Businessmen in Guatemala estimate that patients who visit the country with the aim of buying medical treatment will take between 9 months and a year to regain confidence in making the trip.
The sector is practically paralyzed, since due to the covid-19 outbreak worldwide, several countries have decided to close their borders and air terminals, and airlines are keeping their units on the ground.
Dental treatments and preventive medicine are the services most demanded by tourists visiting Guatemala in search of medical attention.
Data from the Health and Welfare Commission of the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (Agexport), details that 40% of tourists demand dental services, 16% preventive medicine, 10% orthopedic, 7% cardiovascular and 6% plastic and cosmetic surgeries.
Authorities estimate that this year the number of visitors that will come to the country will be 2.2 million, 4% more than the flow of tourists registered last year.
Following an 11% tourist increase between 2016 and 2017, representatives from the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism (Inguat) project that this year the number of visitors will reach 2 million 197 thousand, a figure that is 4% more than the 2 million 119 thousand reported last year.
A study by PROCOMER has identified potential business models in the US market through different access channels, ranging from "one to one" to the creation of partnerships with the public sector.
From thereportentitled "Exporting health services to US"by PROCOMER in Costa Rica:
The First Congress of Tourism Integration will be held on the March 22nd and 23rd in Panama City, with the objective of establishing a road map for the sector.
With this conference the Tourism Authority of Panama is aiming to bring together the different players in the industry in order to establish the roadmap for the sector.
"... Twelve workshops will be held, each relating to a market segment.The idea is that each workshop presents the current situation in its segment, holds a debate and draws conclusions which can be translated into action, " said Alfredo Motta, event organizer to Laestrella.com.pa.
Visitors from the US, Mexico, Colombia, Panama, Singapore and Italy are among a growing number of foreigners who came into the country for medical treatment during 2015.
Figures from the Tourism Commission of Health and Welfare at the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (AGEXPORT) indicate that the number of people who visited Guatemala in 2015 for various medical and dental treatments grew by 18% compared to the previous year.
Tourists coming to the country to receive medical treatment come mostly from the US and Canada and spend an average of $131 per day, mainly on dentistry.
From a statement issued by the Guatemalan Tourism Institute:
The Bureau of health and wellness Tourism of Guatemala, formed by the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism, INGUAT, the Chamber of Tourism of Guatemala, CAMTUR, the Guatemalan Association of Exporters, AGEXPORT and the Medical Tourism Association, ATURMED, are joining forces to give continuity to actions that promote this segment.
Sustained growth has been projected in "wellness" tourism in the region, which still needs to make efforts to differentiate promotion of this type of tourism from medical tourism.
In Guatemala, the category of wellness tourism is included under medical tourism, but authorities intend to identify separate specific promotion mechanisms for each of the segments.
On March 29th and 30th tourism companies from 10 countries will be taking part in business meetings with local companies.
Tourism businesses from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Chile, El Salvador, the USA, Guatemala, Panama and Venezuela will gather together on 29th and 30th of March in Nicaragua, where the Central American nation's second summer tourism fair will be held.
In the Summer Fair to be held on the 28th and 29th of March tourism companies from Latin America and the U.S. will see the country's tourism supply.
On the 28th and 29th March the second edition of the Summer Fair will be held in Nicaragua, in which tourism businesses from Latin America and the United States will get to see the tourism services on offer in the country, confirmed the National Chamber of Tourism (CANTUR).
The Maya Medical Travel Summit will be held on 17th and 18th of July and will offer conferences and business meetings with representatives from companies.
El Salvador Medical Holding (ESMH) will hold a medical tourism congress called "Maya Medical Travel Summit" on the 17th and 18th of July in the Central American nation.
"The meeting will include lectures on medical tourism, business conferences, workshops and visits by international facilitators, who are responsible for sending patients to destinations that offer these services."
Under the agreement with the insurance company Stop Loss Brokerage Guatemalan medical services will be promoted and a trade mission will travel to Florida.
From a statement from the Guatemalan Exporters Association:
"In 2013, the Tourism Commission of Health and Welfare signed an agreement with Stop Loss Brokerage, a medical insurance company from the United States, a promotion plan created exclusively for Guatemala, called: Latin American preferred Health Plan (LAPHP) which seeks the promotion of medical procedures such as cardiovascular and orthopedic surgeries, among others, in the US.
International Hospital Corporation Holding has sold its stake in Mexican hospitals in order to explore investment opportunities in Central America.
Gary B. Wood, CEO and Chairman of the Board of International Hospital Corporation Holding said the decision was taken because they prefer to redirect resources to operations in Central America and Brazil, as well as any opportunities that may present themselves in the future.
A technical committee composed of various sectors from Petén is developing a brand image to help the development of tourism in the department.
The information was announced by the director of the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism (INGUAT), Pedro Duchez. This will be the third brand to be developed after Guatemágica in Retalhuleu and Vive Xela in Quetzaltenango.
Mexico, Spain and Poland are looking to position themselves as medical tourism destinations competing with the traditional ones such as India, Thailand, Brazil and Turkey.
From an article by the Costa Rican Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER):
Besides traditional competitors such as India, Thailand, Brazil and Turkey, new international players such as Mexico, Spain and Poland are now seeking to position themselves as medical tourism destinations. On the one hand is Poland, which through a government program is trying to promote itself as a good country in which to find health treatment, rehabilitation, diagnosis and aesthetics services and, through its participation in three consecutive fairs (Miami 2012, Moscow and Monaco in March 2013), has managed to be taken into account by the experts as a new player in this market.