Hospitality and wellness sector sees growth this yr

MANILA, Philippines - Service providers in the hospitality and wellness industries are optimistic about growth in their sector this year as more people spend for their health, and possible funding assistance from the government appears within reach.

“All we have to do is put our acts together,” Dr. Rashmi Tolentino Singh, president of the Hospitality and Wellness Industries Furnishers and Services Providers Association (HW Pilipinas) said during the recent celebration of its second year anniversary.

Singh noted that even in 2011, the hospitality and wellness industries flourished as more people spent time in salons and spas, and consumed more food supplements.

HW Pilipinas is composed of businesses that produce personal care products and furniture, and provide services in interior design, architecture and other related services.

HW Pilipinas was among the first business groups to submit a list of projects to the Export Development Council for availment of promotion funds through the Philippine Export Development Plan.

The Philippine Export Federation (Philexport) has also pledged to provide enterprise-level services to its members. 

“As we aim to carve a niche in the export market, it is important to note that the world market for your sector [hospitality and wellness] was estimated to be worth at least $100 billion for bulk ingredients and $1 trillion for natural products, both food and non-food,“ Philexport president Sergio Ortiz Luis Jr. said during the event.

Ortiz-Luis said there are “encouraging signals” coming from consumers who are investing in their health regardless of social class.

Ortiz-Luis said that the hospitality and wellness industries are expected to thrive along with the government’s aggressive promotion of local tourism.

“This spells huge opportunities for the medical tourism and health and wellness sector in terms of sales and exposure of products and services,” Ortiz-Luis said.