Global Determinants of the Development of Medical Tourism in South Korea

Authors

  • Małgorzata Bajgier-Kowalska Krakowska Akademia im. Andrzeja Frycza Modrzewskiego Wydział Prawa, Administracji i Stosunków Międzynarodowych
  • Mariola Tracz Polskie Towarzystwo Geograficzne, Kraków Oddział w Krakowie
  • Kamila Wałach Krakowska Akademia im. Andrzeja Frycza Modrzewskiego Wydział Prawa, Administracji i Stosunków Międzynarodowych

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24917/20801653.304.9

Keywords:

health tourism, medical tourism, South Korea, tourism service

Abstract

The paper discusses the current state of medical tourism in South Korea, its degree of competitiveness, and primary centers of medical tourism in the context of global determinants of this form of tourism. The paper relies mostly on secondary sources of data such as official websites of hospitals, clinics, government agencies, tourism agencies, and the Korea Tourism Organization. Data provided by the research literature printed in Polish and in other languages were also used in the analysis. Medical tourism is growing in many countries around the world and takes advantage of human capital (i.e. qualified personnel) and local medical traditions. The local natural environment and cultural environment further contribute to this newly evolving trend. Countries in Asia and Latin America are most often selected by visitors for the purpose of medical tourism. Leading medical tourism countries in Southeast Asia are India, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. South Korea is becoming a strong competitor in the medical services market in large part thanks to government support of this type of business. The number of non-local medical tourists visiting South Korea is growing with every year. South Korea is on its way to become a major medical tourism destination in this part of the world. In 2011 more than 6% of this market belonged to South Korea. Official statistics indicate that 210,000 foreign patients were recorded to have taken advantage of services at South Korean hospitals and clinics in 2013. This is also reflected in tourism revenue: 2.27% of all revenue from tourism was ascribed to medical tourism. In fact, the Korea Tourism Organization recommends 132 hospitals, clinics, and medical

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Author Biographies

Małgorzata Bajgier-Kowalska, Krakowska Akademia im. Andrzeja Frycza Modrzewskiego Wydział Prawa, Administracji i Stosunków Międzynarodowych

Małgorzata Bajgier-Kowalska, Ph.D., assistant professor, Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University, Faculty of Law, Administration and International Relations, Department of International Tourism and Sociological Geography. Her research issues and publication themes are concentrated on the geomorphology problems and the issues concerning regional geography. The author’s research concentrate also on the problem of tourism and recreation growth, especially on the question of development conditions and functioning of tourist regions in the world including the analyses of spatial differentiation of tourist infrastructure and size of tourism itself.

Mariola Tracz, Polskie Towarzystwo Geograficzne, Kraków Oddział w Krakowie

Mariola Tracz, Ph.D., geographer, geography didactician, member of the Polish Geographical Society. Interests include: geographical education (geography curriculum, development of geography competency, geography on examination, history of geography education in Poland) and socio-economic geography.

Kamila Wałach, Krakowska Akademia im. Andrzeja Frycza Modrzewskiego Wydział Prawa, Administracji i Stosunków Międzynarodowych

Kamila Wałach, M.Sc., graduate of the Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University, Faculty of Law, Administration and International Relations. The author’s research interest are concentrating on the international tourism, particularly on the region of Asia.

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Published

2016-12-06

How to Cite

Bajgier-Kowalska, M., Tracz, M., & Wałach, K. (2016). Global Determinants of the Development of Medical Tourism in South Korea. Studies of the Industrial Geography Commission of the Polish Geographical Society, 30(4), 119–132. https://doi.org/10.24917/20801653.304.9

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