Latin American Wellness Tourism Market to Nearly Double by 2017

Posted on May 8, 2014 | Comments Off on Latin American Wellness Tourism Market to Nearly Double by 2017

LatinAmericanCT08may2014

The Global Wellness Tourism Congress (GWTC), a division of the Global Wellness Institute (GWI) focused on charting the growth of the rapidly growing wellness travel sector, today released first-ever findings on the Latin American wellness travel market at the World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) affiliate conference being held in Uruguay. The research, undertaken by SRI International for the GWTC, reveals that if the region’s wellness travel market is still in its relative infancy (representing $22 billion of the global market’s $439 billion USD) – a very strong growth story lies ahead.

The region (spanning Mexico/the Caribbean and Central and South America) will grow an impressive 13.4% annually through 2017 (to $42 billion USD) – nearly twice the projected growth rate for established market leaders Europe and North America. Only one global region (the Middle East) will grow faster. And the region’s top five fastest-growing markets, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, rank in the top 25 globally for wellness tourism growth through 2017.

Wellness tourism is defined as “all travel associated with enhancing one’s personal well-being,” and this data on Latin America is broken out from the GWTC’s “Global Wellness Tourism Economy” report, the first research to size and analyze this travel category that already represents one in seven of all tourist dollars.

Susie Ellis, Chairman & CEO of the GWI, presented the findings today at the first UNWTO conference on approaches that overcome tourism seasonality, and noted, “From Mexico, to all across Central and South America, this is an exciting wellness travel growth story to watch. The region has a unique resource that’s increasingly precious to our world: extensive, unspoiled nature and extraordinary destinations that marry eco, adventure and nature with wellness and spa. Additionally, the domestic market will grow as more people in the region will inevitably seek healthy living and prevention, as stress and chronic disease* rise.”

KEY FINDINGS

To view the breakdown for the top 16 Latin American nations for wellness travel (trips and expenditures, international vs. domestic travel, and wider economic impact), click here.

Expenditures: The Latin American wellness tourism market (domestic and international combined) is worth $22.4 billion USD annually, or roughly 5% of the $439 billion global market.

Trips: 31.7 million wellness-focused trips (inbound and domestic) are taken throughout the region each year, or roughly 6% of the global total of 524 million.

Top 5 Country Leaders (trips & annual expenditures in USD):

1) Mexico: 11.4 mil – $8.9 billion
2) Brazil: 5.3 mil – $2.2 billion
3) Argentina: 2.3 mil – $1.6 billion
4) Puerto Rico: 2 mil – $1.5 billion
5) Dominican Republic: 876 mil – $1.2 billion

Note that Mexico ranks #1 by strong margins: generating roughly twice as many annual trips, and four times more expenditures, than any other nation. And Mexico is a global leader: its $8.9 billion in yearly revenues ranks #10 for wellness tourism spend in the world.

Powerful Growth Story Ahead: Latin America’s 13.4% annual wellness tourism growth rate is significantly higher than the global average of 9.9% – and dramatically trumps long-established wellness travel nations like the U.S. and Germany, with their roughly 5% annual projected growth.

The top five fastest-growing Latin American nations listed below (based on a combination of growth rate and trips added) also rank among the top 25 nations GLOBALLY for projected wellness tourism growth through 2017. Global growth rank: Mexico #9, Chile #17, Brazil #19, Argentina #24 and Uruguay #25.

Top Five Fastest-Growing Wellness Tourism Markets (Total Trips Added and Annual Growth Rate, 2012-2017)

1) Mexico: 7 mil – 10%
2) Chile: 3.5 mil – 17.3%
3) Brazil: 2.7 mil – 8.7%
4) Argentina: 1.6 mil – 11.4%
5) Uruguay: 1.1 mil – 14.7%

Chile and Uruguay will grow fastest, but note that current regional leader, Mexico, will still add the most trips through 2017.

International/Inbound Wellness Tourism More Dominant: Worldwide, domestic wellness tourism is exponentially larger than its international equivalent, representing 84% of trips and 68% of expenditures. But for Latin America, inbound wellness tourists make a bigger contribution to the market than for any global region except the Middle East/Africa. Domestic wellness tourism in Latin America represents 71% of trips, but only 54% of expenditures.

Inbound Leaders – Mexico/Caribbean: Mexico and several Caribbean nations currently attract the most international wellness-seeking travelers, not surprising given their long tradition of “sun, sand and sea” spa/wellness resorts. The regional “inbound” leaders: Mexico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas.

Economy & Job Driver: Wellness tourism is directly responsible for 900,000 jobs across Latin America. And the travel segment has an estimated impact of $58 billion USD on the wider, regional economy.

More Reports Coming: This represents the second of five GWTC regional reports. Data on the Asian, North American and Middle Eastern/African wellness tourism markets will be released over the next couple months.

