Over the last years, Mexico’s medical tourism market has grown, according to data provided by both Deloitte and Oxford Business Group (OBG). In 2017, medical tourism generated 3.5 billion dollars and the figure is expected to increase at least four times by 2030, as long as the appropriate policies are implemented and there is greater participation of the private sector.
The expert in the tourism industry of Deloitte Mexico, María Teresa Solís Trejo, stated that there are four factors that have pushed this segment forward in the country: quality of medical services, being an open economy, geography, and the “tourism boom” that Mexico currently experiences.
Solís also said that “Mexico has an internationally recognized human capital, combined with infrastructure in private hospitals similar to that of other countries and with more accessible costs. Besides, our economy is open, so resources and supplies for the medical sector can enter [the country]. Also, the geographical location eases the transfer of patients to a specific place to be treated in a special way, and lastly, the growth of tourism allows visitors to know the advances in medical matters.”
Another point that the sector must evaluate to obtain results is the interest shown by private enterprises in investing capital in new projects related to health and well-being. However, Solis also highlights that the public sector (federal, state and local government) has also taken actions in promoting medical tourism.
In that sense, Solís points out that in the northern border, coastal areas and the communities, where a number of foreigners live in Mexico, there is an ideal economic and tourist potential to fully develop this segment.
Medical tourism has come together organically, that is, without external measures being implemented to generate it. The expert estimates that there are over 1.5 million international medical tourists in Mexico.