Jeju Island to become a medical tourism destination in South Korea

Jeju, South Korea’s biggest island, is transforming itself into a medical destination for foreign patients who are looking for treatment as well as tourism. Jeju Healthcare Town will begin construction later this year with the first part due to be completed early next year.

Jeju, South Korea’s biggest island, is transforming itself into a medical destination for foreign patients who are looking for treatment as well as tourism. Jeju Healthcare Town will begin construction later this year with the first part due to be completed early next year.

Jeju Healthcare Town will consist of three parks, one for wellness, one for medical treatment, and one for medical science and research. One of the main themes of Jeju Healthcare Town is medical treatment and research for a long life. Jeju seeks to attract foreign patients who want to have a check-up in the wellness park or medical treatment in the medical park. The main target will be Asian countries. The local government has provided a site of 1.48 million square meters in Seogwipo for the healthcare complex.

There are positive factors that can help Jeju Healthcare Town. Jeju Island is off the south coast of South Korea, between China and Japan. Eighteen cities with populations of more than 5 million are within 2 hours’ flight of Jeju Island. Jeju offers an unspoiled natural environment that other competitive medical destinations do not have. Jeju Island is traditionally well-known as a tourism destination. Korea offers state-of-the-art technology in medical treatment including surgery, diagnostics and cancer treatment.

According to the Korea Tourism Organization, the number of visitors to Korea for medical treatment has increased significantly. It aims to attract 850,000 overseas patients by 2015. Stackpole and Associates has created an innovative sweepstakes program to attract medical tourists to South Korea on behalf of its client, the Korean Health Industry Development Institute. The “Body and Seoul Sweepstakes” has launched with a three-week promotion of Asian hospitality and health care. The target is residents of the US who want to experience the travel and health benefits of medical tourism. It offers a package of health and wellness services for two as well as business class plane tickets and a five-night stay at the JW Marriott Seoul. A lucky winner and travel companion will be pampered with a VIP health check up, a dental exam and teeth whitening, traditional Korean medicine treatments, skincare services, and spa treatments as well as sightseeing in Seoul. The health and wellness services are offered by Seoul’s medical tourism destinations including East West Medical Center and the Aramdaun Spa. The sweepstakes runs from June 26th to July 19th.

The medical tourism market in South Korea is anticipated to grow at 30% a year during 2010-2012, says a new research report by RNCOS, “Emerging Medical Tourism in South Korea”. The growth in the South Korean medical tourism industry has been well supported by the government efforts and initiatives. In February 2009, the government reserved 5% of the total hospital beds for foreign patients. Most international patients come from China, Japan, the USA and the Southeast Asian countries, claims the report.