FITUR HEALTH: Medical Tourism Grows by 20 Percent Annually

The main source countries for health tourists in Spain are Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Italy.

In 2014 Spain ranked 6th in the list of countries receiving incoming health tourists in Europe and 8th worldwide, with 344 million dollars

Health tourism is a fast-growing market worldwide by an average of 20 percent annually in both number of patients and in generated trade volume.

This is confirmed by SpainCares, which together with IFEMA will organize the third edition of FITUR HEALTH within the 37th staging of the International Tourism Trade Fair, FITUR 2017, which is due to be held at FERIA DE MADRID from 18 to 22 January and where we will learn about the keys to the future of this tourism segment.

According to SpainCares data, more than 80 percent of the health tourism business is generated in the immediate vicinity, not exceeding a 3- to 6-hour flight from the country of origin. In 2014, total economic volume was 10.445 billion dollars, an increase of 1. 938 billion over 2012.

Europe accounts for 45 percent of the business. In 2014 this continent registered an economic volume in excess of 4.5 billion dollars in exported health tourism services, with average growth of 24 percent over 2012. And in that same year 2014, Spain ranked 6th in the list of countries receiving incoming health tourists in Europe and 8th worldwide, with 344 million dollars.

The principal source countries of health tourists in Spain are European and geographically close, principally Germany (63 percent), France (19 percent), the United Kingdom (5 percent), Italy (5 percent), Austria (4 percent), Sweden (3 percent) and others (1 percent). Reception of health tourists in Spain trebled in 2014 with regard to 2004.

In 2014 an economic volume of more than 3 billion dollars was registered in Europe in imported health tourism services, which resulted in 12 percent average growth compared to 2012. As for the source countries, Spain ranked 13th in Europe and 25th worldwide, with an economic volume of 59.8 million.

In 2012 total economic volume of wellness tourism was 438.6 billion dollars. Europe accounted for 25 percent of the market and the principal countries receiving this type of tourism were Germany, Austria, Spain, France, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Since 2011, the growth in economic volume associated with Health Tourism in Spain has notoriously speeded up. 98 percent of visitors to Spanish spas are Spaniards, even though foreign tourists are increasingly interested in our spa resorts, particularly those located in Catalonia.

The profits generated by foreign tourists visiting spas and thalassotherapy centers in Spain amount to more than 15 billion euros between 2010 and 2015. During this period, foreign tourists made around 150 million overnight stays, with total average expenditure per person of 1,155 euros and an average stay of 11.6 days.

Catalonia is the most-visited Autonomous Region in Spain by foreign spa tourists, followed by the Canaries, Balearics and Andalusia. As for visitor profile, France, Germany and the United Kingdom are the main source countries of spa tourists in Spain.

The tourists who spend the most on their spa trips to Spain are those coming from South America and the Nordic countries, with total investment per person of 2,281 euros and 1,367 euros and an average stay of 11 and 12 days respectively.

With an economic volume of 7.6 billion dollars in wellness tourism, Spain ranks 7th on the list of European countries and 12th worldwide, which translates into an average growth rate of 6.2 percent and a total of 9.9 million trips registered during 2013.

FITUR HEALTH will again be held as part of the 37th staging of the International Tourism Trade Fair, FITUR 2017, at FERIA DE MADRID from 18 to 22 January. The third edition of this specialized section, organized by SPAINCARES and IFEMA, responds to an increasingly expanding sector, proof of which is the considerable interest it has awakened in its two previous editions.

Specifically, in 2016 it hosted 25 exhibitors, representing more than 150 health centers and healthcare-related companies; the participation of 14 high-level international buyers in the dedicated B2B negotiation zone; and 12 conferences in its parallel program of workshops.

Spain is currently among the countries with the best annual growth prospects in terms of invoicing volume in Wellness Tourism, both in Europe and worldwide (6.2 percent). 3.5 M more health trips are expected in 2017.

FITUR HEALTH will feature four areas: the exhibition area showcasing the most up-to-date health tourism offering (hospitals specializing in caring for foreign patients, spas, dependence centers, specialized tour operators, insurers, health tourism destinations, associations focusing on health tourism and more); an area intended for B2B meetings between supply and demand, an academic area, a space for analysis and debate, with a comprehensive program of conferences imparted by experts in this segment. As a novelty, this edition will launch a B2C area featuring various demonstrations designed for the general public which will boost the FITUR HEALTH zone.