Global Determinants of the Development of Medical Tourism in South Korea

Abstract

The paper discusses the current state of medical tourism in South Korea, its degree of competitiveness, and primary centers of medical tourism in the context of global determinants of this form of tourism. The paper relies mostly on secondary sources of data such as official websites of hospitals, clinics, government agencies, tourism agencies, and the Korea Tourism Organization. Data provided by the research literature printed in Polish and in other languages were also used in the analysis. Medical tourism is growing in many countries around the world and takes advantage of human capital (i.e. qualified personnel) and local medical traditions. The local natural environment and cultural environment further contribute to this newly evolving trend. Countries in Asia and Latin America are most often selected by visitors for the purpose of medical tourism. Leading medical tourism countries in Southeast Asia are India, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. South Korea is becoming a strong competitor in the medical services market in large part thanks to government support of this type of business. The number of non-local medical tourists visiting South Korea is growing with every year. South Korea is on its way to become a major medical tourism destination in this part of the world. In 2011 more than 6% of this market belonged to South Korea. Official statistics indicate that 210,000 foreign patients were recorded to have taken advantage of services at South Korean hospitals and clinics in 2013. This is also reflected in tourism revenue: 2.27% of all revenue from tourism was ascribed to medical tourism. In fact, the Korea Tourism Organization recommends 132 hospitals, clinics, and medical