Global Recession Helps Korea Attract More Medical Tourists

Tagged: asia, Discounts, Korea, Medical Tourism

The global recession and its effects on the Korean Won has resulted in more tourists traveling to Korea to receive medical treatment as well as enjoy some shopping and leisure. While the cost of health care in Korea has been traditionally 50% cheaper than the cost of the same procedures in the US or Japan, with the Korean Won dropping by about 40% against the Japanese Yen, costs of medical procedures come about 70% cheaper.

According to the Korea Tourism Organization, the number of foreign travelers visiting to the country in the first two months of the year have increased by 25.5%. The number of foreign patients traveling to Korea has doubled since last year. Most of these travelers are patients from Singapore and Japan who are traveling to Korea to undergo cosmetic surgery and to enjoy luxury shopping. Tourists from Japan increased by around 64 percent while tourists from China have grown 16 percent.

Travelers usually visit the country on shopping and surgery packages wherein part of the travel package is used for the surgery while the rest is used for shopping and relaxation. The growing number of medical tourists in Korea is proving to be beneficial for the country where locals are spending less.

Related Site: Korea’s Medical Tourism growing