Medical Tourism or Medical Travel is the act of traveling to other countries to obtain medical, dental, and surgical care. The term was initially coined by travel agencies and the media as a catch all phrase to describe a rapidly growing industry where people travel internationally and even domestically to obtain medical care.

     Medical Tourism is continuously gaining popularity in the Philippines. However, not many of its potential stakeholders fully grasp the concept and so as the benefits in store for them.

     Last February 22, 2006, the University of the Philippines - Asian Institute of Tourism (UP-AIT) sought to explore the development of health tourism in the Philippines through a conference entitled “Lakbay Kalusugan” with the theme, Developing Health Tourism in the Philippines

      In its continuing effort to bring the benefits of tourism to a wider section of Philippine society, the UP AIT has partnered with the Southern Luzon Hospital and Medical Center (SLHMC), a new world-class medical center in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, and concerned local government units to bring the concept of medical tourism in the CALABARZON region. This year’s conference entitled Lakbay Kalusugan 2007: Harnessing Medical Tourism Potential of the Countryside will be held on October 20, 2007 at the SLHMC Auditorium, Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

     Therefore, the holding of the Lakbay Kalusugan 2007conference for stakeholders on health tourism in the region is indeed appropriate and very much in line with the government plan of positioning Southern Luzon as a one-stop destination for health and leisure needs.

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