Health tourism refers to the process of taking a trip to a country of your choice and getting medical treatment while spending a lot less money on the entire procedure. Bonus – we get to explore a new country and take a break. So, both physical health and mental health win here. For this win-win situation, people are currently exploring health tourism. A recent TikTok video went viral on Twitter, in which a woman explored health tourism in Turkiye, got a full body checkup done, met specialists, and explored a top hospital in the country – all within $810. Sounds unbelievable?
Bryn Elise shared the details of her medical checkups in the TikTok video. From cardiology checking bone density to an eye checkup, the TikToker did it all, within one day, and less than $850. She chose a top hospital in Turkiye after extensive research and visited for speaking to health specialists. Take a look at the video here.
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This brings to our attention the recent boom in the health tourism culture in Turkiye.
What is Turkiye doing right in healthcare?
Turkey’s recent boom in health tourism is preceded by the commendable way the country contained the COVID-19 outbreak. This further improved the possibilities of health tourism revenue in the country. Turkiye, with its diverse healthcare services including aesthetic procedures, hair and organ transplant facilities, offers a promising future in health tourism.
In 2021, over 670,000 foreigners visited Turkiye to receive medical treatment, according to the country’s state-owned International Health Services (USHAS) agency. One year later, that number rose to over 1.25 million, an increase of 88%. In the first six months of 2023, the figures remained similarly high.
Turkish health care facilities are generating considerable revenue from this international business, totalling more than $2 billion (€1.85 billion) in 2022. Revenue fell slightly in the first half of 2023, though experts believe this was primarily due to Turkey’s devastating February earthquake, which claimed the lives of more than 50,000 people.
According to a report published by Arabian Gulf Business Insight in April, 2024, “Turkiye’s health tourism sector generated revenue of $2.3 billion in 2023, data released by the Ministry of Trade reveals. Health service exports surged from $1.9 billion in 2022 to $2.3 billion in 2023, driven by an influx of 1.4 million health tourists, placing Turkiye seventh in the global health tourism rankings.”
Travel and healthcare merges in Turkiye
Turkiye is known for its breathtaking locations, picturesque coastline, historical landmarks and lip-smacking cuisine – all of this makes it one of the top countries to visit in every traveller’s bucket list. With its recent offerings in healthcare facilities, people keep a day for a health checkup and then travel and explore the country.
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