FlyMedi Announces Medical Tourism Trends

Just a few years ago, people used to travel thousands of miles just for tourism purposes only. But the times have changed, nowadays when one visits distant countries, he/she tries to get the most out of that short-lived vacation. One of the things that people have added to their to-do list – while on vacation – is to get medical treatment from expert doctors abroad.

Such developments have led to the rise of online medical tourism marketplace such as our own Istanbul- and Amsterdam-based FlyMedi. As a well-established online medical marketplace, we, as FlyMedi, have made life easy for patients who want to get best healthcare treatment in a foreign land.

All of our patients do not have to go through that daunting process of making traveling arrangements, booking hotels and scheduling for medical appointments. We do all the hassle and present best treatment options and prices for patients–this, in a way, helps them make informed decisions even before leaving their own countries.

Generally speaking, we think of medical tourism services as beneficial to two groups: the patients and the medical institutions. Here is a quick breakdown of the benefits:

Patients Benefits:

• Lower cost
• Higher quality
• Immediate access to treatment
• Opportunity to travel.
• Availability of cutting-edge technology. 

Institution Benefits:

• Some of these accredited institutions have Avant-garde technologies, whereby they are looking for ways to utilize it.
• Penetrating new market segments at a lower cost.

As the leading medical tourism marketplace in Turkey, we are proud to announce that the industry is still booming and the wave is just unfolding. Turkey is on position 7 in the top-10 list of the world’s best medical tourism destinations. And according to our stats, thousands of the medical tourists who visit Turkey are from: U.K., Germany, Romania, Iraq, U.A.E., Spain, and Russia.

This influx of medical tourists visiting Turkey every week profited the country $4.4 billion between 2013 and 2017.  The country’s medical tourism industry is still on the rise, considering that in 2018 alone, Turkey earned $1.5 billion from that sector.  

In 2008, 75,000 medical tourists visited Turkey. A decade later, that number increased tenfold as the Daily Sabah reported that nearly 1 million medical tourists visited Turkey in 2018. According to the Health and Tourism Association, "420.000 foreign patients seek hair transplant treatment in Turkey per year.” This is probably the reason why the United Kingdom’s On: Yorkshire Magazine described Turkey as ‘The new hotspot for hair transplantation tourism.’

Looking at our own stats, there is no doubt that Turkey will be welcoming close to 2 million foreign patients by year 2023.

At FlyMedi  we receive thousands of applications from foreign patients every year. Most of these applications are for Men Hair Transplantation and other plastic surgery procedures. Applications we receive from female patients are usually for Liposuction Surgery.

A closer look at our marketplace stats reveals that most patients who come from the UK usually prefer visiting Turkey in December or April and their preferred procedure is either Gastric Sleeve Surgery or Breast Reduction Operation. 

Arabic men mostly apply for Hair and Beard Transplantation, whereas their female counterparts usually apply for the Brazilian Butt Lift between February and June. Germans prefer Dental Treatments and Gastric Bypass that help with weight loss.

On the other hand, the Dutch mostly enquire about LASIK Eye Surgery and Knee Replacement surgery in January and December.

The Cyprus usually go for IVF because Cyrus is the only country that allow choosing gender.

Spain and the French markets are the rising stars of hair transplantation in Turkey.

As you drill deep into our data, you will notice that the Russians and Romanians medical tourist prefer to have their Breast Procedures in Turkey’s Antalya –rather than Istanbul usually in July and August.

Price Comparison

Having assisted thousands of medical tourists over the years, we have noticed that most foreign patients who visit Turkey are lured by low prices of treatments. Here is a brief comparison of some of the treatment prices in Turkey and other countries:

1. Hair Transplantation: Turkey price is between 1.300-1,900 €. U.K. price is between 4.500 – 8.000 £.
2. Rhinoplasty: Turkey has the prices between 2.100-3.500 €. U.S. has the prices between 8.500-12.000 $
3. Liposuction: Turkey has the prices between 1.700-3.800 €. U.K. has the prices between 700-16.000 £
4. LASIK eye surgery: Turkey has the prices between 1.100-1.900 €. The Netherlands has the prices between 2.800-4.500 €
5. Breast Implant: Turkey has the prices between 2.300-3.400 € Romania has the prices between 5.200-7.800 €
6. Dental Implant (per teeth): Turkey has the prices between 450-800 €. Germany has the prices between 1.600-2.800 €

Briefly, there is no doubt that medical tourism is claiming a huge chunk in the global market share and it is gradually blooming by the day. In countries like Turkey, medical tourism is escalating because of successful reforms in healthcare quality, accessibility, and technology. The stats truly reflect Turkey as a powerhouse in the world of medical tourism industry. If this medical tourism industry continues to grow at this rate, Turkey will take a leading role in a few years to come.