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Industries promote medical tourism

A new business alliance between a popular hotel, a travel agency and a medical association announced a program yesterday to promote medical tourism in Taiwan.

It is the first time that the three industries have joined forces to promote medical tourism, the market for which, according to estimates by the Council for Economic Planning and Development, could be worth up to NT$7 billion (US$220 million) per year.

Under the program, the Grand Hotel, the Taiwan Hospital Association and the Taipei-based Asia-Pacific Society of Travel Medicine (ASTM) will cooperate in promoting tourism packages to foreign visitors.

The cost of a four-day tour is estimated at between NT$30,000 and NT$60,000. The tour would include a three-hour health checkup, an anti-oxidation treatment, skin care and a magnetic wave face lift session.

Customers would stay at Taipei's Grand Hotel and spend their leisure time visiting local tourists spots, such as Taipei 101 and the National Palace Museum.

ASTM Director Shieh Ying-hua (謝瀛華) said at a news conference that Taiwan's medical services rank among the best in Asia, with relatively low costs.

Citing Thailand as an example, Shieh said foreign nationals paid some 730,000 visits to the Southeast Asian country in 2003 on similar trips, and the number grew by 16 percent in 2005.

Although Thailand, Singapore, South Korea and India have promoted medical tourism for years, Shieh said he believes that Taiwan stands a good chance of attracting a considerable number of foreign visitors for medical tourism thanks to its superior levels of medical care.

Japan and Middle Eastern countries are potential sources of customers, he added.

Chiu Wen-ta (邱文達), president of the Taiwan Hospital Association, said that Singapore lures some 500,000 medical tourists each year and Thailand double that number.

The critical issue now facing Taiwan, he said, was that the country must effectively improve the standard of its services if it hopes to catch up with Thailand or Singapore in the medical tourism field.

Dragon Tours General Manager Yang Chung-lin said Taiwan has a great potential to develop medical tourism, even though it is just beginning to promote the industry.

"Taiwan's medical level is quite competitive compared with those of neighboring countries," he said confidently.
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