Fifth edition of the Health and Wellness Tourism International Congress develops a successful agenda of panels and conferences

35 local and international experts met to propose measures and strategies in the face of the pandemic, vaccination, and relaunch tourism and the economy.

Santo Domingo. The Dominican Republic has established itself as the first destination in the Caribbean and Central America in medical tourism. With these perspectives, the fifth edition of the Health and Wellness Tourism International Congress has strengthened as an ideal space for all actors in the health tourism value chain to develop their ideas, synergies, and approaches to the current challenges of the sector.

This event, organized by the Dominican Association of Health Tourism (ADTS) and the Communication and Public Relations firm, AF Comunicación Estratégica, brought together local participants and dozens from United States, Costa Rica, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Panama.

“Today more than ever, health and tourism need to innovate and complement each other under a public-private partnership in a collaborative and strategic way, so we propose to create the conditions for the formation of the National Health Tourism Council, implementing the national strategy development of the sector and the concept of healthy cities”, indicated Dr. Cambiaso, president of ADTS, at the opening ceremony of the activity.

Amelia Reyes Mora, president of AF Comunicación Estratégica and vice president of the ADTS, said in her speech that “with great satisfaction, we are witnessing the willingness of the public and private sectors to join forces to move forward and make this congress a reality, as it is part of the strategy created to support the diversification of the Dominican Republic’s tourism portfolio”.

62 companies and organizations supported the celebration of this biennial event that fosters innovation, competitiveness, and the quality standards of the country’s health and tourism services.

Dominican Republic Health Tourism Destination Guide Launch

As part of the activity, they organized presented the third edition of the Dominican Republic Health Tourism Destination Guide, an ideal instrument to lead international patients in the process of how to choose a reliable healthcare provider. Its content includes information on health and wellness centers; hospitals, hotels, airports, financial institutions; as well as the existing investment opportunities in the country.

The guide is edited in English and is available as an eBook from Apple Books and Amazon Kindle. It will have international broadcast and visibility.

Acknowledgments

At the event, several institutions are recognized for their support and contributions to health tourism.

This year the Espaillat Cabral Institute was recognized for being the first internationally accredited center, by the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP), which exceeds the international standards required in the practice of medicine with a special focus on patient safety.

Likewise, the ‘Safe Tourism Assistance Plan’ was awarded by Mitur, Asonahores, Banco de Reservas, and Seguros Reservas, institutions that developed an innovative product that protects the health of tourists in situations of medical emergencies and covid-19, thus favoring the reactivation of Dominican tourism safely.

Dashboards and knowledge sharing

The organizers reported that the fifth edition of the Health and Wellness Tourism International Congress sold out an agenda that included conferences and panels by important local and international exhibitors. The program fostered the exchange of knowledge, business, and synergies among leaders of the health tourism value chain.

Regarding the organization of the meeting, Amelia Reyes Mora, president of AF Comunicación Estratégica assured: “by trusting Ducto Limpio, the air circulation, sanitation, disinfection and cleaning of all the areas where the event took place, we transmit the necessary confidence to the attendees face-to-face, given that covid-19 will be our reality for a while and as a company, we assume the commitment to guarantee the proper development of corporate events under international security standards in times of pandemic”.

Referring to this support, Dr. Alejandro Cambiaso, president of the ADTS, said that “the pandemic highlighted the need to continue reinventing ourselves, advancing and strengthening ties between the public and private sectors, encouraging investment in new projects that create jobs and technology transfer, establishing a greater link with the main source markets for tourists and patients. This congress favors best practices and promotes international accreditations and destination security”.