The medical tourism industry will grow 25% globally in the next decade. In fact, 4% of total trips will be framed in this type of tourism.
Ostelea School of Tourism & Hospitality has reached these conclusions through its report ‘Medical Tourism and Welfare: Global Context and Prospects for Mexico as a Country of Interest’, which identifies the profiles of people who demand health tourism and welfare, as well as the motivations that lead to it. Also, the peculiarities of the sector in Mexico.
The increase in life expectancy, high levels of education, greater interest in welfare, the propensity to travel or tourism offers have favored the emergence of new types of tourism related to health. These are:
Health tourism, which includes trips made for medical purposes and those related to physical and mental well-being.
Wellness tourism, which implies the search for the improvement of health and quality of life.
Medical tourism, which deals with medical treatments, evaluation, diagnosis, surgical intervention or rehabilitation.
According to the report, the motivations of medical tourism and welfare do not coincide. In medical tourism, for example, the quality of the services, the technological level of the procedures and equipment or the cost of accommodation prevail. Meanwhile, wellness tourism is governed, mainly, by the encounter with new cultures through landscapes, gastronomy or traditions.
Medical tourism will grow by 25% in the next decade (Photo: Business-in-Asia.com)
Medical tourism in the Americas
The study also echoes the Medical Tourism Index among the countries of the Americas, which analyzes the competitiveness of this type of tourism. The ranking is led by Canada and Colombia. However, if the value of the market is taken into account, Mexico would occupy the first position, since it is one of the most attractive destinations due to its proximity to the United States.
In fact, although there is no national strategy in Mexico to manage medical tourism, associative initiatives have been launched among clinics, hospitals, hotels and laboratories, which are mostly located on the border with the United States and in important regions. tourism such as Mexico City, Jalisco or Yucatan. In addition, in the country are very frequent treatments in cardiology, surgery, cosmetics, fertility or oncology.
Source: tourinews.com
