Health tourism in the Dominican Republic grows and diversifies

Tourists who visit us do so not only because of our excellent geographical location, but also on the recommendation of their insurance companies when they require medical procedures.

It is well known that until recently a large number of foreigners came to the Dominican Republic in search of health procedures, but specifically in the areas of esthetics and dentistry.

However, as time has gone by, these services have diversified, not only because of the quality of the doctors who provide these procedures, but also because, according to data from well-known experts in the field, the costs are lower in comparison with the countries they come from.

That is why tourists who visit us do so not only because of our excellent geographical location, but also because of the recommendation of their insurance companies when they require medical procedures.

Health tourism has grown so much in the Dominican Republic, that in addition to the excellent centers in Santo Domingo and Santiago, where not only diverse aesthetic and dental surgeries and procedures are offered, endorsed and certified, last April the first hotel focused on health tourism was inaugurated in Santiago. This hotel – Homs Health and Wellness Center, managed under the Marriott International franchise, is a Residence Inn, managed by the Board of Directors of the Hospital Metropolitano de Santiago (Homs).

The purpose of this project, created with an investment of US$108 million, is to expand the lodging capacity in the country, but with a specific focus on health tourism.

Ministry of Tourism data

Figures from the Ministry of Tourism regarding health tourism in the country explain that of the more than US$8,406 million in revenues in 2022 for this category, around US$1,321 million were from travelers who came to undergo surgical procedures.

This suggests that at least 15.71% of tourism revenues came from health-seeking tourists, and that for every US$100 spent, US$15 went to medical interventions.

Today, wellness is the main focus of interest in the Dominican Republic, placing it as the leading destination for medical travel in the Caribbean, number two in Latin America, and number 19 in the world, as endorsed by the Medical Tourism Index (MTI), prepared by The International Healthcare Research Center (IHRC), with the collaboration of the Medical Tourism Association (MTA), the main biennial ranking of the sector.

The Tourism report highlights that according to data from the president of the Dominican Association of Health Tourism (ADTS), Alejandro Cambiaso, some six projects linked to health centers with hotels and shopping centers, represent more than RD$18,000 million, and that the total reaches RD$20,000 million, including specialized ambulatory centers.

Health tourism expenditures

The aforementioned report reveals that among travelers who visit the Dominican Republic in demand of medical services, in general, these reach an average cost of US$5,000, this if it is taken into account that in the same trip a tourist could undergo several procedures.

In other words, the average expenditure of an unaccompanied health tourist in the country is approximately US$7,500 including lodging, internal transfers and meals, not including airfare. This average expenditure of a health tourist is equivalent to six times more than the average expenditure of a regular tourist, which shows its profitability.

Hospital centers linked to health tourism

In addition to Homs, one of the most demanded due to its location, we also have the General Hospital of the Plaza de la Salud in Santo Domingo, National District, the Center for Advanced Medical Diagnosis and Telemedicine (CEDIMAT), as well as others where thousands of tourists regularly arrive in search of various medical procedures.