Greece needs to work hard to penetrate and expand its share of the medical tourism market, according to sector expert Keith Pollard, managing editor of the International Medical Travel Journal, addressing a seminar held during the 4th International Tourism Exhibition in Athens.
Medical tourism was a “golden opportunity” for Greece but it would need strategy, synergy, extroversion and innovation in order to establish itself as a medical tourism destination, Pollard underlined. Greece’s efforts to promote itself as a medical tourism option currently reached only 3 pct of patients that were moving in search of better and less expensive treatments, at a time when Turkey got 13 pct, he pointed out.
Other speakers pointed to a set of factors – ageing populations, reduction in healthcare funding and cuts in services – that encouraged medical tourism, pointing out that more than 350,000 Britons were currently on waiting lists for treatments for over 18 months. At the same time, there was intense competition and penetrating this market required organised action, collaborations and state support.
The seminar was also addressed by the Athens Medical Association President George Patoulis, also president of Greece’s municipalities’ union, who presented efforts made in this direction so far and listed Greece’s comparative advantages, such as good infrastructure, highly-trained personnel and affordable prices for care.
Talking to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA), the General Secretary of the International Centre for Medical Tourism Petros Mamalakis noted that it will be one of the eight levers for the growth of the Greek economy in the coming decade. He also presented the vitabooking.com platform, noting that this will be a valuable tool in the effort, giving users quick and easy access to high-quaity medical services at a much lower cost than in their own country, at certified Greek hospitals with the best doctors.
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
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Source: ANA-MPA
