MANILA, Philippines—Leading international experts in health, wellness and tourism will gather Oct. 22-25 in Metro Manila in what is touted as Asia’s biggest industry event, even as some of them believe local businesses could earn as much as $2 billion a year from medical tourism.

Dubbed “Embracing health and wellness in the heart of Asia,” the conference offers a panel of 16 experts that include John Gray, author of the book “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.”

Tourism Undersecretary Cynthia Carrion said organizing the conference would cover medical tourism, regenerative and rejuvenative health and wellness, and retirement.

“This will set the tone for what is expected to happen globally in the next decade,” she said.

Citing an industry report published in the Medical Tourism Association magazine, published in the United States, Carrion said efforts in the Philippines to build up the sector suggested that 700,000 medical-tourism arrivals a year was “very achievable in the very near future.”

The report said that with the government capitalizing on the growing trend in medical tourism, this services sub-sector grew 8.0 percent in 2007, compared with 2.4 percent in 2006.

In 2005, Philippine health and wellness tourism accounted for an estimated P68.5 billion — 1.26 percent of gross domestic product, the report said.

It said the growth in medical tourism created opportunities for international vendors of medical equipment and instruments.

Also in 2005, Philippine imports of medical equipment were estimated at $119 million, up 32 percent from the previous year.

On the retirement sector, Philippine Retirement Authority Chairman Edgardo Aglipay said greater preparedness was needed to get a bigger share of the market, the global population of which is expected to reach 425 million by 2015.

“In 2010, a fifth of the world’s population would be retirees,” Aglipay said. “But currently, only one out of every 50 foreign tourists who visit the country is persuaded to retire here.”

He said the Philippine retirement industry was betting more heavily on medical tourists, considering the growth that the industry has been seeing. Edited by INQUIRER.net