KSA sees growth in medical tourist arrivals

The medical tourist arrivals in Saudi Arabia are projected to increase to 105,000 by 2016 at a CAGR of 20 percent for the years 2012-2016, the Middle East Medical Tourism Industry Outlook to 2016 - Advanced Medical Infrastructure Paving the Way for Future Growth report said Tuesday.

It said the medical tourism industry in the Middle is projected to attract 753,500 medical tourists and will generate revenue of $2 billion by 2016.

The UAE is promoting its medical tourism in the world by the creation of the Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC). The country has the highest number of JCI certified hospitals in the region. In the coming years the UAE is expected to play a significant role in the medical tourism industry in the Middle East region, the report added.

The report pointed out that Jordan is the leader in the medical tourism industry in the Middle East region. The country serves medical tourists from Iraq, Syria, Yemen and other countries in the region. The country offers state of the art medical treatment in all of the 106 hospitals in the country.

Turkey, on the other hand, has a strategic location that makes the country a well-known destination for the medical tourism in the region, the report said.

The country is the second largest country in terms of the medical tourist arrivals and also the second largest in terms of revenue generated through medical tourism.

The creation of the health zones in the country by 2014 is expected to attract more medical tourists to the country. The medical tourism industry is estimated to attract medical tourists thereby generating revenue of $408 million by 2016, the report added.

(SG)

This article was first published in the Saudi Gazette