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REPORT – STTIM 2012 – RIYADH:Dr. Eyad bin Abdul Fatah Al Nosoor, prof of Medical Tourism at Isra University, Jordan, has emphasized that, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is rich in medical tourism potential, especially in the Wadi Al Dawasir and Jazan. "The number of tourists who seek medical treatment has reached 3 million all over the world, with rate of expenditure reaching USD 78.5 billion.”
Dr. Al Nsoor was addressing a workshop organized by SCTA under the theme "Medical Tourism" on the sidelines of the Saudi Travel and Tourism Investment Market (STTIM-2012).
Dr. Al Nsoor further stated that, medial tourism comprises of a number of activities related to treatment and request for health recreation service by people who travel out of their usual environment.
Medical tourism has two types, clinical in hospitals, and therapeutic in resorts and centers of natural treatment sites. Rate of annual growth in the medical tourism in the world has reaches 20% to 30%.
In his opinion on medical tourism sites in the Kingdom and how they could be developed, Dr. Al Nosoor emphasized that, the Kingdom is rich in such tourism potential, and that it actually needs to provide infrastructure and metadata of medical tourism, including all relevant facilities in addition to setting up necessary regulations and acts that ensure proper progress in the sector, besides establishing independent organizations to manage the projects of treatment sites in the Kingdom.
Walid Al Shobaki, director general of Health Sector at Al Hokair Group, said that medical tourism is one of the most important tourism types that create high revenues.
Medical tourism in the Kingdom will have bright future in view of various relevant potentials such as natural sites and medial potentials that the Kingdom enjoys.
Al Shobaki praised the efforts of SCTA for developing medial tourism across Saudi provinces as well as utilizing them through the experiences of specialized people in this field.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
