract more patients. It is to develop a stronger health and wellness sector that attracts investments, create jobs, expands regional capacity and improves services for Filipinos,” she said.
