Tag Archives: Medical Tourism

The special webinar titled, Feel Good Germany promoted the destination as an year round sustainable touristic destination and also showcased Berlin’s strength in medical tourism. Yamina Sofo, Director German National Tourist Office, opened the session, sharing the numbers from the Gulf region which stands out especially during the covid era, and the positive recovery of the region which led to Germany reaping good numbers from the region. “Germany as a traveller destination has the ideal ingredients for an exceptional and sustainable holiday experience and it also helps to protect our climate and the environment. A sustainable holiday conserves natural resources strengthens, intercultural understanding and supports regional businesses. The destination and the providers of destination Germany is committed to this goal and are developing an increasing number of resource saving offers that are good for the environment as well as for the hosts and the guests. Many offers and recommendations can be found in our website, Germany.travel. In our 2022, market studies we can see the growing interest and attitudes of the guests towards environmental protection.” She shared some figures from UAE in terms of the interest shown in sustainable travel which was quite spell bounding. Michaela Kehrer Director of Medical tourism VisitBerlin shared the offerings the city in itself has with the many public parks and hidden gems in the city itself which cater to the GCC clientele. She reiterated that Berlin medical tourism is popular due to availability, affordability and accessibility and Germany ranks 5th in world medical tourism destinations, mainly due to infrastructure, specialised hospitals, with multi lingual staff who could cater to the requirements of the GCC clientele. She shared the new marketing initiatives conducted to promote …

Inbound medical tourism in Turkey rises, as the nation’s healthcare facilities have treated 264,138 medical tourists in the first six months of 2019, with the year-end projections estimated at one million incoming medical tourists. This forecast will generate upwards of USD 3.5 billion in revenues, surpassing the USD 2.5 billion generated by the end of the previous year, which saw 551,748 tourists travelling into Turkey from over 120 countries to avail healthcare treatments. Salih Ozer, Attaché of Culture and Information, Turkey to the UAE, said, “Tourists come to Turkey for a lot more than its sights; medical tourism into our cities has been climbing steadily over the last decade. We have been investing heavily in the growth of our healthcare sector, and we now offer high-quality treatments at very affordable prices. Medical tourists from our GCC neighbours, in particular, come to Turkey to avail cosmetic treatments. They are drawn in by the opportunity to combine these treatments with Turkish holidays.” The Turkish cities of Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya, Izmir, Yalova and Adana receive the highest number of medical tourists each year, from GCC nations, including the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, as well as from Germany, Russia. Azerbaijan and Iraq. The top ten clinics for medical tourists listed services under ophthalmology, obstetrics and gynaecology, oncology, cosmetic surgery, orthopaedics and cardiology as the top treatments in 2018.

The 3rd Annual Conference on Health and Medical Tourism – Brand UAE, organised by Thumbay Hospital and Gulf Medical University, was held at the Dusit Thani Hotel, Dubai. The theme for this year was nurturing partnerships and exploring opportunities. Spokesperson from Gulf Medical University reiterated that they are making efforts to create a new workforce in this sector in keeping with the vision of the government of Dubai to make it a destination or a hub for health tourists from around the world. Chief Guest for the event was H.E. Dr. Amin Al Amiri; Assistant Undersecretary for Medical Practice and License Sector Ministry of health, UAE with Guest of Honour was Thumbay Moideen; Founder President, Thumbay Group UAE. At the event leading medical tourism experts from UAE were honoured with special awards of honour and recognition and the third batch of graduates from the medical tourism facilitator course also received their certificates at the event.

To tout the country’s image as a preferred healthcare & wellness destination, India participated in a big way at this year’s International Medical Travel Exhibition and Conference (IMTEC) at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC). According to some recent Medical industry reports India’s medical tourism market is expected to grow to USD 8 billion in the next four years. Industry analysts have pointed out that drivers for this growth includes India’s position as being the second largest country with the most number of accredited facilities (after Thailand) offering high quality healthcare with immediate service. Another driver seen is cost as India is known for offering quality medical treatments at affordable costs. The number of international visitors travelling to India for medical treatment has increased in recent years with the rise of private hospitals that offer world-class medical infrastructure and the capabilities for complex operations & procedures. Globally, the medical value travel is projected to increase to USD 32.5 billion over the next five years. Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC), set up by the Department of Commerce under India’s Ministry of Commerce, participated on behalf of the Government of India at the event showcasing the theme, ‘India Heals’ and promoting India as an ideal healthcare and wellness destination.  They further explained the features of the new India Healthcare Tourism Portal (www.indianhealthcaretourism.com) which was launched jointly by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Govt. of India and the Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC). The portal is a comprehensive one-point information site and covers hospital-related and travel-related information on India. The medical facilities listed on the portal can be searched by location, medical specialty, key procedures, language options available in hospitals …