Abstract
The aim of this paper is to investigate the contribution of medical tourism in the economic and tourism development in Greece. For this purpose, a nationwide survey was carried out in 2012. The sample population consisted of executives of 5-star hotels across the country and members of the Hellenic Association of Professional Congress Organizers (HAPCO). Data was gathered by emailing a structured questionnaire to the executives of the abovementioned companies. Descriptive data analyses have been performed. According to our findings, the vast majority of members of 5-star hotels supports that medical tourism could contribute positively to the economic development of the region and to the development of tourism in the country. Majority of executives also believe that investments in medical tourism will be very helpful in attracting tourists and stimulating economic development. The finding of this research indicates that the medical tourism in Greece are perceived by the Greece hoteliers and congress organisers as an effective mean of tourism and economic growth which could facilitate the way out of economic crisis.
Highlights
Medical tourism is a subset of the tourism industry, where people travel internationally to receive medical treatment as part of their travel (Connell, 2011)
Over 90% of the respondents believe that medical tourism could contribute positively to economic growth and regional development
The outcome from the data analysis was that the major players in the Greek tourism industry believe that medical tourism can contribute positively to the economic and regional development of the country
Summary
Medical tourism is a subset of the tourism industry, where people travel internationally to receive medical treatment as part of their travel (Connell, 2011). Certain medical procedures -- such as abortion, stem-cell transplant and sex-change operation -- are not available in their home country which encourages people to have medical services in other countries (Connell, 2011). Another reason for patients to have offshore medical treatment is the circumvent delays and long-waiting lists (Horowitz et al, 2007). If one in ten US patients choose to have medical treatment abroad would results in savings of $1.4 billion annually (Mattoo and Rathindran, 2006)
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