• Tourism and good health: Medical tourism

    August 3, 2012

    BY DR. PETER TARLOW, PRESIDENT OF TOURISM & MORE, INC., 

    Tourism and health has taken on two new meanings. Health tourism can be broken down into two components, people who travel to a particular spot for medical reasons, such as cancer centers or for specific operations such a coronary bypass, and people who travel to a location for medicinal reasons such as rest and relaxation. Medicinal tourism caters not to the sick but to those who seek new levels of wellness. Examples of medicinal tourism are spa or centers that cater to non-essential cosmetic re-makes such a weight loss. Medical tourism of the hospital variety differs from medicinal tourism (the spa variety) in that it aims to serve those who are accompanying an ill person and often does not seek repeat business. Medicinal tourism on the other hand seeks repeat business and hopes that its clients will return on a regular basis.

    Spa tourism has been around for thousands of years. In ancient times places such as northern Israel and Rome attracted visitors from the much of the known world. Across the millennia then spa tourism has provided visitors with non-invasive therapies, opportunities to improve physical fitness. In the modern world spas also provide their guests with weight-loss treatments, special cleansing diets and a variety of mineral and thermal skin treatments. Many spas also often massage and yoga classes as other ways to improve health and to de-stress.

    Both of these separate phenomena are often classified as “medical tourism” and although their raisons d’être are very different, they also share many tourism similarities. Medical tourism also has the added advantage that it can provide essential services to the local population at the same time that it is helping the local economy. To help you consider if medical tourism is a good choice for your community consider some of the following ideas.

    -Determine what health factors make your community unique. Saleable health factors can include exceptionally clean air, unique waters with minerals, quiet settings, or any other natural phenomenon that would provide the person with a form of health benefits that are unique to your community.

    -Make sure that your medical personnel understand the importance of good bedside manner. In the world of medical tourism physicians, nurses, and therapists are more than medical professionals. They are also part of the tourism industry and their patients are also “clients”. That means that it is imperative to train medical tourism workers not only in their particular medical field, but also provide them with a clear understanding of customer service and the tourism product. How they treat their patients may well determine a patient’s willingness to return.

    Merge your tourism offerings with the local ambiance. Medical tourism is about creating psychological and physical harmony. Make sure to offer a wide variety of options, but at the same time, be careful to honor the place in which your tourism is located and integrate local culture and foods into your medical tourism site.

    Make your hospitals tourism friendly. Hospitals are often seen as places in which to get sick rather than to get well. Hospital tourism means integrating not only the patient with the local community but also the whole family. During the patient’s recovery phase, provide the patient’s family with day trips that stay connected to the hospital in case of emergency. Develop special brochures for out-of-towners who are visiting sick friends and relatives. Remember that these are people who are in your community due to a love one’s illness. They need excellent customer service, ways to relieve tension and still feel that they are close to loved ones.

    Make sure that your medical tourism meets industry standards. Medical tourism is in an existential sense different from many other forms of tourism in that involves the health and well-being of a guest. Make sure to meet all standards, do not advertise what you cannot deliver and make sure that people understand the risks involved. The bottom line is that while foreseeability is essential in all forms of tourism it is especially important in the area of medical tourism.

    Take the time to get your medical tourism right! Terms such as medical tourism, spa tourism and wellness tourism are often used so loosely that no one is sure what these terms mean. Be truthful in your advertizing; say what you offer and what you do not offer so that the customer is absolutely clear about the experience s/he is purchasing. Also be certain that resources, such as water, (as used in spas) are tested on a regular basis so as not to turn a medicinal tourism experience into an illness acquired experience.

    If doing medical tourism; make sure that you create partner agencies. One of the problems in the area of medical tourism is what does a patient do after s/he has returned home and has a problem. Good medical tourism centers can provide 24 hour/7 day a week medical hot lines, but often a patient needs more than a phone. Make sure that medical records are sent home in the local language or in a language that the local doctor can read. Establish partner hospitals around the world and make sure that medical prescriptions can be filled in the customer’s country.

    Deal with the insurance problems before not after. Many visitors in both medical and medicinal tourism may want to use a local insurance plan. Be sure to list in your literature payment structures and whose insurance your institutions can accept. There is nothing less pleasant than having a fight over money when it comes to health and these disputes often cause visitors to have a negative reaction to the host community and not just the health provider. Make sure that health providers understand that they are an essential part of the community’s economic health and what they do or fail to do reflects on the whole community. Source: tourismandmore.com

    • Connecting you with the world of travel and tourism

      Theme Park Expo Vietnam 2025

      Asia Pool & Spa Expo , May 10 – 12, 2025 , Guangzhou , China

      KAZAKHSTAN International Exhibition “Tourism & Travel” Almaty, Kazakhstan

      CHINA- Beyond your imagination

      China – Lunar New Year 2025 

      This Lunar New Year (LNY) is shaping up to be a festive season of exploration and connection as celebrating families and friends worldwide embrace the holiday spirit.

