In recent years, the development of medical tourism has become increasingly important in some Asian countries. Korea, however, is yet to fully benefit from the Asian medical tourism market. In relation, Dr Seongseop Kim (right in right photo), Dr Jinsoo Lee (left in right photo) and a former PhD student at PolyU’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management jointly studied the current development of medical tourism in Korea and suggested measures to secure Korea’s competitive advantages in this aspect.

Gathered from related industry publications and in-depth interviews with infield experts, the research findings suggested that Korea is highly competitive in aspects including high-quality and specialized medical staff, advanced medical services and state-of-the-art technologies, but relatively weak in promoting the industry and cooperative marketing among government agencies and institutions. The researchers have thus made some recommendations, including more patient-oriented and one-stop services to be offered, promotional strategies (e.g. organizing tourism conferences, international exhibitions and tour programmes) to be improved, as well as pricing and related legal issues to be addressed.

The research findings have been published in Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research. Details>>