Dental Tourism in Asia

The world economic crisis moves people to look for more ways to save money, especially when it comes to their dental needs.

Dental tourism has already proved itself to be one of the best solutions for this purpose.

It’s easy, accessible, and interesting for most persons. There are some leading countries who have already shown their efficiency in this emerging field.

Emerging Developing Countries
Dental tourism is a subset of the medical tourism, when a person travels abroad to have the necessary dental treatment. Usually, developing countries are being chosen. They are cheaper and the quality of service is high. In fact, saving money is the main purpose. 95% of persons who take advantage of dental tourism have confirmed this. However, when it comes to choosing which clinic to visit, quality still remains first.

Dental tourism can help you save from 30% to 70% on dental treatment. The final result depends on the country you choose and the quantity of work that is going to be done. It’s simple: the more teeth you are going to treat, the more money you are going to save, especially when you don’t have dental insurance.

About 50% of the American population does not have dental insurance and that reflects on the population’s dental health. That’s another reason people look for alternative methods of tooth treatment, considering that U.S. clinics are too expensive. Besides, it’s a perfect occasion to travel and see the world. Some dental tourism destinations, like the Philippines or Thailand, are really beautiful countries.

In the Philippines you may visit this site http://dentistphilippines.webs.com

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Sweet pepper as a money-maker

By ZAC B. SARIAN
August 26, 2009, 4:05pm

The September issue of Agriculture Magazine features sweet pepper as a favorite money-maker of many high-value vegetable farmers. Of course, they have good reasons for preferring to plant this crop.
For one, there are now new hybrids that are not only fruitful, they could also be grown throughout the year because they are more resistant to the usual pests and stresses during the rainy season. Another reason is that the productive period of sweet pepper is longer than most other vegetables given the right cultural and management requirements.
Also one good reason is that the sweet pepper usually fetches a high price.
Wilfredo Rios of Brgy. Lao in Ormoc City is one satisfied grower of sweet pepper. He usually rotates it with other crops so that build up of pests and other problems are avoided. One time, he planted 3,000 seedlings of the Emperor variety. He harvested fruits from this particular crop for several months, averaging a sale of P13,500 per week.
The September issue also features the latest developments in sweetpotato research at the Philippine Root Crop Research and Training Center (PhilRootcrops) based at the Visayas State University in Baybay, Leyte. Also featured is the vast potential of banana “rejects” in Mindanao which could be made into banana meal as ingredient in animal feeds, food grade banana flour, bananaketchup and others.
You will also read about the new glutinous rice varieties as reported by Adrielle Solsoloy of the Philippine Rice Research Institute. These include NSIC Rc13, 15, 17 and NSIC Rc 19.
Also featured are the success stories of a pilot who does his own brand of organic farming, the couple who started the “Pagkain para sa Masa” program in Mindanao, a Mindanaoan who brought improved farming practices to Mindoro, and others.

Mandarin Airlines sets direct flights to Kalibo, Aklan

More Taiwanese tourists are expected to visit the Philippines this year as Taiwanese carrier Mandarin Airlines is set to offer direct charter flights from Taichung to Kalibo starting on Oct. 16, one of several new charter flight offerings from Taiwanese carriers.
Antonio I. Basilio, Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) managing director and resident representative, said the new flights will benefit the Philippine travel and tourism industry as charter services are proving to be a driver for tourism growth.
Mandarin Airlines is not the only Taiwanese carrier that has introduced direct charter services to the Philippines top holiday destinations.
China Airlines (CAL), Taiwan’s No. 1 carrier, launched charter services to Cebu from Taipei and Kaohsiung last April and July respectively.
This month, CAL launched regular charter services to Kalibo. The carrier flies to Aklan from Taipei every Tuesday and Friday.
“These charter services are expected to bring in thousands of Taiwanese visitors to Boracay, one of the Philippines leading destinations. It’s a win-win for the community and the industry,” said Basilio.
Basilio said MECO in Taiwan is targeting four consumer segments for its tourism offerings: “Double income with no kids households, honeymooners, diving associations, and group tours.
“Although the honeymooners market may not be as big as the other market segments, it remains a potentially lucrative business for our industry suppliers and Taiwan’s destination management companies. This is a low-volume but high-yield market for us,” said Basilio.
MECO Tourism Center Representative Rene Reyes said that Taiwan’s double income no kids households or DINKS is another sub-segment that is driving the travel market.
“DINKS are comprised of young couples, usually between the ages of 30 and 40.They have both the means and the time to take overseas leisure breaks,” said Reyes. Reyes said Taiwan’s vibrant dive travel consumer market is another priority segment for the Philippines..
“There are about 400,000 licensed divers in Taiwan, not to mention the hundreds of other consumers who want to sign up for diving lessons. The Philippines is a good diving destination because of its mild tides. During the last quarter of the year and during the winter months, Taiwanese divers look for alternative diving sites. That’s an opportunity for us since the Philippines offers excellent year-round sites for divers,” said Reyes.
Package group tours remain the Philippines top market segment according to Reyes.
“This segment relies heavily on the quality, price and the popularity of the destination being marketed,” said Reyes. “Fortunately, our industry partners from tour operators and airlines to destination management companies “offer value-for-money products to Taiwan’s holiday travelers,”said Reyes.