Medical Tourism: Medical Wellness vs. Health Spas

Before the days of conventional medicine there was a strong relationship between religion and healthcare. Depending on the natural resources available, each region developed unique healing methods. Since medical progress varied depending on the region, when word spread of effective treatments, people travelled to cure their ailments out of necessity. Today medical knowledge is accepted and shared on a global level. This offers potential patients an opportunity to choose the most suitable treatm...

Medical Tourism is one of the fastest growing international industries, with growth anticipated to be $100 billion by the year 2012. More and more countries around the world are emerging into Medical Tourism destinations, from Asian countries like India and Thailand to North Americas Cuba and to European countries like Hungary. With most of the world experiencing a healthcare crisis, patients and wellness consumers are traveling abroad to seek the best quality care and alternative options availa...

The health economy is booming despite the global financial crisis. At the “Capital Congress for Medicine and Health” 2009 in Berlin, one of the world’s largest medical conventions, the sector was even described as a “cyclical and political stabiliser”. Medical vs. Health Tourism A major share in this development can be attributed to health or medical offers directed specifically towards tourists. They attract people who want to maintain or regain their health far ...

A distinction from leisure holidays is fundamental. The primary travel motives and holiday contents are the prevention and cure of illness. As the Latin word ‘curare’ and the tradition of various European and Oriental cure baths prove, this tourism stream has a long history. Today it is a global business sector with many neglected potentials, but also providers whose survival is threatened by the forces of the markets, which need to focus on innovative, market-based strategies. Inte...

Singapore is proving to be a dynamic regional hub not only in conducting business but also as an ideal location to restore the mind, the body, and the spirit. Dubbed as the spa hub of Southeast Asia, the spa industry in Singapore continues to enjoy a buoyant business despite the current economic downturn. With increased demand for spa services, spa operators are often exploring areas for providing value added services to the customers. In fact, its focus on introducing environmental initiatives ...

A list of experienced medical tourism stakeholders worldwide to download (pdf).