27-May-18, New China
As a country known as an ideal destination for enjoying sun-bathing beach holidays, Turkey is also aiming to become a global leader in health tourism with a series of recent measures introduced by the government.
%20Xinhua.jpg "Turkey aims for global leadership in health tourism (c) Xinhua")
Image: Xinhua
Turkey is ranked fourth in the global list for healthcare tourism in terms of the number of patients served, and third in terms of the revenue generated. "Some 756,000 health tourists were welcomed in 2017, generating 7.2 billion US dollars," Emin Cakmak, founding chairman of the Turkish Healthcare Travel Council, said.
For 2018, Turkey aims to attract 800,000 patients and USD8 bn dollars in revenue, with East Asia one of the most promising markets. According to Cakmak, Turkey received 200 Chinese tourists for aesthetic or anti-aging therapies in 2017, and expects 1,000 Chinese tourists in 2018.