by Maria K Todd, MHA PhD Executive Director Center for Health Tourism Strategy Recently I was asked to evaluate the Chinese medical tourism market for one of our strategic partners. At first, my response was Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen Guangzhou, and Xiamen. Then I approached the strategic dilemma from a different angle. By adjusting my perspective,...
Continue readingHello Activities Guide, Goodbye Visitor’s Guide
by Maria K Todd, MHA PhD Executive Director Center for Health Tourism Strategy “In developing a health and wellness tourism destination, you must develop tools to help your health and wellness tourism visitors to plan their experience in the context of any special needs.” An Unfortunate Case Study Caused by a lack of...
Continue readingProduct Characteristics of a Medical Tourism Destination
Product Characteristics of a Medical Tourism Destination 1 Tangible and Intangible Assets Medical tourism destinations are made up of both tangible and intangible assets. Tangible assets could include places such as hospitals, clinics, health resorts, rehabilitation centers, dialysis treatment centers, or and geographical features such as beaches or mountains, historical sites, and attractions. Intangible...
Continue readingJamaica’s trade and investment promotion arm seeks to attract US investors
MEDICAL TOURISM in JAMAICA “Gimme a “J” 1 Jamaica’s trade and investment promotion arm seeks to attract US investors 28 July 2016 Jamaica’s trade and investment promotion arm Jamaica Promotions Corporation has set its sights on US investors to attract attract medical tourists from the USA. Jamaica Promotions Corporation...
Continue readingWhy Develop Medical Tourism Destination Experiences?
Offering medical tourism destination experiences is smart business. Here’s why: People probably won’t tell their friends about a hospital or hotel room — but they are more likely to share news of their great medical tourism destination experiences. If you don’t begin offering “unique, curated experiences” — like private cooking lessons with famous chefs or intimate...
Continue readingCAN MOST AMERICANS AFFORD to TRAVEL ABROAD for MEDICAL TOURISM?
Recently I posted a survey on LinkedIn to ask my more than 5400 followers there if they believe Americans can afford to travel abroad for healthcare. Here are some facts and figures to help you decide for yourself: US Average Rent by Bedroom Studio /Efficiency Apartment (one room + toilet) $1065/month One Bedroom Apartment...
Continue readingPoint of View: The Intersection of Medical Tourism and the Internet of Things (IoT)
By Maria K Todd, MHA PhD CEO & Founder Mercury Healthcare International, Inc. Estimates about the potential of connected devices by the year 2020 range from 26 billion (Gartner) to 75 billion (Morgan Stanley). The Internet of Things (IoT) will give rise to new and disruptive medical tourism industry transformations and business outcomes....
Continue readingWhy all the lamentations about the lack of verified and standardized statistical reporting in medical tourism?
Many bloggers and so-called experts who post on LinkedIn like to bring attention to the lack of statistics, the poor quality of statistical reporting in medical tourism and the overblown allegations of market size. Waaaah! So what! There is no way to “force” proprietary businesses and multiple governments to standardize to one reporting method,...
Continue readingWellness travel and health tourism in Mexico: Spotlight on luxury pairings
A new spotlight illuminating Upscale Luxury Resorts will prove a great bonus when planning wellness travel and health tourism in Mexico Mexico now boasts seven AAA Five Diamond Restaurants. Having been on the Diamond Rating Team some 40 years ago, I have tremendous respect for what goes into earning such an honor. Among them the following...
Continue readingHow forward thinking medical tourism suppliers can tap into the on-demand economy
Health tourism industry expert, Maria Todd believes medical tourism services such as executive health checkups, dialysis services on the road, spa services and massages, as well as second opinion consultations are among many services that could easily lend themselves to the on-demand economy that is emerging worldwide. The on-demand economy is populated by an emerging set...
Continue reading