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:
In five years the revenue generated from wellbeing tourism activities has gone up almost three times, going from $7.3 million in 2010 to $26.6 million in 2015.
Lower costs in markets such as the US and Canada is the main reason behind the increase in foreign exchange flows generated from medical tourism activities.
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.
Forecasts are that by the end of 2015, 24.500 foreigners will have entered the country in order to receive medical treatment, generating revenues of $25 million annually.
According to the union one of the reasons which explains the anticipated results this year is the increase in the number of medical centers that have been accredited as providers of medical tourism.
Investors and companies in the medical tourism and wellbeing sector will be meet on November 25th in San Jose to explore business alternatives and publicize their services.
The event is being organized by the Council for the International Promotion of Medicine in Costa Rica (Promed) and will be held at the San José Palacio hotel from 2 pm. The activity will be attended by companies and investors in the health and tourism sectors, who will present success stories in wellness tourism.
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.
In 2014 the industry generated revenues of $21.2 million, 8.5% more than in 2013.
In 2014 19,000 tourists, mostly from the United States, visited the country to have a procedure or undergo treatment, whose average prices are up to four times lower than in the United States.
Tourism Minister Jose Napoleon Duarte, told Elsalvador.com that "... When medical tourism began to emerge, tourists came for dental care, but today they are also looking for specialized surgeries, treatments for cancer and heart ailments, which are gaining importance worldwide. Aesthetic plastic surgery is also experiencing a big boost. "
Agroganadera Pinilla SA has announced the sale of La Posada, in Hacienda Pinilla, Guanacaste, to the company Rythmia Holdings Company SRL, which will convert the facility into a center for medical treatment.
From a statement issued by Agroganadera Pinilla, SA:
Agroganadera Pinilla, SA, owner of Hacienda Pinilla Beach Resort & Residential Community in Guanacaste, announces the sale of the Hotel La Posada to the company Rythmia Holdings Company SRL, a subsidiary of Rythmia LLC, a company based in California, USA.
In the first six months of the year the income generated from this activity grew by 26.6% compared to the same period in 2013.
"... In the first half of 2014 10,338 people came into the country for medical treatment, generating $12,145,969 million in foreign exchange ... This represents an increase of 19.6% and 26.6% respectively when compared with the same period in 2013, when the amount of people who came was 8646 and revenue was $9,595,313."
The Municipality of Nicoya in Guanacaste province plans to build a medical center with participation of private investors from the United States and Canada.
Leveraging the status of "blue zone" Nicoya has earned, a term given to areas with the highest longevity rates in the world, the City is preparing a project for 2015 and looking for private investors to participate in it.
Part of the new office tower being built in the Vivian Pellas hospital at a cost of $18 million will be used for the care of foreign patients.
With patients coming from the United States and Europe, most of whom require services related to stem cells, orthopedics and bariatric surgery, average spending by tourists in the medical sector ranges from between $1,000 $2,000 daily.
The U.S. company American World Clinics reported that the project to be undertaken in Costa Rica includes a hospital, hotel and residences for retirees.
In partnership with a chain and a real estate developer in Costa Rica, the group American World Clinics (AWC) has announced that a resort will be developed in an area near the international airport and foresees that it will attract 10,000 foreign patients each year.
An announcement has been made for the opening in 2016 of a luxury hotel with 450 rooms, of the Dreams brand, in the coastal town Buenaventura.
The firm is continuing its expansion in Panama with a luxury hotel under the brand name "Dreams Resorts & Spas" construction in the hotel zone of Buenaventura.
"The hotel will be located in a community of luxury villas and high-level resorts located just minutes from Rio Hato International Airport.