Health Tourism in Greece
Medical tourism involves travelling to another destination beyond our Canadian boarders to receive medical, dental, or surgical care and represents a rapidly growing market within the healthcare, tourism, and hospitality industries.
Organised by the Athens Medical Association, the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece, and the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal, a two-day convention on “Health Tourism in Greece“, was held on Tuesday, March 28 and Wednesday, March 29, 2017 at the Hellenic Community Centre Adrian Maris.
Prominent members of the Greek medical, scientific and business community presented the excellent medical services available in Greece. They include fields such as In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), Dentistry, Ophthalmology, Spa Tourism, Robotics Medicine and Plastic Surgery.
Over the course of this two-day event, attendees heard how medical travellers are becoming increasingly motivated to seek care outside of their area of residence, fuelled by many factors, including more advanced technology, quicker access to care, higher quality of care and lower costs in the destination locality. The medical tourism industry is experiencing significant growth which suggests a continuing upward trend in the future. This emerging industry represents a significant market opportunity to entrepreneurs and investors in the healthcare, tourism, and hospitality markets. Hospitality and tourism companies, as well as local governments and destination marketers, are positioning themselves to capture share in the medical tourism market worldwide.
Attendees also heard real stories narrated by the actual people who benefited from these services. According to the President of the Athens Medical Association, George Patoulis, this event was only the beginning of a long term campaign, and will be announcing many more activities in the future.