Posted by
Subodh Panangatt, Head Of Operations
April 10, 2025
With no authoritative data on the exact numbers of medical tourists traveling between countries and continents, there remains some disagreement about the current size of the industry.
Most available data on medical travel is of poor quality, with sources often lacking details about how estimated figures were calculated. There are also variations in the definition of medical travelers and a lack of agreed methods for data collection. However, there is a general consensus that the industry has flourished over the past decade and that this is likely to continue.
Traveling abroad for medical reasons is not a new phenomenon—people have traveled abroad for health benefits since ancient times. However, the pattern of travel has altered. During the 20th century, wealthy people from less developed areas of the world traveled to developed nations to access better facilities and highly trained medics.
Currently, things are different, with flow from developed to less developed nations, more regional movements, and the emergence of an international market. For example, patients from Western Europe are taking advantage of Eastern European nations for more economical medical treatment.
Destinations can be divided by focus:
Governments initiate market strategies based on the country’s focus. For example:
It is mostly low- to middle-income countries that serve as destinations, while high-income countries (including Dubai) increasingly act as countries of origin. High-service overseas patients—such as citizens from Western nations—travel as global tourists to medical quality focus countries like Germany and the U.S.
Before the formation of the U.A.E. in 1971, its citizens often traveled westward for healthcare, dissatisfied with local services provided by the British government and American missionaries. Post-independence, the country’s healthcare infrastructure expanded rapidly, with 40 public hospitals operational by 1988, marking the advent of a modern system.
In recent years, however, the U.A.E. has witnessed an increase in the number of international patients arriving at its own shores for medical treatment. According to the Dubai Health Authority, medical tourism generated more than $381 million for the emirate in 2016.
The city received 326,649 medical tourists, representing an increase of 9.5% over the previous year. The most popular treatments were orthopaedics, dermatology and ophthalmology. In 2016, the largest market for the emirate was Asian medical tourists, who accounted for 37% of visitors.
As many of the medical tourists visiting Dubai are not price conscious, the quality element should not be overlooked. Patient satisfaction is an important dimension of healthcare treatment. Although internationally little is known about the experience and satisfaction of medical tourists. Government initiative, Dubai Health Experience (DXH), ensures that medical tourists can understand their rights before arriving for healthcare.
DXH provides medical tourists with the opportunity to compare and choose from over 400 healthcare packages that outline the cost, inclusions and exclusions. The packages combine both leisure and health, including hotel accommodation, visa and insurance along with the selected medical treatments. In addition, DHCC conducts annual patient satisfaction campaigns to gauge the overall patient experience at facilities within the DHCC premises.
In general, the value focus and tourism focus segments have a range of government agencies and policy initiatives to stimulate and promote medicalmtourism. It’s clear that many countries, including the U.A.E., continue to see significant economic potential in the industry.
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