Susie Ellis

CEO of Global Wellness Summit

In 2013, The Global Wellness Institute launched its inaugural research on Wellness Tourism. It did so when the Global Wellness Summit took place in New Delhi, India. That turned out to be a very good location to introduce what was at that time a very new concept – wellness tourism – to a world that was already somewhat familiar with medical tourism. Wellness tourism, at the time, was a fairly new concept.
The reason it resonated in India, is because India had a medical tourism industry where people were coming to India for medical procedures. Uniquely however, India also had the practice of yoga, meditation and Ayurveda which made it easy for people to see that these assets were distinct from medical tourism where people were coming for medical procedures. In addition, their very successful tourism campaign that many of you might remember titled “Incredible India” choose to showcase the beauty of India in terms of landscape and people – as well as the somewhat spiritual essence of the place. In fact, the author of that campaign “Incredible India” Amitabh Kant was one of the keynote speakers at our Summit.

In fact, the author of that campaign “Incredible India” Amitabh Kant was one of the keynote speakers at our Summit.
Thus, the GWI Wellness Tourism research was introduced and little by little more people around the world began using the term wellness tourism. The research brought forth some very interesting findings and statistics that helped shape the definitions that were introduced at that time. Those definitions went a long way toward making a distinction between medical tourism and wellness tourism that has helped both arenas grow and flourish. Those distinction were extremely helpful – and endure to this day.
There has been one major development since that time that I will share with you that I would add to the arsenal of understanding wellness tourism and medical tourism. That is a UNWTO report on Exploring Health Tourism that has further helped clarify the way forward.

Josef Woodman

CEO of Patients Beyond Borders

At this writing, the world remains in the grips of the global Covid-19 pandemic, with policies and proctocols changing by the week. Borders are routinely re-opening and closing, disrupting normal planning cycles, for leisure, business and medical travelers alike. South Korea in particular has suffered massive losses in patient arrivals, down nearly 80% from pre-pandemic levels [Note: this needs further substantiation]. Asia has suffered more than any other region, with most borders still closed or heavily restricted to international travelers, causing great uncertainty in the minds of patients (many of whom already harbor concerns regarding health and other risks related to medical treatment).

We at Patients Beyond Borders believe that while Covid-19 (as with SARS, MERS and any coronavirus) will likely remain a threat for the foreseeable future, normalcy will eventually return, and we expect patient flows to equal or exceed pre-pandemic numbers. Evidence of this can be seen in Mexico, where the borders never closed: clinics and medical travel agents are reporting record numbers, particularly for complex dentistry and cosmetic procedures. In similar manner, Medical Travel destinations such as Hungary and Turkey are seeking surges of UK and EU patients eager to take advantage of the savings and amenities offered by more affordable venues.

Further, the pandemic has spawned a new reliance on remote communications, particularly on the part of 45+ age consumers, who are generally less comfortable with virtual methods. This has led to greater opportunities in telehealth, teleconsultations, tele-diagnosis and in some cases, tele-treatment. With Korea at a global technology vanguard, opportunities abound to take advantage of this important trend.

Conclusion: While Korea will suffer with the rest of Asia until well into 2022, we see Medical and Wellness tourism as powerful growth markets, aided by pandemic-powered trends that will only strengthen clinical expertise, patient safety and economic development.

Ruth Holliday

Professor of University of Leeds

Understanding The Global Market for Cosmetic Surgery Tourism

Based on a large project on cosmetic surgery tourism in Europe, East Asia and North Africa, and drawn from our book Beautyscapes: Mapping Cosmetic Surgery Tourism, this talk outlines and explains the choices of surgery, surgeon and destination made by cosmetic surgery patient-consumers. First the presentation explores the desire for surgery, paying particular attention to different cohorts seeking correction, repair, anti-aging and fashion surgeries, exploring how these are seen as ‘investments’ in the body which mark a person’s value. Second I explore patient-consumer decisions about destination and surgeon and how these choices are made using online resources such as clinic websites, patient testimonies, online forums, portals and agent’s social media. Finally, I explore what patient-consumers consider to be a good result and the implications of this for future medical tourists and the industry.  

Ruth Holliday is Professor of Gender and Culture at the University of Leeds. She has been working on cosmetic surgery and cosmetic surgery tourism since 2006 having published many scholarly articles on the topic. Her co-authored book Beautyscapes: Mapping Cosmetic Surgery Tourism was released in paperback last year and won the British Sociological Association’s Foundation for the Sociology of Health and Illness book prize in 2020.

Jeong-ju Lee

CEO of Himedi

Sometimes, patients may need to travel to a far-flung country to get medical care.
And with the language barrier, it would be natural for them to be concerned about which clinic they should visit.

They need reliable services of a trusted agent from arrival to departure.
HiMedi handles everything international patients need to access Korea’s healthcare services.

First, HiMedi allows easy booking of the hospital that can best take care of patients’ specific needs.
50+ hospitals, incl. 6 Korean hospitals rated global top 100
90+ practices
350+ doctors

Also, we provide complete care from arrival to departure as follows:
- Telehealth service before arrival
- Fleet service upon arrival
- Accommodation during patient’s stay in Korea
- Medical interpretation during consultation/treatment
- Fascinating shopping/tour information
- Customer center to address varying needs

We provide multilanguage services so that patients from all over the world can access healthcare service in their own language.
- Multilanguage service has been expanded from 4 to 10 languages

We connect healthcare services of Korea and beyond with customers of all nationality!

A lifelong healthcare partner for all,
HiMedi is the go-to destination for quality healthcare.

Linda Abdullah

CEO of ORYX Healthcare Consultancy

Wellness is gaining popularity and is becoming a significant dimension of tourism for both new and long-established destinations. Post-pandemic stress has resulted in organic demand for destinations that can offer relaxation and escape.

Many destinations and hospitality organizations are including unique retreats, availability of alternative treatments, anti-aging treatment and facilities, and other modern wellness and traditional therapeutic healing treatments and experiences.

Destinations that have availability of natural resources stand out in the proposition and popularity, at the same time depletion and overuse of these natural resources are becoming a cause of concern for these destinations. The government for such destinations is today looking at preserving these resources and creating newer revenue avenues.

Spa and the concept of the medical spa is creating its own importance and popularity in the wellness space. The new age population that is looking for adopting a wellness lifestyle, relaxation, and longevity of their overall look and health are constantly in the search for new treatments and avenues.

Destinations are hosting events like marathons, yoga events, and meditation to increase awareness of incorporating wellness lifestyle. Awareness campaigns for lifestyle disease, campaigns on both men's and women's wellness have increased the need for individuals to look for relaxation, detox, and annual checkups.

The concept of travel alone or group travel with unknown people for exploring newer destinations and experiences is contributing to an increase in the demand for unique wellness experiences. The hospitality and travel operators are also incorporating spas within their travel itinerary to capture their audience＇s needs for wellness.

Consumer awareness is resulting in the increase consumption of retail and online shelves with various products supporting wellness lifestyle that included medication, food, clothing and lifestyle and beauty products.

There is a range of thriving wellness destinations, it is important to create authenticity and appropriate policy framework to deliver quality goods and services and protect consumers. There is a need for the participation of a broad range of stakeholders alongside the development of networks and clusters as well as collaborative strategies for the successful development and management of a wellness tourism destination.

Ki-nam Jin

Professor of Yonsei University

Danny Kessler

Assistant Professor of Dongseo University