Houston CVB Positioned to Help Agents Serve Medical Travelers
by Nick VerrastroEducating the medical travel industry about the services and value travel agents provide is key for agents seeking to develop this niche market.
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That’s according to Jorge Franz, vice president of tourism and international marketing for the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. Franz has experience on both sides of the travel-medical equation, so he’s in a good position to understand the challenges and opportunities and advise agents.
On the travel side, he is an executive of a destination marketing organization that has extensive contact with agents.
On the medical side, Franz is involved with the Texas Medical Center (TMC), a 1,000-acre complex in central Houston that encompasses 49 institutions and serves 6 million patients a year.
Franz serves on the medical center’s International Affairs Council, which works to develop programs to attract and serve international medical travelers, medical researchers and physicians.
Travel Market Report asked Franz to discuss medical travel, the opportunities for agents and how Visit Houston works to serve the medical travel market.
What is your take on medical tourism and how the travel industry can serve this market?
Franz: First, I think medical tourism may not be the best term, because tourism connotes something enjoyable.
I attended a medical tourism conference in Mexico where the minister of health spoke and he said it best: There is no question that the two industries have to integrate better, but [for the travel agent] medical travel is not as simple as booking a stay at a resort for two weeks.
You are risking getting involved in some huge liability issues if you don’t know what you’re doing. The key is to leave the medical portion to the medical profession.
How then can travel agents get involved?
Franz: Most U.S. institutions involved in medical travel have people that serve medical travelers. The key is that they do not know everything the travel agent can do for them. They don’t know how agents can help get better air fares and hotel and ground prices, how agents can provide services to their customers while they are en route, and so on.
There has to be a mix of the two – with travel agents providing travel services to the medical institutions. I definitely do not think agents should get into the medical side.
What steps should agents take?
Franz: Travel agents have an educational job to do informing these institutions of the services they can provide and the value they can offer. Also, travel agents should get involved in medical tourism conferences, speaking about what they do. That information is lacking at these trade shows.
How does medical tourism fit into Houston’s strategy as a destination in domestic and international markets?
Franz: We are very involved with the Texas Medical Center (TMC) and have had a partnership for some time. I just finished an 18-month tenure as the chair of Texas Medical Center International Affairs Advisory Council.
My job [at Visit Houston] has become more focused on international markets, and the council sought ways to be more competitive in attracting more international patients, researchers and students into the Texas Medical Center.
How does your partnership with the medical center benefit agents?
Franz: What our partnership with the TMC means is that a travel agent needs to call just the CVB for any information on medical travel they need – ground transportation, translators and accommodations. We can handle all of that.
If a travel agent has medical travel clients and needs to figure out what transportation or hotel they should work with in Houston, we will send out that request to get a good rate and put the agent in touch with all ground services that are reputable and professional.
It is to our benefit to help travel agents, because our effectiveness is measured by the number of room nights we generate. Travel agents can call any time.
What should agents know about Houston’s facilities for medical travelers and people accompanying medical travelers?
Franz: Several hotels work very closely with the Texas Medical Center. Some hotels are based in the medical center; there are others nearby for higher-end travelers.
Some institutions within the medical center have hotel-like accommodations. For example, Memorial Hermann has suites that would rival a four- or five-star hotel room – but a doctor can do a major operation in that room as well. Methodist Hospital is another example. These folks have gotten very professional in providing concierge services to patients.
The Texas Medical Center has a specific department dedicated to international travel. We have international services teams who meet the cultural needs of international patients and speak a variety of languages. They are adept at making these patients comfortable.
There are so many areas of TMC, and each one of these institutions has a specialty. There are people [serving medical travelers] at each of these institutions, and we can help put travel agents in contact with them.
RESOURCES
Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau: 800-4-HOUSTON.
