Health tourism contributes 15 billion pesos a year to the economy of the Dominican Republic, reported the Dominican Association of Health Tourism (ADTS).
Dr. Alejandro Cambiaso, president of the organization, said that the growth of the niche in the country and its contributions to the economy make it an important source of job creation, innovation, investment and foreign exchange.
He added that this contribution to the Dominican economy translates into better medicine for all Dominicans and tourists, according to the local press.
Cambiaso made the revelation when announcing the celebration in the country this year of the “VI International Congress on Health and Wellness Tourism”, the main medical tourism event in Central America and the Caribbean, to be held on November 1 and 2 at the JW Marriott Hotel in Santo Domingo.
He explained that, as in previous years, the event will feature important conferences and panels with renowned national and international exhibitors.
He specified that it will be aimed at the main players in the sector, such as health and dental centers, clinical and pharmaceutical laboratories, hotels, insurers, banks, investment funds, airlines, medical facilitators, government, transportation, legal, accreditors, among others.
He affirmed that “these types of activities support public-private synergies and the development of the country as a safe tourist destination”.
He expressed that “the celebration of this congress promotes quality, safety and compliance with local standards and international accreditations to strengthen our health indicators and promote the modernization and digital transformation of the Dominican health sector”.
Meanwhile, Amelia Reyes Mora, vice-president of the entity, said that the meeting contributes to the updating, integration and development of business, as well as the positioning of healthcare tourism as an activity of national and regional interest.
She added that the country receives approximately 60 thousand international patients for health tourism and more than 70 thousand tourists who are assisted for tourism medicine, with an investment in the sector that exceeds 500 million dollars.
She, also president of AF Comunicación Estratégica, affirmed that “we are at a crucial moment where new tourist destinations are being developed, so new health and wellness developments must be integrated in this planning, to guarantee a successful integral vision that promotes the development of new market niches such as tourism for retirees and wellness tourism”.
Source: Arecoa.com