The number of health travelers from the United States who visit Costa Rica for medical and dental procedures could double by the end of this decade. Such was the forecast recently broadcast by national television network Teletica in a report by Adrian Fallas.
In 2015, Costa Rica welcomed about 50,000 medical and dental tourists; this figure was reported by ProMed, an organization that seeks to promote health travel to our country. According to ProMed, the majority of visitors came from the U.S., and they spent $338 million during their stay.
The growth rate of medical tourism in Costa Rica is currently at 20 percent. The average stay lasts one week, and health tourists can spend $7,000 on average; this includes their procedures as well as their lodging and recreational activities.
Although other destinations in the Americas seek to compete against Costa Rica in terms of medical tourism, our country is well positioned to retain its market leader status thanks to quality of care. Dental tourism providers such as the Flikier Institute of Oral Rehabilitation, for example, focus their efforts on providing a therapeutic experience that patients can thoroughly enjoy.
A good way to measure the satisfaction of medical and dental tourists in Costa Rica is by their testimonials. As recently reported by The Costa Rica Star, the Flikier Institute received a very touching mention by Hall of Fame swimmer Karlyn Pipes on her book The Do Over: My Journey from the Depths of Addiction to World Champion Swimmer.
Empathy is another key to success for medical and dental tourism providers in Costa Rica. In Ms. Pipes’ case, the health professionals at the Flikier Institute understood that restoring her smile was intrinsic to her recovery, and thus they adjusted their treatment accordingly.
As long as medical and dental tourism clinics and hospitals in Costa Rica continue to provide quality of care that elicits testimonials such as the one above, our country will continue to hold the lion’s share of this market.
Source: The Costa Rica Star
