CAIRNS – Australia’s inaugural Health and Wellness travel conference has seen delegates issue a joint declaration of intent.
More than 60 delegates representing the tourism, health, medical and government sectors heard experts from around the globe outline the opportunities available in the Health and Wellness travel sector.
The conference concluded with delegates agreeing to issue the ‘Cairns Declaration’, a document outlining the broad principles of Australia’s planned entry into this lucrative and growing tourism sector.
“The Cairns Declaration is a landmark document for the Australian inbound tourism industry,†Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) managing director Matt Hingerty said.
“For the first time we have a formal statement from tourism and health professionals agreeing to work together to build a viable new tourism sector for Australia.
“Countries such as Singapore and Dubai are already investing billions in building new hospitals and other facilities to cater for the forecasted boom in medical travel in the decades to come. It’s time Australia did the same
“The fact that the populations in all of our major source markets are ageing provides us with a new opportunity to attract high-spending overseas tourists to our shores and experience our unique environment and attractions,†Hingerty said.
