First National Congress of Medical Tourism Launching in Cancun, Mexico, in 2012

June 19, 2011

Capitalizing on the success of Mexico as a burgeoning medical tourism destination, the First National Congress of Medical Tourism will launch in Cancun and Rivera Maya next year.

The Medical Tourism Association of Cancun and Riviera Maya, together with the Cancun Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Cancun Hotel Association and the Riviera Maya tourism board, will promote the Mexican Caribbean as the new medical tourism destination in Latin America at the World Medical Tourism Congress to be held this October in Chicago.

At the World Medical Tourism Congress, 10 hospitals will announce Cancun and Riviera Maya as the hosts of the First National Congress of Medical Tourism to be held in April of 2012, according to the Cancun CVB.

President of the Hotel Association in Cancun, Rodrigo de la Peña, and president of the Medical Travel Association, Servando Acuña Braun , announced during a recent press conference that Cancun and Riviera Maya cared for 2,200 patients last year.

Based on this result, the potential of this market segment during the next four years is estimated to be between 8 and 10 thousand patients.

There are 11 hospitals and clinics that currently treat patients as part of the medical tourism industry in these two tourist destinations, and in the next two years, an investment of 49.5 million dollars is expected, including four hospitals-clinics in the Riviera Maya, according to the Cancun CVB.

In 2009, a total of 17,840 rooms per night were occupied, and when considering pre- and post- operation stays, the total comes out to 19,624 rooms.

With an average room rate of $90, an average of $1.8 million dollars in income was generated in expenses per stay, not including food and beverages of the accompanying travelers.

The medical specialties offered are: assisted reproduction and fertilization, holistic treatments, all forms of dentistry, various forms of cosmetic surgery, minimally invasive neurosurgery, orthopedics, eye surgery, Angelology, treatment for Parkinson’s disease, anti-aging vaccine cell therapy, various forms of bariatric treatments, cardiology and oncology.

Health tourism generates $20 million annually, and this amount is expected to double in coming years according to The Economist magazine.

To promote growth in medical tourism, Medical Travel Cancun A.C. was created in November last year, with nine medical tourist facilities in Cancun and Riviera Maya under the direction of Braun.

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