The Dubai office of Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) recently hosted its first medical familiarization trip to South Korea in recent months. 

 

Invitations were extended to some of the key players in medical tourism industry like Omeir Travel, AlRostamani Travel, AlTayer Travel, Orient and SATA to visit the country from May 23 to 28. It was a special trip for the travel trade delegation as special visas were issued and two-week quarantine waived.

 

South Korea’s health system has been one of the best in Asia with quality health care and state of art facilities. UAE and South Korea has signed an MOU with patient treatment abroad. Therefore, this trip was meant to showcase the up-to-date health facilities, wellness resorts, advanced treatment for spinal problems and to provide a comprehensive understanding of Korea's excellence in medical programs and infrastructure.

 

Hyunsun Hong, Regional Director, said: “Korea is becoming a popular destination for medical tourists from all over the world and an emerging global medical leader, thanks to its skilled medical practitioners with extensive clinical experience, cutting-edge technology, competitive pricing, rapid and efficient diagnostics and, state-of-the-art IT-based medical infrastructure.”

 

During the FAM trip, the agents had visited several hospitals and wellness centers, beauty clinics, met with experts, tried out numerous services offered to medical tourists and in addition spend some quality time exploring shopping, tourist attractions, cruises and dining at halal and international restaurants. The result of this trip was an improved understanding of the range and quality of medical and wellness services accessible to visitors that will encourage them to promote the destination.

 

 “Every necessity of a GCC traveller is met in this country, starting from world-class medical care to endless shopping markets, halal restaurants, hygiene of highest standards, safety and security  and above all, a generation of honest, friendly and disciplined people” said Omeir Travel Head of of Sales, Ashraf Fawzy.

 

Until the end of 2019, 497,464 international tourists including 4,089 UAE nationals had visited Korea for medical treatments. The most common treatments for UAE medical tourists in Korea were malignant tumors, pediatric heart surgery and spine surgery.

 

visitmedicalkorea.com is a one stop medical tourism platform operated by KTO for tourists seeking information to book appointments with hospitals and clinic in South Korea. The platform also offers a free online consultation for agents and medical tourists and available in English, Arabic, Russian, Chinese and Japanese languages. - TradeArabia News Service