According to Jeju province, there are currently 26 different medical institutions on the island attracting foreigners as medical tourists.
A medical law revision meant that more facilities were allowed to open. There are now three times as many medical institutions than there were in 2009.
In addition, the number of agencies attracting medical tourists increased from one to nine. It is for this reason that the number of tourists is showing sharp year-on-year increases.
The Korean Health Industry Development Institute released a report detailing the number of foreign patients last year. 17,000 people visited for medical reasons, 7.6 times more than three years ago in 2009, which was the first year when medical tourism was heavily promoted. Jeju attracted 720 foreign patients in 2010, and 740 patients in 2011.
Thanks to this upward trend, revenue is showing significant growth. Last year medical tourism brought in 1.27 billion won, 12 times 2009 figures.
Meanwhile, the Jeju Free International City Development Center is constructing the Jeju Health Care Town in Seogwipo City, and Jeju is also managing its main hospitals, making sure they are ready to attract additional foreign patients.
source: http://www.jejuweekly.com / The Jeju Weekly / Home> Tourism> Tourism News / November 18th, 2013
