If China wants to lead the Asian medical tourism market, it needs to rely on its own resource endowment, policy advantages and industrial upgrading potential, integrate the advantages of medical treatment, tourism, culture and other multi-dimensional advantages through a systematic strategy, and at the same time, solve the existing shortcomings in a targeted manner. The following is an analysis of the core advantages, key strategies and challenges:
the core advantages:
China's development of medical tourism has a “resources + demand + location” triple foundation, providing natural conditions for leading Asia:
1. Rich medical resources and leading technology
- Specialty advantages: China's tumor treatment (such as proton heavy ion technology), cardiovascular and cerebrovascular surgery, organ transplants, traditional Chinese medicine physical therapy and other fields to reach the international advanced level; some of the three hospitals (such as Peking Union Medical College, Shanghai Ruijin, Guangzhou, Zhongshan Hospital) clinical technology and the United States and Europe's top institutions on a par with the cost of only 1/3 to 1/2 (such as cardiac bypass surgery of about 10-15 million yuan, the United States of America similar surgery, but the cost of only 1 / 2 (such as cardiac bypass surgery of about 10-15 million yuan, the United States of America similar surgery, but the cost of the same operation). RMB 150,000, compared to more than US$100,000 for similar surgeries in the U.S.).
- Distinctive characteristics of Chinese medicine: As the birthplace of Chinese medicine, China has global uniqueness in the fields of acupuncture, tuina, Chinese medicine conditioning, chronic disease management, etc., which fits the recognition of traditional medicine in Asian countries (e.g., Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia people generally accept Chinese medicine).
2. Significant cost advantage
Compared with Japan (high medical costs but tight supply due to aging), South Korea (mainly cosmetic surgery, limited specialties), and Singapore (high-end but close to the cost of Europe and the U.S.), China's cost-effective advantage in the areas of routine medical checkups, treatment of chronic diseases, and rehabilitation and convalescence is outstanding. For example, the Japanese PET-CT whole body examination is about 30,000 RMB, while the equivalent equipment in China costs only 10,000-15,000 RMB; a single dental implant in South Korea costs about 15,000 RMB, while a high-quality private institution in China costs as low as 8,000 RMB.
3. Convenient location and transportation
China is the geographic center of Asia, with Northeast Asia (Japan and South Korea), Southeast Asia (ASEAN ten countries), South Asia (India, Pakistan) and Central Asia (Kazakhstan, etc.) have a convenient air network. Hainan, Guangdong, Yunnan and other provinces, as the nodes of the “Belt and Road”, have opened a number of international medical tourism lines (e.g., Sanya to Southeast Asia, “medical + tourism” charter flights).
4. Policy support and pilot exploration
The national level clearly incorporates medical tourism into the “Healthy China 2030” plan, and local governments are actively laying out: Boao Lesheng International Medical Tourism Advance Zone in Hainan has been granted the four major policies of “licensed medical treatment, licensed research, licensed operation, and licensed international medical exchanges”, which allow the use of imported medical products that are not domestically marketed. Allow the use of imported medicines and equipment not listed in the country; Shanghai Pudong New Area, Chengdu International Medical City, etc. are also exploring the “medical + tourism” integration model.
Key strategies:
China needs to transform its potential advantages into market competitiveness through the three major strategies of “accurate positioning, service upgrading and branding”, which can be realized in the following five aspects:
1. Accurately position the target group and create a differentiated product matrix
According to the demand characteristics of different regions in Asia, design layered products:
- Southeast Asian market (high proportion, high consumption potential): targeting the middle class, mainly promoting “cost-effective specialty treatment + leisure travel”. For example, for Thai and Vietnamese patients, we provide tumor chemotherapy (cost 60% lower than Singapore) + Sanya/Xiamen beach resort; for Indonesian and Malaysian tourists, we design “Chinese medicine physiotherapy (acupuncture + medicinal diet) + tropical rainforest recuperation” package.
- Northeast Asian market (Japan and South Korea): Focus on “high-end technology and services to fill the gap”. Japanese patients can come to China to receive proton therapy (some domestic hospitals have introduced IBA proton equipment), South Korean patients can experience Chinese medicine beauty (such as traditional Chinese medicine mask, acupuncture buried line) + plastic surgery joint program (China's plastic surgeon technology is mature, but the price is only 1/2 of South Korea).
- Middle East market (high net-worth clientele): focus on “high-end rehabilitation and customized medical treatment”. For Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates tycoons, to provide postoperative cardiovascular disease rehabilitation (combined with traditional Chinese medicine) + Hainan / Yunnan high-end hotel vacations; the use of Xinjiang, Tibet's unique climatic resources, the launch of the “desert / plateau characteristics of physical therapy” (such as sand therapy, Tibetan medicine bath).
