Thailand to encourage growth of medical tourism

To sustain the growth of Thailand’s medical tourism sector, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has organized the “Thailand Medical & Wellness Tourism Trade Familiarization (fam) Trip”, which runs from September 10 to 15, 2012. The fam trip will play an important role in showcasing Thailand as one of the world’s leading destinations for medical & wellness tourism. Over 150 international medical tourism facilitators and staff from health insurance companies and tourism business partners from all over the world will join the fam trip to meet and network with medical service providers in Thailand. The fam trip opens with a one-day trade event at the Centara Grand at CentralWorld in Bangkok on September 11. The event will feature exhibition booths, a country briefing, business meetings, and a networking night. During the remaining four days of the fam trip, the international visitors will go to many Thai health and wellness providers to tour facilities, meet their experts and try out the various services available to medical tourists. The result of the fam trip will be greater recognition of the variety and quality of medical and wellness options available to visitors to Thailand, which will encourage the growth of the Kingdom’s medical tourism sector. “Thailand has established itself as a global leader in medical tourism. People from all over the world put their trust in Thailand’s health and wellness providers, thanks to their internationally-accredited medical facilities, advanced technologies, excellent service and affordability. This fam trip will help to increase momentum for the Kingdom’s medical tourism sector, reinforcing Thailand’s position as the world’s preferred destination for health and wellness holidays,” said TAT Governor Mr. Suraphon Svetasreni. According to the Department of Health Service Support, 2.24 million foreign visitors came to Thailand for medical purposes in 2011, generating 97.8 billion Baht in income. The number of medical tourism visitors is expected to rise to 2.53 million in 2012. The TAT has actively supported Thai medical tourism for many years. This includes a web site to provide healthcare information for international patients travelling to Thailand, as well as conducting a Medical Tourism Blog Contest as an innovative way to promote the medical tourism experience in Thailand. From tatnews