Medical Tourism: Drivers, Trends and Destinations

Medical tourism is a highly growing trend globally, with an average of 6 million people traveling yearly to other countries with the sole purpose to get medical care. This number does not take into account people who travel within their own country from one region to another for the same purpose. The global market was worth USD10.5 billion in 2012 and is expected to grow to reach an estimated value higher than 100 billion USD in 2019. This paper will base itself on a statistical and numerical data that is published by the leading authorities in the field of tourism as well as data and research from various high profile associations and organizations that specialize in the domain of tourism. The gathered data will be analyzed and an assessment of the leading countries in the field of medical tourism will be drawn, these countries will be evaluated in order to determine the main trends and influences that govern the behavior of tourists on the look for better medical services abroad. At the end of the analysis, it is expected to demonstrate that the main factors that overlook the medical tourism practice are the search for a high-quality medical service at a reasonable price. It is also expected to demonstrate that in addition to the cost/quality ratio, patients are on the look for ease of access as well as speed of medical treatment. The elements that will be established in this paper as the main factors behind medical tourism could be the basis of further study and lead to the development and amelioration of the touristic potential of countries especially those with low touristic attractions.