For information on the “Global Wellness Tourism Economy” report, contact Beth McGroarty: beth@rbicom.com or (+1) 213-300-0107. Qualified media may request a copy.

About the Global Wellness Tourism Congress: The Global Wellness Tourism Congress (GWTC) falls under the umbrella of the Global Wellness Institute (GWI), a world authority and think-tank for wellness-related industries. The Congress brings together public and private stakeholders to chart the course of the rapidly growing wellness travel sector. Attendees include government ministers of tourism, health and economic development; CEOs of private companies; and leaders and visionaries from the tourism and medical tourism worlds that engage in open dialogue to map the future of wellness tourism. The next Congress will be held on September 10, 2014 at the Four Seasons Resort in Marrakech, Morocco.

  • Euromonitor International Research (2014) shows that by 2018, 3 in 4 people in countries like Mexico and Venezuela will be overweight or obese.

source: http://www.broadwayworld.com / BWW / Home / by Fitness News Desk / May 01st, 2014

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Posted in Reports,Features, Statistics, Wellness Tourism

MEDICAL TOURISM : US group to open hospital focused on attracting medical tourists

Posted on May 7, 2014 | Comments Off on MEDICAL TOURISM : US group to open hospital focused on attracting medical tourists
Rendering of a hospital currently under construction by American World Clinics in Barbados. (Courtesy of AWC)

Rendering of a hospital currently under construction by American World Clinics in Barbados. (Courtesy of AWC)

Arizona-based company American World Clinics (AWC) confirmed the construction of a private hospital in Costa Rica that will offer health care services to foreign retirees and medical tourists.

The group will invest $150 million in the construction of a 12,000-square-meter hospital scheduled to open in 2016 in San Rafael de Alajuela, on a nine-hectare property along Route 27, the main road connecting San José with the Pacific province of Puntarenas.

The hospital will provide general surgical services and medical specialties including orthopedics, cardiology, urology, oncology, plastic surgery, and others.

AWC estimates the hospital will have the capacity to perform up to 18,000 surgeries annually.

The project also includes construction of a five-star, 100-room hotel operated by California company K-Hotels, and a retirement community  for some 400 people.

The initiative will be funded with capital from National Standard Finance, a long-term investor based in New York, and locally, AWC will work with real estate developers Brenes & Salas, said Enrique Volio, AWC’s representative in Costa Rica.

The venture will create some 300 direct jobs, mostly for Costa Rican professionals including doctors, microbiologists, nurses, physical therapists and other support staff.

“The quality of its medical professionals, political stability and geographic location of Costa Rica were the main factors for choosing the country,” Volio said.

The company currently is developing similar projects in the Dominican Republic and Barbados.

Data from the Council for International Promotion of Costa Rica Medicine (PROMED) show that Costa Rica in 2012 attracted nearly 50,000 medical tourists and each one spent an average of $7,000. Medical tourism generated some $338 million in revenue for the country that year, PROMED reported.

source: ticotimes.net / The Tico Times / Home> Most Popular> Medical Tourism / by L Arias / April 28th, 2014

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Medical tourism starts in China

Posted on May 6, 2014 | Comments Off on Medical tourism starts in China
(Photo/People's Daily Oversea Edition)

(Photo/People’s Daily Oversea Edition)

Medical tourism is a new way of integrating leisure travel and medical services. Statisticsshow that worldwide number of medical tourists increased from 20 million in 2006 to 40million in 2012. They may spend 10 times what the ordinary tourist will while traveling, oreven more.

In South Korea medical tourism, and especially cosmetic surgery, has won an internationalreputation. Statistics produced by the Justice Department in Korea show that the numberof foreign travelers who have received medical services in Korea increased from 2,545 in2011 to 15,688 in 2012 and to 25,176 in 2013. Thailand, India, Singapore, Malaysia and thePhilippines are the top five destinations for medical tourism in the world. The medicaltourism industry in China is still at the beginning.

The situation may improve very soon. In August Hainan government invested $27 millionto build an International nursing home in Sanya. It also plans to establish a Chinese healthcare center and promote a number of Chinese Traditional Medicine brands to make Hainana new international destination for medical tourism.

Like South Korea, known for the plastic surgery, Thailand, known for dental services,Switzerland, known for anti-aging services, and U.S., known for cancer treatment, Chinaalso boasts a wealth of medical tourist resources. Jia Xiaofang, spokesperson for the ChinaInternational Medical Tourism Association said that China has a lot of advantages in termsof developing medical tourism, including a high level of technology, lower prices, andChinese Traditional Medicine.

