As the global health tourism market surpasses the 1 trillion USD mark, China is emerging as a key player in this field. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the global cross-border medical tourism market reached 760 billion USD in 2023, with China leading emerging markets with an 18% growth rate, hosting over 4.2 million international medical tourists—a 37% increase from 2019. From Hainan Boao's “medical special zone” to Shanghai Pudong's “international medical park,” from Yunnan's traditional Chinese medicine wellness tours to Beijing's precision cancer treatment centers, China's medical tourism industry is reshaping the global health tourism landscape with its unique model of “integration of traditional and modern medicine, blending ancient and modern practices, and technology-driven innovation.” This rise is not only an overflow effect of China's upgraded medical system but also a vivid illustration of the deep integration of Eastern health wisdom and modern industrial logic.
I. Policy Empowerment: The “Dual-Drive” of Top-Level Design and Open-Market Benefits
The explosive growth of China's medical tourism industry is primarily attributed to systemic breakthroughs at the policy level. In 2017, the former National Health and Family Planning Commission and four other departments jointly issued the “Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Development of Health Tourism,” which first incorporated medical tourism into the national strategy; in 2021, the “14th Five-Year Plan for Tourism Development” explicitly proposed “building a number of international medical tourism destinations”; and in 2023, the National Immigration Administration introduced convenient entry and exit measures for personnel from countries along the “Belt and Road” initiative, injecting policy momentum into medical tourism.
The “policy pilot zone” effect in special regions is particularly significant. As the only “medical special zone” in the country, the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone in Hainan leverages four key policies—special medical services, special research, special operations, and special international medical exchanges—to introduce 228 types of imported special medical devices and drugs not yet available in China, covering areas such as cancer treatment and rare diseases. In 2023, Lecheng welcomed 123,000 international medical tourists, 78% of whom were cancer patients or those with chronic illnesses, with treatment success rates averaging 23% higher than in their home countries. What is even more noteworthy is that the pilot zone has established a closed-loop payment system integrating medical insurance, commercial insurance, and self-payment. Starting in 2024, eligible overseas patients can reimburse 70% of the costs for licensed medical devices and drugs through the “Lecheng Special Drug Insurance,” a innovation that has directly driven the proportion of Southeast Asian patients from 15% in 2020 to 41% in 2024.
Visa facilitation and the optimization of cross-border service systems have paved the way for medical tourism. In 2023, China implemented a unilateral visa-free policy for six countries, including France and Germany, covering major source markets worldwide; 13 cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, piloted an “International Medical Tourism Visa,” allowing visitors to stay for up to 90 days for medical purposes; Alipay and WeChat Pay are now available at medical institutions in 45 countries and regions, with some high-end hospitals offering “one-stop” services such as multilingual consultation guidance and cross-border medical record translation. Statistics from Shanghai Jiahui International Hospital show that in the first half of 2024, international patients who utilized the “medical visa + cross-border payment” service combination saw their treatment processes shortened by 40% compared to 2019, with a repeat purchase rate of 35%.
II. Resource Endowment: The “Combined Advantage” of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine
The core competitiveness of China's medical tourism lies in the establishment of a globally rare “dual-driven” service system combining traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine. This advantage stems from both the traditional wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine in “preventing disease before it occurs” and the technological breakthroughs of modern medicine, forming a comprehensive coverage of the entire cycle from prevention to treatment to rehabilitation.
The dual appeal of traditional Chinese medicine's “culture plus efficacy” is becoming a “super IP” in international health tourism. The World Health Organization (WHO) updated the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) in 2023, officially incorporating traditional Chinese acupuncture into its directory for the first time. Acupuncture is now used in 183 countries and regions worldwide. According to data from the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, there are over 100,000 traditional Chinese medicine institutions overseas, yet 70% of tourists still choose to come to China to experience authentic traditional Chinese medicine services. The “Xinglinyuan” Traditional Chinese Medicine Health Tourism Demonstration Zone in Kunming, Yunnan, is a typical example: Here, traditional therapies such as acupuncture, massage, and moxibustion are provided, along with “medicinal food” experience courses (e.g., making rose flower cakes and poria cocos paste) and “seasonal health preservation” study programs (e.g., spring equinox moxibustion and winter solstice herbal paste). In 2023, the zone welcomed 28,000 international visitors, 35% of whom were high-net-worth individuals from Europe and the Americas, with an average expenditure of 42,000 yuan per person. What is even more noteworthy is that the “personalized diagnosis and treatment” model of traditional Chinese medicine aligns closely with the global trend toward precision medicine. The “traditional Chinese medicine constitution identification + genetic testing” joint clinic at Beijing Guang'anmen Hospital analyzes patients' constitutional types (such as qi deficiency type, damp-heat type) and gene expression profiles to develop customized treatment plans, attracting a large number of international patients from fields such as cancer rehabilitation and chronic disease management.