      This year marks the year of the Snake, a symbol of wisdom, intuition, and transformation — themes that reflect the everchanging travel landscape. While some choose to celebrate at home, others have taken the opportunity to create memories in destinations far and near. With travel back in full swing, Trip.com Group has unveiled its latest LNY trends for 2025, showcasing how travellers are prioritising longer stays, meaningful experiences and unconventional destinations this year.

      Data reveals strong year-on-year growth for cross-border travel, with travellers combining public holidays and annual leave to increase their length of stay.

      Notably, in the Chinese mainland, a key source of LNY travel, New Year’s Eve is officially recognised as a holiday in 2025. This allows travellers to take just two days of leave for an eleven-day holiday. Korean travellers need to take one day for a nine-day break, while Singaporeans can create a five-day holiday with a single day off. As such, extended stays are a hallmark of this year’s LNY. On average, Asia-Pacific travellers will stay up to 10% longer this festive period.

      Popular destinations frequented by travellers who celebrate LNY include Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Chinese mainland. -PRNewswire Jan. 20, 2025 /

      FITUR tourism exhibition

      opens as sector fully recovers

      The 2025 FITUR international tourism exhibition opened  in Madrid, showcasing a robust recovery in the global tourism sector. Over 9,000 companies from 156 countries are participating in the event, which marks the 45th edition of the exhibition. Running until Jan. 26, FITUR is hosting 153,000 industry professionals, highlighting its significance as a key gathering for the global travel industry.

      The United Nations Tourism (UN Tourism) announced Tuesday that 2024 saw international tourism fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, with 1.4 billion international travelers recorded. The organization forecasts further growth of 3-5 percent for 2025.

      Spain, a leading global tourism destination, recently reported a record-breaking 94 million visitors in 2024, underscoring the sector’s resilience and strength.

      Brazil takes center stage as the invited nation at this year’s FITUR. The exhibition also features 10 specialist areas, including cruises, sports tourism, film tourism, and language-learning tourism, reflecting the growing diversity of travel trends.

      The Asia-Pacific region has reached 87 percent of its pre-pandemic tourist numbers, according to the UN Tourism. China has a strong presence at FITUR, with companies such as Enjoy China, Fantastica China, The Chinese Office of Tourism in Spain, and Focus China showcasing their offerings over the coming days. – Xinhua ,Jan. 22 ,2025

      France holds off Spain

      as world’s tourist favourite

      Olympic host France retained its spot as the world’s top tourist destination in 2024 with 100 million visitors, holding off stiff competition from countries including Spain.

      As world tourism returned to pre-pandemic levels with 1.4 billion people taking a trip abroad, according to the UN, both France and Spain announced record visitor numbers.

      Spain said last week that a record 94 million foreign tourists flocked to the Iberian nation in 2024, a 10 percent increase from the previous year.

      France, which hosted the Olympic Games in July – September 2024, welcomed two more million visitors in 2024, an increase of two percent compared with 2023.

      But although France had more visitors, they spent less than those in Spain — 71 billion euros ($74-billion) compared with 126 billion euros in Spain.

      France’s takings from international tourists rose by a total of 12 percent year-on-year, driven largely by Belgian, English, German, Swiss and US citizens, the tourism ministry said in a statement.

      Despite the return of customers from Asia, the number of Chinese visitors to France remained 60 percent lower than before the pandemic.Thirty percent fewer Japanese visited the country than in 2019.

      Good snowfall in late 2024 meanwhile drove a rebound for the end-of-year holidays as snow sports lovers flocked to the French ski slopes.

      “The outlook for the first quarter of 2025 is very good, with visitor numbers on the rise,” the ministry statement added.- enca.com ,22 January 2025

      Nepal hikes Everest climbing fee

      KATHMANDU – Nepal has sharply increased Everest climbing permit fees and introduced a slew of measures aimed at controlling garbage pollution and preventing accidents on the planet’s tallest peak.

      Under the revised rules, every two climbers must hire a guide to climb any mountain over 8,000 metres, including Everest.Under the revised mountaineering regulations, the royalty fee for foreigners climbing Everest from the normal south route in the spring season (March-May) has been raised to $15,000 from the current $11,000 per person.

