Health Travel Industry Research Society of Thailand launches

The Health Travel Industry Research Society of Thailand (HTRIS), a non-profit, private sector initiative, has been established focusing on Thailand’s international health travel industry, with new Secretary-General Chatree Niramitvijit. HTRIS will help Thailand’s medical tourism industry; hold its lead in the regional market against challenging Asian nations including Singapore, Malaysia, India, Korea and the Philippines.

The Health Travel Industry Research Society of Thailand (HTRIS), a non-profit, private sector initiative, has been established focusing on Thailand’s international health travel industry, with new Secretary-General Chatree Niramitvijit.

HTRIS will help Thailand’s medical tourism industry; hold its lead in the regional market against challenging Asian nations including Singapore, Malaysia, India, Korea and the Philippines. It will compile reports with data from media, the market, international industry consultants, national industry leaders and government advisers.

The new organisation will work with Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the Prime Minister, various government bodies, non-government organizations and representatives of the international medical travel industry.

Chatree Niramitvijit says, “The society’s role as industry watchdog and its goals of industry improvement and trade promotion meet an urgent need. The purpose is not only to analyze how the world market views the international service industries such as healthcare, travel, security, hospitality, wellness and tourism in Thailand, but also to ensure that the increasingly aggressive promotion from competing nations in the region do not overshadow Thailand’s primacy in the region as a favourite medical travel destination.” Thailand is more popular among Western European medical tourists for cosmetic surgery. Singapore and India specialize in complex procedures with India having a cost advantage and Singapore a technology advantage.”

The Thai tourist industry earns US$ 15.4 million each year, 6 % of Thailand’s gross domestic product and employing 7 % of its workforce. Recent statistics released by the Tourism Authority of Thailand show that visitor arrivals went down 19% in Jan-March this year, by 3.2 million, compared to the same period last year.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is highlighting medical tourism to revive Thailand’s tourism industry during his personal visits and road shows around the world. He highlights measures taken by his government including the waiving of all visa fees, the reduction of take-off and landing charges for airplanes, the lowering of entrance fees to national parks and the provision of travel insurance to foreign visitors. He is also promoting spas and health checks.

HTRIS has launched a monthly publication to promote Thailand’s medical travel industry. Medica Tourism Magazine highlights the very best of Thailand’s medical, hospitality, tourism, travel and wellness industries,The full-colour, 120-page glossy magazine is distributed to more than 60 countries every month through embassies and consulates, chambers of commerce, trade promotion offices and tourism information centres throughout the world.

In its Thailand Investment Review February-March 2009, the Board of Investment of Thailand (BOI) announced new government policies that directly and immediately assist the tourism industry including advertising campaigns as well as measures to reduce tourism-related fees and service costs. Medium-term plans include expansion of the tourism and service sectors by increasing the diversity of service businesses, adding value, enhancing competitiveness, and improving skilled labour in quality and language skills. The BOI adds, “The country has tremendous potential to serve as a centre for medical tourism and the government is exploring how to maximize that potential. The government also plans to review all tourism-related laws to ensure that they are up to date and complementary.”