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Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity only", as people "travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure and not less than 24 hours, business and other purposes". Tourism can be domestic or international, and international tourism has both incoming and outgoing implications on a country's balance of payments.
Medical tourism refers to people traveling abroad to obtain medical treatment. In the past, this usually referred to those who traveled from less-developed countries to major medical centers in highly developed countries for treatment unavailable at home. However, in recent years it may equally refer to those from developed countries who travel to developing countries for lower-priced medical treatments. The motivation may be also for medical services unavailable or non-licensed in the home country: There are differences between the medical agencies world-wide which decide whether a drug is approved in their country or not. Even within Europe, although therapy protocols might be approved by the European Medical Agency (EMA), several countries have their own review organizations in order to evaluate whether the same therapy protocol would be "cost-effective", so that patients face differences in the therapy protocols, particularly in the access of these drugs, which might be partially explained by the financial strength of the particular Health System.
Tourism in Turkey is focused largely on a variety of historical sites, and on seaside resorts along its Aegean and Mediterranean Sea coasts. Turkey has also become a popular destination for culture, spa, and health care.
Parkway Pantai, Ltd. is a medical company based in Singapore and is Southeast Asia's largest private healthcare provider, and one of the largest in Asia. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kuala Lumpur-based IHH Healthcare, whose largest shareholder is Malaysian state investment agency Khazanah Nasional. Parkway Pantai operates private hospitals in Singapore, Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, India, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates. IHH Healthcare also owns the International Medical University. In July 2017, According to the reports, Parkway Pantai issued a US$2 billion multicurrency bond to refinance its debts.
International SOS is a health and security services firm.
Healthcare in Malaysia is mainly under the Ministry of Health. Malaysia generally has an efficient and widespread system of health care, operating a two-tier health care system consisting of both a government base universal healthcare system and a co-existing private healthcare system. While there is a universal healthcare system, specialist services require queuing despite being free. Hence the private health care plays a major role in providing specialist services which complements the universal health care.
A medical tourism agent is an organisation or a company which seeks to bring together a prospective patient with a service provider, usually a hospital or a clinic. These organisations are generally facilitators and developers of medical tourism, which brings into play a number of issues that do not apply when a patient stays within their own country of origin.
Fertility tourism is the practice of traveling to another country or jurisdiction for fertility treatment, and may be regarded as a form of medical tourism. One can usually be considered as having fertility issues when they are unable to have a clinical pregnancy after 12 months of attempts with intercourse. Infertility, or the inability to get pregnant, affects about 8-12% of couples looking to conceive or 186 million people globally. In some places, rates of infertility surpass the global average and can go up to 30% depending on the country. Areas with lack of resources, such as assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs), tend to correlate with the highest rates of infertility.
Medical tourism is a growing sector in India. In mid–2020, India's medical tourism sector was estimated to be worth US$5–6 billion. In 2017, 495,056 patients visited India to seek medical care. According to a report from 2019 by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Ernst & Young, most of the medical tourist arrivals in India were from Southeast Asia, Middle East, Africa, and SAARC region. India also receives significant number of medical tourists from Australia, Canada, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Gurgaon is the medical tourism hub followed by Chennai which is known as the healthcare capital of India.
Medical tourism in Pakistan is viewed as an untapped market that could be turned into a huge opportunity if the government "focuses on key issues". According to Pakistani medical experts, Pakistan has a "huge potential" in becoming a regional medical tourism hub, comparable to many other countries in its neighbourhood. Medical tourism in Pakistan has been arranging potential trips for many medical health and care procedures. A number of modern hospital facilities exist in major cities such as Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore that are fully equipped and facilitated with the latest medical technologies. Many doctors and surgeons in Pakistani hospitals tend to be foreign qualified. However, security issues and an overall below-par health infrastructure have challenged the growth of the industry.
