February 4, 2014

I don’t know why it came as a surprise when I read about the Turks and Caicos island resort starting a medical tourism strategy. http://www.eturbonews.com/42408/turks-and-caicos-looking-develop-medical-tourism  And why not?  It’s a beautiful place with fabulous beaches and the medical tourism industry is booming - by one estimate it’s a market about $25billionUSD+ annually with thousands of people traveling out of their home country to get medical procedures done elsewhere.  According to PatientsBeyondBorders the top destinations are Brazil, Costa Rica, India, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and United States.  Cost, availability and quality of care are driving these getaway decisions.  And an aging population of Baby Boomers with money doesn’t hurt the trend.  I guess it’s like everything else, it’s a global market for anything.  Want a medical procedure done; want less expensive medications, need a face-lift?  Shop around and get some sun while you’re at it.   

Tags: Medical tourism · Travel Advice · Travel Destinations · World Cities