Grants to encourage medical tourism in Florida

Visit Florida, the official tourism marketing organization for the state, has a new $2.5 million grant program to encourage medical tourism. The programme is funded by the state legislature and is intended to encourage people to travel to the state for treatment, surgery and recovery. Some of the money will be used to promote Florida as a destination for medical conferences and training.

Visit Florida, the official tourism marketing organization for the state, has a new $2.5 million grant program to encourage medical tourism.

The programme is funded by the state legislature and is intended to encourage people to travel to the state for treatment, surgery and recovery. Some of the money will be used to promote Florida as a destination for medical conferences and training. Each grant awarded will be matched by private funds. Applicants have to be a destination marketing organization, health care provider, medical facility or doctor.

The medical tourism grant is a destination promotion grant for businesses. Although only launched in early November, applicants have only between 10 November and 8 December to apply. Along with healthcare providers, hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions near hospitals and clinics stand to benefit from the promotion.

Using warm weather and state-of-the-art health care operations as leverage, the state tourism agency was able to secure money from the Legislature to promote Florida as a destination for a variety of procedures.

Will Seccombe of Visit Florida comments, “As a successful public-private partnership Visit Florida is well-positioned to help leverage the state’s investment with the private sector to increase medical tourism here. The grant is a tremendous first step in our strategic planning process to spotlight Florida’s world-class doctors and facilities.”

Visit Florida was able to allocate $5 million for the promotion of medical tourism in Florida during the 2014 legislative session. That funding will go toward the marketing, research, partnership and website development for medical tourism in Florida. Entities partnering in the effort include the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, the Florida Chamber Foundation and Florida’s Academic Cancer Center Alliance.