The Philippines hopes to increase the number of tourists visiting the country from India, while a large number of Philippines citizens are coming to India for medical treatment, Philippines Ambassador to India, Ramon S. Bagatsing said.
Mr. Bagatsing was speaking at an interactive session organised by the Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) on Tuesday.
“In 2017, there were about 1.21 lakh tourists from India visiting the Philippines. By 2019 end, I think this would have reached 1.4 lakh. We want to have at least 1.6 lakh tourists from India visiting the Philippines,” he said.
Mr. Bagatsing said India is the largest provider of beef to the Philippines, the second biggest provider of dairy products to the country and a lot of Philippinos are coming to India for medical treatment.
“Lot of Philippinos are coming here for medical treatment, best doctors, facilities are on par with the world and it’s much cheaper without compromising on quality,” he said. There were about seven children from Philippines who are undergoing liver transplants in Chennai. “A lot of young people who need liver transplants are now heading here. Not just liver, but cancer research, heart surgery and so on,” he said.
