Greater promotion, is the challenge of the Dominican Republic to develop health tourism

Health tourism presented a favorable sustained growth during the last decade, however, the Covid-19 pandemic drastically impacted the tourism industry and, therefore, the sector.

According to the president of the Dominican Association of Health Tourism (ADTS), Alejandro Cambiaso, although they have managed to reverse the situation through new strategies, they require more support to promote the destination.

“The new reality has promoted new strategies that have catapulted health tourism, specifically in diaspora patients for plastic surgery and dentistry treatments. On the contrary, we had a notable decrease in foreign patients that we received from the Caribbean islands, the United States and Canada, a situation that we have been able to reverse, but we require more support to promote the destination,” he said.

He highlighted that the member institutions of the ADTS were key players in the recovery of the Dominican Republic, by promoting public-private initiatives and innovation for the development of internationally recognized medical care protocols.

To continue positioning the sector, Cambiaso said that they are working to include health tourism in the national export strategy and as a country brand and in international promotions hand in hand with Prodominicana and the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur).

“In the same way, we are promoting a proposal for a national strategy for the development of health tourism and the implementation of the National Council for Health Tourism, initiatives that require the support of the Executive Branch,” he said.

He explained that according to data from the Medical Tourism Association, health tourism is a market that is estimated at 100 billion dollars worldwide and represents 2.5% of air travel, the vast majority of these patients travel accompanied, without seasonality and with long stays.

“Health tourism in our country has had a great impact, considering that it is an activity that has recently been formalized and has made it possible to strengthen Dominican medicine through compliance with local regulations, certifications and international accreditations,” he said.

He reported that “through the sector, competition for quality, innovation and results is also promoted, it motivates the construction of new ambulatory centers and tertiary hospitals with high technology and wellness hotels, it favors attracting foreign exchange and foreign investment and supports the transfer of technologies and knowledge, generating new jobs and productive chains”.

He indicated that more than 47 thousand tourists come to the country in search of medical services
In 2019, approximately 47,725 international patients were received for health tourism and 69,550 tourists who were assisted by tourist medicine; for an estimated total of 117,275 international patients, according to data from the health and wellness tourism study.

“Around 70% of the patients who come to the country to receive medical tourism services travel accompanied and spend seven times more than a conventional tourist. Medical tourism has an economic benefit of more than 300 million dollars a year, not including the income received from tourist medicine or wellness tourism, ”he added.