Patients Beyond Borders® Author to Address Australian Health & Wellness Travel Conference
Australian Tourism Export Council to host second annual conference showcasing medical tourism and health travel opportunities in the region.
Chapel Hill, NC (Vocus) September 14, 2010
Josef Woodman, CEO of Healthy Travel Media, has been selected as a featured presenter at the Australian Tourism Export Council’s (ATEC) second Annual Gold Coast Health & Wellness Travel Conference, scheduled for 23 September, 2010. The conference, to be held at the Sofitel Broadbeach Hotel on the Gold Coast, is expected to draw delegates from local, state, and federal governments, along with globally recognized experts in the health and wellness tourism field.
As one of the conference’s keynote speakers, Woodman will deliver "A Medical Perspective—Where Are We Now?” in a session slated to run 10:15 – 11:00 a. m. He will provide an overview of recent health and wellness trends, identify Australia’s target markets, and examine key competitors, as well as highlight medical attributes and services beneficial to Australia’s tourism export industry.
“A relative newcomer to the medical tourism sector, Australia has much to offer the healthcare consumer,” says Woodman. “With an established healthcare and tourism infrastructure and abundant world-class medical facilities, Australia is well-positioned to become a leading medical travel destination.”
ATEC’s managing director, Matt Hingerty, will officially kick off the program at 9:00 a. m. with a recap of the developments and activities over the past 12 months, and will discuss key recommendations from the Sustainable Tourism Co-Operative Research Center’s most recent study, “Health Tourism in Australia: Supply, Demand, and Opportunities.” Delegates include members from the Gold Coast’s City Council, who will officially welcome conference attendees. Other speakers include Pauline Sheldon, professor of tourism at the University of Hawaii and coauthor of Wellness Tourism: Mind, Body, Spirit, Place, as well as representatives from the Australian Spa Association.
“Australia combines world-class medical services, delivered at a competitive price point, with the high-quality visitor services of one of the world’s most-desired tourist destinations,” says Hingerty. “We also offer an environment conducive to this sector: simple things which are often overlooked, such as clean air, clean water, and an abundance of sunshine and wide-open spaces in a safe and democratic society. For those companies concerned about their obligations under corporate social responsibility, our private hospital system has more than adequate capacity to deal with the sustainable growth of this industry, to the benefit of visitors and Australian citizens alike.”
About the Australian Tourism Export Council
ATEC is the premier organization in Australia representing the $26 billion tourism export market. With over 1000 members, ATEC is the largest membership-based organization in its sector and represents such interests as inbound tour operators, tourism product suppliers, and service providers. Its mission is to grow Australia’s international tourism market by representing inbound tourism and building better relationships between member businesses, local government, and industry leaders. To register for the conference or to learn more about ATEC, please visit http://www. atec. net. au.
For more information on ATEC, please contact:
Australian Tourism Export Council
Nick Buchan, National Media and Communications Manager
Tel: +02 8262.5501 or +0407 379.362
Web: http://www. atec. net. au
About Healthy Travel Media
Healthy Travel Media, an independent imprint based in Chapel Hill, NC, publishes books, eBooks, video, online, mobile, and social networking information and applications on medical, health, and wellness travel. Its flagship international title, Patients Beyond Borders, now in its Second Edition, is the world’s leading consumer reference guide for medical tourism and is filled with authoritative, accessible advice. Country-specific editions have been published for Singapore, Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, and Turkey. The Patients Beyond Borders series is available through booksellers everywhere and is distributed to the retail trade through Publisher's Group West.
About Josef Woodman
As president of Healthy Travel Media and author of Patients Beyond Borders, Josef Woodman has spent more than four years touring more than 140 medical facilities in 22 countries, researching contemporary medical tourism. As cofounder of MyDailyHealth and Ventana Communications, Woodman’s pioneering background in health, wellness, and Web technology has allowed him to compile a wealth of information about global health travel, telemedicine, and new developments in consumer and institutional medical care. A noted consumer advocate for the globalization of healthcare, Woodman has lectured at Harvard Medical School, UCLA School of Public Health, and Duke University Fuqua School of Business, and has hosted more than a dozen seminars and workshops around the world on the topics of medical tourism and health travel.
For more information or media queries, please contact:
Judy Orchard, Communications Manager
Tel: +1 919 545.0668
Web: http://www. patientsbeyondborders. com
Note: Qualified members of the media are invited to request a review copy of the international Patients Beyond Borders Second Edition or any available country-specific title. Please contact jorchard(at)patientsbeyondborders(dot)com.
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