When you think of Tourism in Turkiye you will probably envisage visiting the beach, the historical attractions, shopping, culture & art and water sports, but did you know that one of the fastest growing sectors within Tourism, is actually Health & Wellness?
Last year it was recently revealed that over 400,000 Europeans travelled to Turkiye for a range of different health treatments, and when you take other nations into account that figure increased to more than 640,000 resulting in recorded revenue’s of around $1bn USD. It’s astonishing to think that the revenue could actually be around $2.5bn-$3bn once you account for unrecorded revenue’s and Cihat Alagöz who is Chair of the Trade Fairs Industry Council of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) believes that ‘Turkiye is now very well-positioned in the global health tourism industry, turning into a pioneering country in the health tourism sector resulting in a highly important source for our growing economy.’
Part of the reason for this substantial increase in the sector is not only down to the excellent healthcare facilities & professionals on offer, but it’s also because prices can be around 35% cheaper in Turkiye when compared to other countries. In the USA for example, this figure can sometimes be as much as 60% cheaper.
The most common healthcare treatments sought after include plastic surgery, hair transplants, dentistry, cancer treatment and orthopedics.
In 2021, Turkiye achieved tourism revenues of around $25bn, with the average tourist spending around $750. That figure, however, in the Health Tourism sector shot up to an average of $2000 per tourist.
When celebrity figures like Kate Moss for example are seen to be also taking advantage of the excellent healthcare facilities on offer (she was recently spotted at a detox facility in Bodrum), it’s no wonder that the sector is increasing substantially year on year.