The characteristics of Medical Tourism

Some domestic scholars have made the following summary of its characteristics

(1) High consumption

Nowadays, the concept of "spending money to buy health" is increasingly taking root in people's hearts, and Medical Tourism that pursues health is gradually becoming a recognized way. Compared with sightseeing Tourism, Medical Tourism has high consumption and thus is highly consumption-oriented.

(2) Regionality

The attractions of Medical Tourism are usually that the destination has high-level treatment techniques and unique therapeutic effects. Due to the spatial differences in resource distribution, it is inevitable that tourists will experience spatial displacement. Among different countries, due to the huge regional differences, there are significant variations in medical methods and medicines. These Medical approaches offer Medical Tourism practitioners not only treatment but also an experience of medical methods, a sense of culture and an edification.

(3) Health care and rehabilitation

Health care and rehabilitation are the most obvious characteristics of Medical Tourism. Medical Tourism combines the unique or advantageous medical treatment methods of the destination with leisure tourism, and also places healthcare on par with relaxation, entertainment and enjoyment as its primary purposes. Today, as health is increasingly valued, choosing Medical Tourism itself implies the pursuit of physical well-being and the ease and pleasure of the medical process.

(4) High-risk

Medical Tourism is still a relatively new field. Currently, there are only a few intermediary organizations that have truly taken off in China, providing services such as physical examinations, beauty treatments, and convalescence in places like Switzerland, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. The reason why few general travel agencies get involved in this market is that, on the one hand, it is difficult for travel agencies to determine whether the "treatment projects" of Medical Tourism meet the qualifications and have unique advantages, making it hard for them to produce professional products. From an operational perspective, if it is for a small number of individuals, the cost of such Tours is particularly high. If it is a group tour, the workload of formulating medical plans for each tourist is very large and difficult to operate. On the other hand, when it comes to medical projects, which are highly specialized, travel agencies should bear joint liability. Moreover, postoperative care and subsequent treatment cannot be resolved all at once. In addition, disputes are prone to arise in the assessment of medical effects. This is also one of the reasons why Medical Tourism has been hindered in the mass tourism market.

(5) Product richness and form diversity

Medical Tourism products are rich in types and cover a wide range, involving multiple fields such as treatment, plastic surgery and beauty, rehabilitation, etc. International Medical Tourism providers also offer various forms of products to different types of tourism demanders, including both single-function services and comprehensive chain services.