A public and private partnership comprised of business leaders and health officials in the province of Guanacaste are attempting to jump-start the medical tourism industry of Costa Rica. A few days ago, a regional initiative named Guanacaste Health and Travel was unveiled. This initiative will try to shift the bulk of medical tourism to the Pacific Northwest region of Costa Rica .
Source: Wikimedia Commons
The immediate goal of the new Guanacaste Health and Travel initiative is to attract 3,000 medical tourists to the province. These are tourists who arrive in Costa Rica looking for affordable medical procedures and the opportunity to enjoy their convalescent care along with relaxation and entertainment activities. According to a recent report by Cesar Brenes Quiros of business weekly El Financiero, Guanacaste wants to stand out by highlighting its superior safety, quality of care and natural wonders.
This move to brand Guanacaste as the premier destination for medical tourists in Costa Rica comes in the wake of disappointing figures for this particular industry. Medical tourism may have seen its heyday during the Great American Recession , which is thought to have ended in late 2011. At that time, there was a rush to capture a great influx of health tourists; however, they did not arrive in the desired levels.
According to industry observers, one of the problems behind medical tourism in Costa Rica was that there are too many unqualified operators chasing after the same tourists. These operators are not only too fragmented; they are also failing in the areas of marketing and quality control. The Guanacaste Health and Travel initiative seeks to address these issues and to form an alliance with key business entities such as:
Part of the plan will include offering free, comprehensive medical checkups to tourists who are not aware of the quality health care available in Costa Rica. The main health disciplines promoted will include orthopedics, cosmetic surgery, dental procedures, gynecology, and ophtalmology. A secondary goal will involve promoting premier beach communities such as Playa Hermosa and Playas del Coco as great places to recover and even consider future retirement.
source: http://www.news.co.cr / Costa Rica News / Home> Costa Rica News / by Jamie Lopez / October 18th, 2013
