Iloilo City Moves to Boost Visitor Growth by its Advancing Health And Wellness Tourism With More Stronger Hospitals And Supportive Policies for their New Investments

Published on November 24, 2025

The Iloilo City Government brought together leaders from the healthcare, tourism, government, and private sectors to position health and wellness tourism as its new strategic engine of growth. In the first Health and Wellness Tourism Conference held in Iloilo City, local officials underlined that modern travelers increasingly look for destinations where quality medical care, reliable wellness services, and comfortable environments are available alongside leisure activities.

Treating health services as its core tourism strategy, Iloilo City hopes to attract more domestic visitors, regional patients, and balikbayans who seek both treatment and a good place to stay, reinforcing its position in Western Visayas as the preferred health and travel hub.

Expanding Hospitals And Technology To Support Visitor Confidence

The city government notes that new healthcare institutions are opening and established providers are expanding within Iloilo City, bringing in advanced medical equipment and modern treatment technologies that were once concentrated in larger metropolitan centers. These upgrades enhance the city’s ability to deliver specialized procedures, diagnostics, and continuing care for both residents and visiting patients.

For the tourism sector, stronger hospital capacity and state of the art facilities can reassure travelers that they are choosing a destination where health emergencies and planned treatments are well supported. This foundation is essential for positioning Iloilo City as a credible medical tourism destination and encourages longer stays that benefit hotels, transport providers, restaurants, and service businesses.

Health And Wellness Tourism Council Builds A Unified Roadmap

The conference also highlighted the work of the Iloilo City Health and Wellness Tourism Council and its Technical Working Group, which were formed to guide programs on medical and wellness tourism. These bodies are expected to coordinate between hospitals, clinics, wellness centers, tourism offices, and private investors, ensuring that initiatives follow government policy, safety standards, and ethical guidelines.

By having a formal council structure, the city government can design a clear roadmap that aligns health priorities, tourism promotion, and economic planning, helping to channel public and private resources into projects that directly support visitor growth and local employment.

Existing Patient Flows Create A Base For Tourism Packages

Officials point out that doctors and health facilities in Iloilo City already serve patients from across Panay Island as well as balikbayans who return to the Philippines and choose the city for medical care. These existing patient flows show that Iloilo City is already functioning as a regional medical center.

With better organization, this base can evolve into structured health and wellness tourism packages that link consultations, treatments, and recovery periods with hotel stays, city tours, and nearby attractions. Such packages could increase average length of stay, support off-peak tourism, and spread benefits to a wider range of tourism businesses.

Targeting Health And Wellness Travelers To Boost Arrivals By 2030

The city’s Executive Assistant for Medical Tourism, Dr. Candice Tupas, has outlined an ambitious objective: by 2030, Iloilo City aims to reach around thirty percent of tourists who are specifically seeking health and wellness services. This goal signals a long term commitment to building a specialized visitor segment that values care, comfort, and professional medical support.

A stronger share of health driven visitors can stabilize the tourism sector, since medical trips are often less affected by seasonal patterns. Patients may arrive with companions who also spend on accommodation, food, and local transport, creating wider economic impact across the hospitality industry.

Policy Measures To Anchor Medical Tourism And Visitor Protection

To support this direction, Dr. Tupas authored a proposed Medical Tourism Ordinance during her term in the Sangguniang Panlungsod or city council. This measure aims to place medical tourism on a firm legal and regulatory base, aligning services with government verified standards for patient safety, facility accreditation, and transparent pricing.

A well crafted ordinance can help establish clear rules for health tourism promotions, data protection, and emergency response protocols, which are all critical for building trust among domestic visitors, overseas Filipinos, and foreign patients. Strong regulation also supports the reputation of Iloilo City as a responsible and ethically managed destination.

Tourism Impact Extends Across Hospitality And City Branding

The shift towards health and wellness tourism is expected to benefit more than just hospitals. Additional visitor arrivals linked to medical checkups, specialized treatments, wellness programs, and post treatment recovery stays can support higher hotel occupancy, stronger demand for transport services, and new opportunities for tour operators to design gentle itineraries suited to recovering patients and accompanying family members.

This focus can also enrich city branding, as Iloilo City promotes itself as a place where visitors can experience heritage attractions, local cuisine, and waterfront development while knowing that modern health services are within easy reach. A destination seen as safe, healthy, and caring can appeal to senior travelers, families, and professionals who prioritize wellbeing when choosing where to travel.

Building A Resilient Tourism Future Through Health And Wellness

By integrating healthcare development with a clear strategy for its tourism impact, the Iloilo City Government is setting up the foundation to create a more resilient visitor economy. Investments in hospitals, diagnostic centers, and wellness facilities will be attracted by policy tools such as the proposed Medical Tourism Ordinance, skilled professionals, and returning visitors.

Improved services will attract more tourists, and more tourists will support further improvements in care, infrastructure, and quality of life across the city, benefiting local communities, workers in the hospitality industry, and small businesses, as Iloilo City asserts its position as a health and wellness tourism hub.