2. Strengthening medical quality and international accreditation, and establishing barriers to trust
The core demand of international patients in choosing medical tourism is “safety + effectiveness”, which needs to be eliminated through standardization and accreditation:
- Promote international accreditation of medical institutions: Encourage tertiary hospitals and private medical groups to apply for JCI (Joint Commission on International Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions) accreditation (at present, only about 100 hospitals in China have passed the accreditation, which is far lower than the 80% of private hospitals in Singapore), and introduce international standards, such as ISO 9001 (quality management), and ISO 13485 (medical devices).
- Standardize the service process: establish the “National Standard for Medical Tourism Services”, covering the entire process of pre-operative assessment, language translation, medical record translation, post-operative follow-up, etc.; promote the “Medical Liability Insurance”, which covers the risks of treatment and strengthens the confidence of patients. The medical liability insurance program has been promoted to cover treatment risks and enhance patients' confidence.
3. Building a “medical + tourism” service ecology
The essence of medical tourism is the integration of “medical service + tourism experience”, which requires perfect supporting services:
- Language and cultural adaptation: set up “international medical departments” in tertiary hospitals in key cities (e.g. Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hainan), equipped with multi-language guides (English, Russian, Arabic, Thai, Japanese, Korean, etc.), interpreters and cultural consultants (e.g. for Middle Eastern patients to provide a prayer room, food and drink in line with Islamic rules); develop a “medical + tourism” service ecosystem. (e.g. providing prayer rooms and Sharia-compliant catering for Middle Eastern patients); developing medical tourism APP, integrating reservation, translation, navigation, insurance and other functions.
- Extension of tourism scenarios: cooperate with scenic spots, hotels and travel agencies to design “treatment + sightseeing” packages. For example, arrange a cruise on the West Lake in Hangzhou for post-operative patients (to soothe the body and mind), provide medical checkup guests with Wuyi Mountain tea culture experience (combined with TCM health care lectures); in medical tourism demonstration zones, such as Boao in Hainan and Kunming in Yunnan, build medical-themed hotels (equipped with rehabilitation facilities), and health-themed parks (such as hot springs and yoga centers). 4. branding and digital marketing.
4. Branding and digital marketing to expand international influence
- Build an international medical tourism brand: take “Healthy China” as the overall brand and launch regional sub-brands (e.g. “Boao, Hainan - International Medical Tourism Island”, “Shanghai - High-end Tumor Treatment Center”, “Chengdu - High-end Tumor Treatment Center”, “Shanghai - International Medical Tourism Island”, “Shanghai - High-end Tumor Treatment Center”). The company has launched regional sub-brands (e.g. “Boao, Hainan - International Medical Tourism Island”, “Shanghai - High-end Tumor Treatment Center”, “Chengdu - Combined Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Rehabilitation Base”); participated in international medical exhibitions (e.g. the Dubai International Medical Exhibition, the Japan International Medical Expo), and established referral cooperation with overseas medical institutions.
- Digitally empowered traffic attraction: using short videos (TikTok, YouTube) and social media (Facebook, Instagram) to promote and publish real patient cases (with privacy treatment); developing virtual medical services (e.g., online initial consultation, remote consultation) to attract potential customers; cooperating with overseas insurance companies to incorporate China medical tourism programs into their high-end medical plans (e.g., BUPA in the UK, Cigna in the US).
5. Policy synergy and cross-border payment optimization
- Simplify visa and customs clearance: implement “medical tourism visas” (with multiple entries and extended periods of stay) for major source countries (e.g., Russia, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia); and implement “visa-on-arrival + medical certificate fast-track” in pilot areas such as Hainan and Shanghai. ".
- Improve cross-border payment: Promote RMB settlement in medical tourism, establish cross-border medical payment cooperation mechanism with Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern countries; support international credit card (Visa, MasterCard) direct settlement in hospitals to reduce the cost of patients' capital turnover.
Summarize
The key for China's medical tourism to lead Asia lies in the following: “specialties + Chinese medicine culture” as the core competitiveness, “policy support + international accreditation” as the backing of trust, "medical + tourism "the whole chain of services to enhance the experience, and ultimately through branding, digital marketing to capture the Asian market mind. In the next 5-10 years, with the maturity of Boao and other demonstration zones in Hainan, and the emergence of more internationally accredited hospitals, China is expected to become the “preferred destination” for medical tourism in Asia.