The medical tourism industry in the Middle East is experiencing vigorous growth. This is despite the slowdown in the global economy. The Middle East is in a unique position because it has many well-developed hospitals. But because there are many affluent citizens from the region, many nations are targeting the Middle East for their own medical tourism industries.

The Kingdom of Jordan is promoting its medical industry to US patients in a bid to get a good share of the multibillion medical tourism industry. Jordan, which is predominantly a desert, is poor in natural resources so it is hoping to tap into medical tourism.

Medical Tourism is now part of the annual Oman Travel Mart, Oman’s International Trade exhibition for tourism and travel. The Oman Travel Mart opened at the Oman International Exhibition Centre last February 17 and will be open to the public until February 19, 2009.

It is the first time for Medical Tourism to be featured in the exhibition which also showcases the following segments of travel & tour: Inbound and Outbound Tourism, Property & Investment Opportunities, Hospitality & Travel, Education Tourism and Software Solutions.

Among the Medical Tourism companies that participated in the exhibition are: Bangkok Hospital Medical Center, the International Medical Specialty Centre, Steps National Company and the Sri Ramchandra Hospital.

The country is now promoting medical tourism because it sees the sector as a segment with the greatest potential for growth in tourism in 2009. This is due to the rising costs of healthcare in the West and the global economic downturn that pushes people from developed nations to seek medical care from foreign countries.

The Managing Director Nick Hodge of OITE (Oman International Trades and Exhibitions), the organizer of OTM, cited the growing popularity of Malaysia, Singapore and India in attracting foreign patients seeking for superior yet affordable healthcare.

Related site : http://www.oite.com/otm/index.php