Healthcare in Chennai is provided by both government-run and private hospitals. Chennai attracts about 45 percent of health tourists from abroad arriving in the country and 30 to 40 percent of domestic health tourists. The city has been termed India's health capital. Multi- and super-specialty hospitals across the city bring in an estimated 150 international patients every day. Factors behind the tourists' inflow in the city include low costs, little to no waiting period, and facilities offered at the speciality hospitals in the city.
According to the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), Malaysia reportedly received 641,000 foreign patients in 2011, 728,800 in 2012, 881,000 in 2013, 882,000 in 2014, 859,000 in 2015, and 921,000 in 2016. Malaysia's medical tourism statistics derive from the reported numbers of all foreign patients treated by Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC)–endorsed medical facilities. These figures encompass all registered patients with a foreign passport, which by default also encompass expatriates, migrants, business travellers, and holiday-makers for whom health care may not be the main motive for their stay. The number of Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council–endorsed medical facilities in Malaysia has increased over the years, playing a role in increasing the official figures on foreign patients. Malaysia is listed in the top 10 tourism destinations in the world by Patients Beyond Borders.
Wellness tourism is travel for the purpose of promoting health and well-being through physical, psychological, or spiritual activities.
LaingBuisson is a business intelligence provider across health, care and education, headquartered in Angel, London. It provides insights, data and analysis of market structures, policy and strategy and is the chosen provider of independent sector healthcare market data to the UK Government's Office for National Statistics.
Healthcare in Slovakia has features of the Bismarck, the Beveridge and the National Health Insurance systems. Compulsory healthcare contributions, which are income-related, are paid to the chosen health insurance company. 4% is paid by the employee and 10% by the employer. Self-employed people have to pay all 14%. The government pays in respect of those not working, at a rate of 4.9% of average income. More than 98% of the population is covered by health insurance. There are three health insurance companies, one owned by the government which insures 65% of the population. Entitlement to treatment is not affected by the level of contributions. The system does not cover plastic surgery or all dental treatment. What is covered by health insurance is specified in legislation. The full cost of medication is not always covered.
Based in George Town, Penang and founded in 1996, Malaysia, Island Hospital is a 300-bed private hospital and one of the leading tertiary care providers in Malaysia. Established in 1996, it has specialists who are highly experienced and renowned in their dedicated fields, most of which have been trained and have worked internationally.
Elitour is the Greek Medical Tourism Council. It is associated with the Greek National Tourism Organization.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the tourism industry due to the resulting travel restrictions as well as slump in demand among travelers. The tourism industry has been massively affected by the spread of coronavirus, as many countries have introduced travel restrictions in an attempt to contain its spread. The United Nations World Tourism Organization estimated that global international tourist arrivals might decrease by 58% to 78% in 2020, leading to a potential loss of US $0.9–1.2 trillion in international tourism receipts.
South Korea attracted more than 2.76 million foreign patients as of 2019, since the attraction of international patients began in 2009. Among many reasons for the increasing number of patients, there are benefits such as reasonable medical costs, high quality medical services, short waiting times, and tourism packages combining relaxation and tourism.
USHAŞ, USHAŞ A.Ş. is a Turkish state owned healthcare company headquartered in Ankara, Turkey. The company was established in 2019 by Turkish Ministry of Health with the decree-law number 663 to promote and regulate medical tourism in Turkey.
References
- ↑ "International Medical Travel Journal". University of Pennsylvania Library. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ↑ "Croatian Health Tourism:Interview with IMTJ Editor Keith Pollard". Total Croatia News. 10 November 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ↑ "ARABIA: THE NEW MECCA FOR CHINESE MEDICAL TOURISTS?". South China Morning Post. 11 November 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ↑ "IMTJ: Greece Can Grow its Medical Tourism Business". Greek Travel Pages. 23 May 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ↑ "Boost economy via medical tourism, PM tells healthcare providers". Free Malaysia Today. 3 November 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ↑ "Malaysia Seeks Strategic Global Partnerships to Accelerate Its Growth Trajectory As A Preferred Healthcare Destination". PR Newswire. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.