CEBU CITY – Apart from their foreign remittances, overseas Filipino workers also play a significant contribution to the economy that of being envoys to promote the country’s health and wellness sector to the international market.

Cebu Health and Wellness Council (CHWC), a group of players in the local and health and wellness sector is bent on capitalizing the vast market of overseas Filipinos or “balikbayans” in endorsing Cebu to foreign patients as a destination for quality medical treatments, among others, while enjoying a leisurely vacation.

Nelia Navarro, provincial director of the Department of Tourism-Cebu, which is one of the member-government agencies of CHWC, said that as Cebu positions itself as a premier health and wellness destination in Asia- combining both leisure and business in one place- local industry stakeholders are bent on luring foreign patients through the testimony and first-hand experience of these balikbayans who will avail of the medical and wellness services.

“Our first target is to attract all Filipinos around the world to avail of the best health and wellness services we have here. Eventually, they will become our ambassadors for the sector,” Navarro said.

According to Navarro, the influx of foreign patients who will consider the Philippines as an alternative destination for affordable health and wellness services is possible if these international Filipino communities, who have foreign friends, will be able to share by word of mouth their personal experience of the services.