Hainan has now launched the TCM travel tour in China and has welcomed tourists fromRussia, Sweden, UK, USA, Italy and Kazakhstan. Tourists generally come to Hainan inwinter or spring, and spend two weeks receiving acupuncture and Ai smoke therapy, andalso enjoying the beach in the sunshine. Some travel agencies prepare medical travelpackages structured according to the health needs of individual clients and provide airtickets, visa, hotel and translation services. By March, more than 30,000 foreign touristshad received TCM services in Hainan, each spending an average of about $20,000 on theirmedical services。

The article is edited and translated from 医疗旅游，中国开始“探路” , source: People’sDaily Overseas Edition, Author: Yin Jian

source: http://www.english.peopledaily.com.cn / Peoples Daily Online / Home> English> People’s Daily Online Exclusive / April 29th, 2014

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Posted in Medical Tourism/Health Tourism, Reports,Features, Statistics

Medical tourism set to increase

Posted on May 5, 2014 | Comments Off on Medical tourism set to increase

Victorian hospitals are likely to start treating more overseas medical tourists in coming years after the Victorian government announced a $17.8 million plan to boost health exports including medical services, research and workforce training.

The Global Health Melbourne Plan says Victoria should be marketing its public and private hospitals to fee-paying tourists to support ‘‘increased service delivery and to enable the purchase of the latest health technologies, such as new MRI scanners and genetic testing equipment that will benefit all Victorians’’.

It also says that, if public hospitals are meeting service targets, they may choose to pursue international opportunities ‘‘particularly in areas of specialised surgery and medical capability, which international health visitors may not have access to in their home countries’’.

The report, which highlights opportunities to export health system policy and design, construction and workforce training as well as medical conferences, comes after the Victorian Government approved a 60-bed private hospital within the new $1 billion Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, due to open at the end of next year.

Health Minister David Davis said allowing privately paying tourists to use Victoria’s public hospitals would not affect Australians’ access to them. ‘‘This would always be additive, it would always be additional capacity,’’ he said.

source: http://www.theage.com.au / The Age, Victoria / Home> Victoria / by Julia Medew, Health Editor / April 30th, 2014

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Medical tourism industry growing in Sabah

Posted on May 4, 2014 | Comments Off on Medical tourism industry growing in Sabah

Kota Kinabalu :

The medical tourism industry in Sabah is starting to grow with the opening of the Swiss Wellness Centre located at the ground floor of Le Meridien Hotel here yesterday.

The wellness centre is dedicated for non-invasive and holistic Swiss biological treatments and therapies.

In his opening speech, Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun pointed out that Sabah is perfectly positioned to capitalise on medical tourism initiatives due to its unique and prime tourism assets found predominantly within Sabah, coupled with its perfect geographical location and international airport.

He noted that the global medical industry was worth an estimated USD40 to USD60 billion with the total number of healthcare travellers increasing to 594,000 from 392,000 in 2010.

Masidi added that the Malaysia Investment Development Authority (MIDA) had reported that foreign investments in hotel and tourism projects within the state of Sabah had increased from RM11 million to RM70 million from January to August 2012.

“Private sector initiatives such as the opening of the Swiss Wellness Centre augured well for the state as it would create a niche for Sabah in its foray into the medical tourism sector, and the transfer of knowledge to equip local medical practitioners with the Swiss biological therapies was a welcome initiative,” he said.

The founder of Swiss Wellness International, Dato Seri Dr Mike Chan, said that Swiss biological medicine had been practised in Europe for over 100 years and was considered one of the most advanced forms of anti-aging programs in the world.

He added that with the launch of the Swiss Wellness Centre in Le Meridien here, Sabahans, as well as medical tourists alike, will now be able to access world-class health scans, youth restoration and wellness therapies that promise holistic wellness, inside and out.

“Chronic disease can be treated and reversed with the right protocols, and as such, founded on the clinical experience and treatment success in Switzerland, the Swiss Wellness Centre has developed the Swiss Revitalisation Program,” he said.

He added, “In order to provide you with world-class treatment, the Swiss Wellness Centre has an international team of medical experts and professional  caregivers, who are well-versed and trained in the emerging field of Swiss Biological Medicine, to implement specialised modalities of detoxification, glandular stimulation and up-building therapies for private patients.”

The Swiss Wellness Centre will offer individualised therapy protocols for treatment of various diseases, including male and female rejuvenation, management of congestive heart disease, liver disorders, kidney function impairment, diabetes and other metabolic and auto immune disorders.

Following the official grand opening, a public health forum was held where members of the public were given the chance to learn from invited medical advisers, about various aspects of biological therapies and topics that are currently only known by top anti-aging doctors in the world.

Also present at the event was medical advisor Dr Dina Tukhvatullina.

source: http://www.theborneopost.com / Borneo Post Online / Home> News> Sabah / Monday – April 28th, 2014

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