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ILOILO CITY, Philippines - The financial crisis in the United States could mean opportunities for the Philippines, particularly in medical tourism, Tourism Secretary Joseph Durano said.
Durano, who was here during the weekend for the National Congress of the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines, said tourism in the country could still grow despite belt-tightening measures worldwide.
“The crisis has also provided us with opportunities, especially in those we consider 'recession-proof' products,” Durano told the Inquirer on Saturday.
He said one of the key industries that offered such opportunities is medical tourism, which invites foreign patients to avail themselves of quality but cheaper health care services in the country.
With the expected increase in the cost of services in the US and other countries and reductions in the incomes of their citizens, those needing health care may look to other countries for cheaper services.
The Department of Health, however, recently suspended kidney transplantations on foreign patients in the country after human rights groups expressed alarm over the increasing number of "medical tourists" who came here to buy kidneys from poor Filipinos. /Inquirer
