Health Tourism: a Global Trend Making its Way in Colombia

Abstract

Health tourism is not a new concept. It basically consists of people who travel abroad in search ofmedical care or welfare in other countries. The factors that led to the growing popularity of thisform of tourism are the high cost of health care in the country of origin, the long waiting timesfor certain procedures, the ease and accessibility of international travel and the improvementsin technology, as well as the health care standards in several countries. Quality standards are importantwhen it comes to health care and therefore many international hospitals nowadays seeinternational accreditation as a way to attract patients from different countries around the world.Although it is a well known fact that Colombia has become a point of reference for people whowish to undergo aesthetic surgeries, according to Andrade (2010), the market has opened to anothertype of interventions more closely related to the matter of health, rather than beauty, generatinga great potential in the Colombian market, focusing on interventions in several specialties, suchas cardiovascular surgery, oncology, neurosurgery and orthopedics.