medical tourism

There are significant changes in the profile of foreigners visiting Türkiye. 10 years ago, one out of every 100 tourists visited Turkiye for health and medical reasons, but thanks to the momentum gained during the pandemic, this number has reached 5 today. The development in health tourism in Türkiye, especially after the pandemic, was also reflected in the data of the Turkish Statistical Institute. According to the data, 10 years ago, one out of every 100 tourists visited Türkiye for health and medical reasons, but thanks to the momentum gained during the pandemic, this number has reached 5 today. According to the research based on TÜİK data, while the ratio of health tourists to the total number of visitors was below 1% in 2012, this rate reached 2.45% in 2022. In the first three months of this year, the ratio of health tourists to total visitors made a significant leap, reaching 5.03%. The research stated that if this rate increases positively in the future and rises to 5-10% throughout the year, there will be a significant increase in foreign currency entering the country for tourism purposes.

2 Billion USD Revenue

According to the research, tourists who came for health and medical reasons in 2022 spent over 2 billion dollars. In the first 3 months of this year, revenue of 453 million dollars was generated. The per capita expenditure of those coming for health tourism was 1103 dollars, and it was determined that they spent twice as much as those coming for visit purposes.

Revenues from health expenditures of foreign nationals was $638 million in 2015, when the number of health tourists stood at a little more than 395,000. Health tourism revenues and the number of foreigners arriving in Türkiye to receive health services increased steadily in the following four years. Revenues climbed to $715 million in 2016, rising further to $827 million in 2017 and $863 million in 2019.

745 Thousand Patients in 6 Months

According to the data, the number of visitors coming for health tourism was at the level of 240 thousand in 2012, while this number reached 1 million 258 thousand in 2022. The number of tourists coming for medical purposes in the first 6 months of this year was 745 thousand. It was stated, “Especially in the last 3 years, the number of foreign visitors coming to our country for health and medical reasons has increased. In 2023 and the coming years, serious foreign currency contributions will be provided from serious health tourism with new investments, incentives, advertisements, and promotions.”

2906 Facilities Have Authorisation Certificates

In Türkiye; there are 615 hospitals, 162 medical centers, 810 health facilities, and 1309 outpatient clinics that have earned the right to receive health tourism authorization certificates. Explaining that a total of 2906 facilities are authorized being said, “With the growth of the health tourism sector in Türkiye, it is anticipated that there will be needs for new health facilities and hotels, especially with the increase in the number of foreign visitors coming from abroad.”