Turkey aims high in health tourism

Duygu Erdoğan - ISTANBUL

Turkey aims to become one of the top three countries in health tourism by the year 2023, sector officials have said, as they believe the country has shown success in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic with its strong health care infrastructure.

Globally, health tourism is a $100 billion industry, and India tops the list of countries benefiting from the sector with 40 percent of the lion’s share.

Turkey was on the list with a revenue of $8 billion in 2019 from the industry. The target for 2023 is $20 billion, according to sector representatives who believe what they call the country’s success in handling and containing the COVID-19 pandemic can change figures.

One of them is Mehmet Kanpolat, a board member of Turkish Health Tourism Societies Federation (TURSAF).

“Thousands of people want to come to Turkey for a cure. Let’s solve bureaucratic obstacles and start promotions immediately,” said Kanpolat, stressing that Turkey could make a big jump in the industry.

Köksal Holoğlu, director of development of the Turkish Health Tourism Society, believes Turkey has five advantages in the competition with other countries.

“The country is just four hours away by plane to 1.5 billion people. We work in line with international standards. Turkish doctors are now a reliable brand. The prices are advantageous. We have high-quality health facilities,” listed Holoğlu.

“The numbers of tomography centers in Istanbul is more that the number of them in the entire United Kingdom,” he added.