      The autumn season (September-November) climbing fee has increased from $5,500 to $7,500. At the same time, the permit cost per individual for the winter (December-February) and monsoon (June-August) seasons has risen from $2,750 to $3,750.The new rates will take effect on September 1, 2025.

      The last royalty fee revision was made on January 1, 2015, when the government switched from a group-based system to a uniform fee of $11,000 per climber for the spring season from the normal route.

      For Nepali climbers, the royalty fee for the normal route during the spring climbing season has doubled from Rs75,000 to Rs150,000.Climbing permits, previously valid for 75 days, will now be limited to 55 days. The reduced validity is aimed at streamlining climbing activities.

      As per the amended rules, from the upcoming spring season, Everest climbers will be required to bring their poop back to base camp for proper disposal. Climbers must carry biodegradable bags to collect waste in the upper reaches.

      Base camps typically have designated toilet tents with barrels to collect human waste during expeditions. However, in higher camps, only a few agencies provide similar facilities, while others rely on pits. Very few climbers use biodegradable bags to transport waste from the summit.

      The government has also hiked the insurance coverage for high-altitude workers.Insurance coverage for high-altitude guides has gone up to Rs2 million ($14,400) from Rs1.5 million ($10,800), and for base camp workers, it has been raised to Rs1.5 million ($10,800) from Rs800,000 ($5,760).

      According to the Himalayan Database, which records all expeditions and deaths in the Himalayas, more than 200 people died on the Nepal side of Everest between 1953, when Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa first scaled the peak, and 2022.

      Nearly 8,900 people have summited the world’s highest peak from Nepal’s side since 1953.- Kathmandu Post , January 22, 2025

      Bangkok named the world’s

      second-best city by Time Out

      The ranking, based on surveys of city dwellers worldwide, highlights culture, food, affordability and overall happiness as key factors in making a city truly great.

      Climbing from 24th place last year to an impressive second place, Bangkok is celebrated for its rich cultural heritage, dynamic food scene, and vibrant lifestyle.

      The city’s affordability is a major plus, with 84% of residents agreeing that dining out, grabbing a coffee, or catching a movie is accessible to all. Additionally, 86% of locals rated Bangkok’s food as “good” or “excellent”.

      One urban expert described Bangkok as “a city of contrasts”, where the scent of sizzling street food fills the air, Michelin-starred restaurants thrive, and the majestic Chao Phraya River flows past luxury hotels.

      The city’s temples such as Wat Arun and the Grand Palace stand as timeless cultural icons, while modern parks like Benjakitti Park provide much-needed green spaces.

      Beyond affordability, the city exudes happiness and warmth. The famous Thai hospitality, vibrant night markets, and world-class nightlife districts like Thonglor and Ekkamai offer endless excitement.

      Time Out has previously recognised Bangkok’s nightlife, listing it among the coolest neighbourhoods in the world. The growing BTS and MRT public transport networks have also made exploring the city more convenient than ever.

      Bangkok’s diverse culinary scene is another highlight, from the bustling Chatuchak Market to the legendary street food in Yaowarat (Chinatown).

      Whether it’s a bowl of boat noodles or an extravagant fine-dining experience, food is an undeniable part of Bangkok’s appeal.

      The No 1 city this year is Cape Town, South Africa, known for its breathtaking landscapes and cultural vibrancy. Following Bangkok in third place is New York City, while Melbourne, London and New Orleans round out the top six. Mexico City, Porto, Shanghai and Copenhagen complete the top 10.

      Thailand’s rising global status is further reflected in Chiang Mai, which secured the 28th spot, adding to the country’s reputation as a must-visit destination.

      With its blend of tradition and modernity, Bangkok is more than just a tourist hotspot – it’s a city where people genuinely love to live. Whether you’re exploring hidden street-food gems, temple-hopping, or dancing the night away, Bangkok remains a city of endless possibilities. -The Nation ,January 20, 2025

      FACTS —

      Tourism helps in:

      👉Reducing poverty

      👉Reducing Inequalities

      👉Promoting gender equality

      👉Fostering decent work and economic growth

      World Tourism Day 2021: ‘Tourism for Inclusive Growth’

      In 2019, Travel & Tourism’s direct, indirect and induced impact accounted for:
      -US$8.9 trillion contribution to the world’s GDP
      -10.3% of global GDP
      -330 million jobs, 1 in 10 jobs around the world
      -US$1.7 trillion visitor exports (6.8% of total exports,
      28.3% of global services exports)
      -US$948 billion capital investment (4.3% of total
      investment)

      Best Tourism Villages 2024

      ” Nihao ! China ” Silk Road Tourism