January 25, 2024
An exhibit showcasing the health & wellness tourism products and services that are available in the market today – including beauty and anti-aging offerings from the country’s leading dermatology clinics and boutiques – is one of the main attractions of the Health & Wellness CONFEX 2024 that will be held on January 26-28, 2024 at the SMX Convention Center at the Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City.
Co-presented by the Department of Tourism (DOT), in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), and the Philippine Gaming and Amusement Corporation. The three-day event will allow visitors to experience a number of health and wellness services of the exhibitors for free. For instance, the DOT booth will have trained hilot who can apply this age-old Filipino healing technique on visitors on a first-come, first-served basis.
Meanwhile, the DOH, which will have a five-section pavilion on the exhibition floor, will offer various consultation services. Section 1 will focus on dermatology and geriatrics, while Section 2 will provide nutrition and weight counseling. Healthcare professionals will man Section 3 which will offer HIV testing and counseling. Vaccination against flu will be available at Section 4, but this service will be limited to the first 115 visitors only per day. Section 5 will be for general consultations and for the monitoring of vital signs. Free medications may also be given to some visitors who need them.
This global initiative that aims to promote the Philippines as a health and wellness tourism destination will gather under one roof the stakeholders of the multi-trillion dollar health & wellness industry. These include award-winning wellness resorts to globally accredited hospitals that provide medical tourism packages, all the way to organic farms and specialty shops that offer a wide range of innovative, sustainable and eco-friendly health and wellness products and services.
With the theme “Go & Get Better,” this regenerative tourism-focused event will also feature a conference, business matching session, and various experiential activities. It is, in fact, the centerpiece of a global multimedia campaign that is designed to promote the country’s many health & wellness destinations, as well as its extensive array of health and wellness offerings.
As such, it will serve as the platform for launching an innovative television travel show-vlog that will allow viewers to explore the fascinating world of health & wellness amid the breathtaking natural wonders of the Philippines. Called OTW, the acronym for “On Travel & Wellness,” it will take viewers on a virtual trip to the country’s many tourist spots, while highlighting, at the same time, the importance of wellbeing, of keeping healthy and safe while leading an active lifestyle. Made up of 13 30-minute episodes, this show will feature stunning views of the picturesque beaches, magnificent dive sites, towering mountains and verdant woodlands that the Philippines is famous for. In addition, it will provide an in-depth look at the country’s diverse wellness practices – including traditional healing arts – through compelling anecdotes and discussions with regional experts. OTW will be aired on GMA 7’s GTV.
While Health & Wellness CONFEX 2024 is primarily designed to promote the Philippines as a world-class health & wellness tourism destination, it will also put a special focus on catering to visitors who have become more health-conscious because of the pandemic, and who are looking for ways to live healthy and safely, yet still actively, in an environment where COVID-19 has become as common as the flu.
Another new segment forming part of the event, a wellness festival called Masigabo, is especially dedicated to Filipino migrant workers to be held on the third day of the expo. The Masigabo Wellness Festival consists of programs and activities that pay tribute to the industry and sacrifices of Filipino migrants, both Filipino immigrants and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). More importantly, these activities are designed to make them feel better, relaxed and valued. Experts will also be around to provide them with tips on how to remain healthy and improve their well-being amid issues confronting them.
And in line with this year’s theme, and with so many Filipinos living, residing, or working abroad, Masigabo seeks to encourage our Filipino migrants to become our country's active tourism ambassadors to tell their friends overseas to come to the Philippines where they can “Go & Get Better!”.
The event is likewise supported by the Department of Agriculture, Department of Migrant Workers, Tourism Promotions Board, and Duty Free Philippines.
The Health & Wellness CONFEX 2024 is also made possible by the following:
Major Sponsors: Philippine Retirement Authority, Enjoy Health, Lifecore Bio Integrative Inc., Dean & Deluca Philippines, The Zen Institute, Conrad Manila, The Farm at San Benito, Nurture Wellness Village, Organique, CWC Interiors, Networld Hotel, Lanson Place, Pots for Plants, and Center for Healthy Aging and Regenerative Medicine (CHARM), Lanson Place, Networld Hotel, Lime Hotels & Resorts,
Minor Sponsors: Food Club, Sonia’s Garden, Annapoorna, Happy Garden Café, Holistic Integrative Care Center Philippines (HICC), Aba Pardes, Annapoorma, King Fu Express, Piggy Papa, The Belle Salon, Speir Modern Residences
Event Partners: IQ Capture Printing Corporation, Ark of Dreams, Market Social, SMX Convention Center, DigitalCircles Marketing Services, and Phildiz Studios;
Media Partners: GMA Network, ABS-CBN Corporation, GMA 7 GTV, Aliw Channel 23, Asian Journal, Balikbayan Magazine, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Business Mirror, Daily Tribune, Digital Out Of Home Media (DOOH), Manila Standard, Rising Tigers, DZRH, Entrepinas TV, and Quezon City Performing Arts Development Foundation Inc.
Telco Partner: Globe
Organizers and Event Managers: Mblessed Travel & Marketing, Inc. and Concept One Management Services.
From the creative concept of Mblessed Travel and Marketing, Inc., the Health & Wellness CONFEX is spearheaded by a team of seasoned event organizers, wellness advocates, travel and tours agencies, and marketing and communication professionals, and with the country's wellness guru, Cory Quirino, as its Executive Director.
For any inquiries or to participate at Health & Wellness CONFEX 2024, you can reach its Secretariat by email at secretariat@wellnessconfex.com or by phone at 09277227670 (attention: Sarah Timonera).
The Health & Wellness CONFEX is the centerpiece of a global campaign with the ultimate aim of promoting the Philippines as a world-class health & wellness destination!
