Thailand’s Medical Tourism Growing at Fast Clip

Thailand’s medical tourism industry continues to grow at an impressive rate. That’s in large part due to its expanding network of medical facilities catering to international visitors.

It’s also due to proactive marketing by tourism officials.

Industry observers predict that new trends will make medical travel to Thailand more attractive than ever. And agents are discovering a travel niche that’s unique, diverse and filled with potential.

Impressive numbers
With an impressive 2.5 million medical tourists per year, Thailand is the world’s top medical tourism destination.

And it has no intention of giving up the title.   

On the contrary. A Euromonitor International report from November 2013 predicts “aggressive movement” in the medical tourism sector.

That’s particularly true for key operators such as Bangkok’s prestigious cadre of private hospitals. They offer international accreditation, multiple specialties and state-of-the-art facilities at significant savings over Western health care costs.

It’s not surprising that one of them, Bumrungrad International Hospital, treats more than 500,000 international visitors each year.

Among the trends expected to boost numbers from North Americans: hospitals are investing considerable sums to redecorate and reconfigure patient rooms to make them look more like hotel rooms.

And hospitals in popular resort destinations such as Phuket, Samui, Pattaya, Hua Hin and Chiang Mai are expanding their medical tourism services. Some destinations, such as Phuket, have up to now been known mostly for cosmetic procedures.

Continued growth
“We continue to grow our business,” said David Boucher, MPH, FACHE, president and COO of Companion Global Healthcare (Disclosure: Boucher’s company is a partner of Well-Being Travel, a sister company to Travel Market Report.)

“To assume that America is only country that could possibly have high quality health care is myopic at best and xenophobic at worst,” said Boucher, who is a former hospital executive.

“The quality of care in Thailand is a big incentive to go there. So is tradition of service.”

Recent political protests and a military coup in May haven’t dampened enthusiasm for the destination.  

“We’ve not seen a decrease at all in our business. Of course we try to mitigate risks. Our clients traveling to Thailand are picked up by a representative from the hospital. Bumrungrad even has its own reception area at the airport,” Boucher said.

Marketing initiatives 
The Tourism Authority of Thailand has launched a multi-media marketing campaign to promote medical tourism.

Videos, e-brochures and PowerPoint presentations cover topics such as facilities, services, treatments, and accreditation.  

Tourism officials are also working with North American companies to develop distinct market segments.

One important niche involves self-funded medical plans. Employers are gravitating to the plans in large numbers, especially since the launch of the Affordable Care Act. The increased flexibility of self-funded plans provides greater leeway to cover medical travel expenses.

A new direction
“We think the self-funded market is the major direction medical tourism is going to take,” said Cherie Bright, president of Thailand Medical Travel & Tourism.  

Bright’s medical travel agency has specialized in international travel to Thailand for more than a decade. She’s presently working with tourism officials to sponsor business executives and human resource managers on fact-finding trips to Thailand.

“Owners of companies need reassurance that the care is going to be high quality for their employees. The next step is to send employees over there,” said Bright.

She’s currently putting together a medical travel trip for employees from an Indian casino.

“We think that once employees come back with good reports about their experience, employers will start taking a closer look,” Bright said

“Thailand offers excellent medical care that’s much less expensive, and it involves an exotic location. The medical travel potential there is huge.”