Humans are wanderers by instinct. We have been crossing the oceans, seeking out other territories since time immemorial. What was an act of discovering and exploring unknown places and civilizations overseas at first, has evolved into wanderlust, with people now traveling at leisure. That’s how the travel and tourism industry came into being.

However, over the years the definition of tourism has undergone a transformation of its own, where we have people traveling abroad not only to experience the beauty of the places, the monuments, culture, and cuisine but for medical reasons as well. Nowadays, we have patients flying overseas for IVF and dentistry in Malaysia and cosmetic surgery in South Korea or even Brazil.

Medical Tourism has opened a whole new sector that benefits the healthcare, travel, and tourism industry, and the patients as well since they are getting superior treatments at a low cost.

The Growing Prominence of Medical Tourism

The market size of medical tourism was estimated at $19 billion in 2018, with a prediction that will grow by 6.5% CAGR from 2019-2025. In a recent market report, the industry forecasted a total worth of $27.8 billion in 2020, with estimations that it will reach $65.79 billion by 2025 growing at 18.8% CAGR.

In recent years, medical tourism has become one of the fastest-growing sectors, owing to globalization and the advancement of technology. Other than that, the mounting regulatory compliances towards international standards of medical procedures and treatments have been driving the growth of the sector.

Reports generated in 2019 suggested that Thailand generated the highest revenue in medical tourism with more than 2.8 million people seeking treatments in the region from abroad. The other countries that have grown prominently are medical tourism in Mexico, Malaysia, Brazil, India, Taiwan, Spain, South Korea, Columbia, and Singapore.

Treatments Popular Among Medical Tourists

People seek medical tourism for a plethora of procedures, starting from serious physical ailments to aesthetic surgeries. Here is a list of common medical treatments that get the most patient traffic:

Cosmetic Surgery & Hair Transplant

With time, people have become more accepting of aesthetic procedures like cosmetic surgery, hair transplant, and likewise. But the cost associated with these procedures often prevents one from going under the knife in their own country. Thanks to medical tourism, now they have the option to travel to other countries like Brazil, Malaysia, Thailand, and South Korea, and get the same procedures done at a significantly lower cost. Notably, Brazil cosmetic surgery, along with hair transplants in Thailand and India has been getting a lot of patient traffic in recent years.

Dentistry

Dental treatments tend to be expensive in the US and European countries. Hence people have been seeking quality treatment across the borders. Dentistry in Malaysia, Mexico, and India have gained quite the reputation in the medical tourism circles, owing to the world-class treatment facilities and affordable packages.

IVF

Infertility is a common issue among couples these days and most back-out from seeking medical help due to the high costs. That said, lately, a lot of couples are opting for medical tourism to try IVF in Malaysia, along with other fertility treatments.

On an ending note, if you are seeking medical attention across the borders, then Compare Medical Tourism is the site you need to guide you through the process. They have the most efficient team to give you all the information to initiate your search for treatment abroad. Click here to initiate contact with the team.