Costa del Sol to become medical tourism destination

Malaga has ambitious plans to become a healthcare destination. Malaga Health, set up by a group of local surgeons, will aim to attract patients to clinics, hospitals and treatment centres on the Costa del Sol. According to the group, the initiative could help boost Malaga’s tourism industry by €250 million annually in three years, as health tourism becomes increasingly popular.

Malaga has ambitious plans to become a healthcare destination. Malaga Health, set up by a group of local surgeons, will aim to attract patients to clinics, hospitals and treatment centres on the Costa del Sol.

According to the group, the initiative could help boost Malaga’s tourism industry by €250 million annually in three years, as health tourism becomes increasingly popular. Co-founder Miguel Such explains,” We are sitting on an untapped goldmine and we do not even realise it. None of us are motivated by money. We are embarking on this project to help Malaga. Health tourism is not being fully taken advantage of in Malaga considering the resources we have. The average incoming patient will spend around €10,000.”

Costa del Sol has many private clinics and hospitals. The Malaga Health project is also backed by the University of Malaga, Agencia Idea and Turismo Andalucia. Over 30 hospitals, clinics and other providers have already signed up including Xanit International hospital in Benalmadena, Hospital Parque San Antonio in Malaga, Marbella’s Clinica Ochoa, the Santa Elena Clinic in Torremolinos and several specialist hospitals in Malaga. Participating luxury hotels include the Villa Padierna (Benahavís and Carratraca), Vincci (Marbella) and the El Fuerte chain.

To get the project off the ground the sum of €700,000 has already been raised. Consultants Deloitte have been hired to put together a business plan. As part of its tourism faculty, Malaga University is to create a new department of tourism, health and wellbeing.

Whether it will be called Malaga Health, Costa de Sol Health, the current rather clumsy title of Tourism & Health Spain, or something a bit catchier, is yet to be decided. At launch it expects as many as 20,000 local health and tourism professionals to be involved in the campaign, which is likely to focus on European countries as that is where Spain gets almost all its tourists from.

The region is already well known for health tourism as it has many spas, health centres, Arabic baths and spa hotels.

Xanit International Hospital offers many services and has specialist units for cardiology and oncology. Hospital Parque San Antonio is a general hospital. Clinica Ochoa is a general clinic. Santa Elena Clinic specializes in helping tourists.