January 26-28, 2024
SMX Convention Center
Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City, Philippines
The Health & Wellness CONFEX is the only international B2B2C trade fair, sourcing platform, business matching, knowledge exchange, and brand showcase exclusively focused on sustainable wellness and lifestyle products and services with one objective of promoting the Philippines as a world-class destination for health & wellness. It was launched in partnership with the Philippines' Department of Tourism and the Tourism Promotions Board in April 2018 at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai, UAE, the biggest travel show in the Middle East, alongside a festivity for Filipinos dubbed as "Kabayan Fiestahan."
The event was held in 2019 at the SMX Convention Center participated by key players in the wellness and medical tourism sectors and by various related industry stakeholders. It is considered the pioneer and the only trade fair of its kind in the Philippines.
A series of webinars dealing with the virus and health and wellness, in general, took the place of this modest wellness tourism campaign during the pandemic, together with the television program “Graceful Living” aired on ANC Channel and hosted by Cory Quirino, focusing on the hows and whys of healthy living.
The 2024 event will even be a greater version with the following segments:
● Conference and Exposition (ConfEx) on January 26-28, 2024 at SMX Manila
● On Travel & Wellness (OTW), a TV-Vlog Travel Show on GMA 7's GTV
● Philippine Wellness Festival dubbed Masigabo in honor of Filipino Migrants
2024 Theme: “Go & Get Better: Regenerative Tourism Recharges All”
With its theme “Go & Get Better: Regenerative Tourism Recharges All”, this event will raise awareness of the criticality of traveling with a mission to contribute to regenerative tourism. It urges everyone to be cognizant in having more purposeful intentions as they travel. Embracing a contributive mindset to support regenerative tourism enables us to help communities and tourist sites recover and progress as we explore them.
“Go & Get Better Metaverse App” Powered by Ark of Dreams (AOD)
The Health & Wellness CONFEX 2024 is supported by Ark of Dreams (AOD), a technology company that levels up brand user’s experiences with its interactive rewards platform, allowing the customers in engaging quests to redeem rewards from partnered brands. By downloading the “Go & Get Better Metaverse App”, the visitors at the Media Launch and at the ConFex proper will be asked to explore the attractions or exhibitions, take part in the described quests, and earn points that entitle them to getting the rewards from the participating exhibitors.
“Go & Get Better”: The Deca-Wellness Tenets
The idea of taking responsibility not only for one’s own well-being but that of a community and nature may be challenging, if not down-right daunting. For this reason, the Health & Wellness CONFEX with its “Go & Get Better” campaign has come-up with a lifestyle guide to wellness that is easy to understand and follow. Dubbed The Deca-Wellness Tenets, 10 key steps towards a better you and a better world are propounded for people to observe.
Why Support This Noble Initiative
The global wellness economy according to Global Wellness Institute was valued at US$4.9 trillion in 2019. It slowed down to US$4.4 trillion in 2020 due to the widespread impact of COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the industry posted US$5.6 trillion, and is predicted to grow by an average of 9.9% per year to reach nearly US$7.0 trillion in 2025.
In 2020, the Philippines ranked #21 in the Global Wellness Economy Country Rankings, behind our ASEAN neighbor Indonesia (#19), but ahead of Thailand (#24), Malaysia (#26), Vietnam (#33), Singapore (#44), Myanmar (#71), Cambodia (#85), and Laos (#113). This shows that the country has the potential to rank among the Top 10 Wellness Economy Markets soon with the strong support of the government and the collective efforts of the private stakeholders.
“On Travel & Wellness” (OTW)
OTW is an innovative television travel show-vlog that takes the viewers on a fun, vibrant, and informative virtual trip to the country’s breathtaking tourist spots while highlighting the importance of well-being, maintaining health, and staying safe while leading an active life. Apart from captivating the viewers with stunning views of the sun-kissed beaches, magnificent dive sites, towering mountains, and verdant woodlands that the Philippines is famous for, it also takes an in-depth look at the country’s diverse wellness practices – including traditional healing arts – through compelling anecdotes and discussions with experts. In short, OTW shows how travel can be a way to refresh, revive, and bring back balance and harmony to one’s life. This 30-minute, 13-episode show will be aired on GMA 7's GTV.
“Masigabo Wellness Festival"
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The Philippine Wellness Festival dubbed "Masigabo" is a celebration of life, love, togetherness, and family. Envisioned to be a campaign for Filipinos to start living a healthy lifestyle, it is a program educating the people on the basics of a healthy lifestyle, like eating the right food, getting enough sleep, and doing simple exercises, among others. The expected result of this campaign is “wellness of community” where love abounds and people grow as one happy individual. Forming part of the Health & Wellness CONFEX, "Masigabo" pays tribute to Filipino Migrants in recognition of their sacrifices and contributions to strengthening our economy and securing the well-being of their families back home. “Masigabo” is a Filipino word for loud and hearty that is often used in the phrase “masigabong palakpakan”, which means a loud and cheerful round of applause - and that is exactly what Filipino migrant workers, better known as Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), deserve. Aptly referred to as the Philippines’ new heroes, OFWs have for years been faithfully sending money to their families back home, which immensely contributed to the Philippine economy with their remittances reaching US$36.14 billion in 2022 alone
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Our vision is to reach out to as many Filipino migrants as we can beyond Philippine shores through a wellness tourism roadshow, a global campaign that seeks to promote the country as a world-class health and wellness center. With so many Filipinos living, residing, or working abroad, "Masigabo" seeks to encourage our Filipino migrants to become our country's active tourism ambassadors to help speed up realizing our goal.
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