What is Health Tourism?
Health tourism is defined as traveling outside one’s country of residence in order to maintain, improve, or restore health, or to receive diagnosis and treatment for a medical condition. Individuals who travel for these purposes are referred to as health tourists.
In the past, health tourism primarily involved patients from developing countries traveling to more developed nations with advanced medical facilities. However, this pattern has shifted over time. Today, individuals from developed countries also travel abroad to benefit from more affordable treatment options, shorter waiting times, and access to alternative healthcare services.
As a result, health tourism has become a rapidly growing global industry characterized by cross-border patient mobility and international healthcare demand.