Well, could Turkey become the new Hungary so far as medical and dental tourism is concerned?
Certainly there are many people living in Turkey who believe the country has the capability and potential to compete effectively on the international stage so far as medical and dental tourism are concerned.
Promotion of Turkey’s capabilities for high quality treatment combined with excellent low costs for medical and dental tourism would certainly seem to be key to Turkey expanding its percentage share of the medical and dental tourism market.
One Turkish medical services provider is quoted as saying in IMTJ “We are expecting to see an approximate 10 percent growth this year over 2009, but with effective promotion, the year-on-year growth in the sector could even exceed 30 percent. There is a huge potential as regards the future development of medical tourism in Turkey, a country that has the world’s second highest number of hospitals with Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation. This is a clear indicator that Turkey is home to a well-developed medical treatment infrastructure and the country offers the most affordable prices possible in comparison to rivals such as India or Thailand.”
He added “There will be a remarkable boost in the number of medical tourists to Turkey if we can manage to promote ourselves as an attractive medical treatment location. The biggest drawback is the lack of effective promotion abroad. The Ministry of Tourism could take care of this; we are not asking them for incentives or financial support. The only thing we expect from the government is that they undertake the promotional aspect. Turkey deserves to become one of only a few countries in people’s minds when it comes to medical treatment abroad. It has a well-organized medical infrastructure and the advantage of geographical proximity to the large and promising markets of the EU and the Middle East.”
Turkish Airlines could play a significent role in Turkey’s medical tourism business model as the Airline is currently offering patients coming to Turkey for medical tourism a 25% reduction on the airfare for the patient and one other person providing they fly Turkish Airlines.
The Dentist Abroad.com is preparing a short report on medical and dental tourism in Turkey which it is hoped will properly inform and assist those considering travelling to Turkey for medical and/or dental treatment abroad.
