Korea plans medical tourism boom

According to the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, the number of foreigners heading to Korea for cosmetic procedures and plastic surgery is on the rise, with more than 50,000 tourists travelling to Seoul for medical procedures in 2009. Choi Hang-do from the Urban Competitiveness Headquarters said in a statement to The Korea Times, that: “We [the city government] plan to promote Seoul’s outstanding medical services in co-operation with other big international events such as the G-20 summit in November.”
Traditionally people have visited Korea for less invasive cosmetic surgery procedures such as Botox injections, but now travellers are visiting the country for complex plastic surgery procedures at cheaper rates than those charged in other countries, according to the Institute.
City officials are planning to select collaborative medical institutions to help promote medical tourism across various sectors, including dermatology, plastic surgery and dentistry, following the opening of the Seoul Medical Tourism Support Center last year. They also plan to strengthen the city’s overseas marketing campaigns to increase revenue for the medical tourism industry – on average, medical visitors tend to stay longer and spend more money than general tourists.