Technological breakthroughs in modern medicine provide a “solid foundation” for medical tourism. China has reached international advanced levels in fields such as tumor treatment, cardiovascular diseases, and organ transplantation: The “CAR-T Cell Therapy” Clinical Research Center at Shanghai Ruijin Hospital achieved a complete remission rate of 82% for lymphoma, exceeding similar research data from the United States; The “Heart Transplantation” surgery success rate at Wuhan Tongji Hospital has remained above 95% for five consecutive years, with waiting times reduced by 60% compared to Europe and the United States; Guangzhou Zhongshan University First Affiliated Hospital's “Da Vinci surgical robot” performs over 5,000 surgeries annually, with its advantages of minimal trauma and rapid recovery attracting a 28% share of patients from Southeast Asia. These technological advantages, combined with the “tourism + medical care” model, have created a unique competitive edge. For example, a private hospital in Shenzhen has launched a “cancer treatment + coastal convalescence” package, which includes post-surgery rehabilitation training, ocean-view room accommodations, and customized meals designed by nutritionists. Orders for this package increased by 210% in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period last year.
III. Cultural Resonance: The “Modern Interpretation” of Traditional Wisdom
The deep appeal of China's medical tourism stems from the profound integration of Eastern health philosophy with contemporary lifestyles. While the global health tourism market is mired in homogenized competition driven by “technology-centric” approaches, China's traditional wisdom, centered on the concepts of “unity of heaven and humanity” and “balance of yin and yang,” offers international tourists a distinctive value proposition.
The global expression of the “preventing illness before it occurs” philosophy is redefining health tourism. The World Health Organization predicts that by 2030, there will be 5 billion chronic disease patients worldwide, leading to a surge in demand for “preventive medicine.” China's medical tourism industry has keenly captured this trend, transforming traditional Chinese medicine's philosophy of “preventing illness before it occurs and preventing its progression once it has occurred” into experiential services: The “traditional Chinese medicine wellness guesthouse” in Mo Gan Mountain, Zhejiang Province, offers constitutional diagnosis, herbal baths, and qigong courses, allowing visitors to learn “seasonal health preservation” through daily activities such as hiking and tea tasting; The “Daoist Wellness Camp” in Dujiangyan, Sichuan, combines Qingcheng Tai Chi, herbal dietary therapy, and acupoint massage to create a “mountain and water healing” experience, with an international visitor repeat purchase rate of 45% in 2023. This “immersive wellness” model differentiates itself from Thailand's “spa massage” and Japan's “hot spring therapy,” better aligning with high-net-worth individuals' pursuit of “holistic health.”
The “technological upgrading” of traditional medicine has revitalized ancient wisdom. Chinese pharmaceutical companies have standardized the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine through modern extraction technology (e.g., artemisinin extraction purity reaches 99.9%), addressing international tourists' concerns about the “safety of traditional Chinese medicine”; Beijing University of Chinese Medicine's “Digital Museum of Traditional Chinese Medicine” has developed an AI-based constitution identification system that generates personalized health plans based on tongue and pulse readings, and has been adopted by countries like Singapore and Malaysia; Yunnan Baiyao's “Notoginseng Total Saponins” injection has passed the second phase of clinical trials by the U.S. FDA, laying the foundation for its international promotion. These innovations not only enhance the accessibility of traditional medicine but also shift international tourists' focus from “experiencing culture” to “trusting efficacy”— —A 2024 survey of 2,000 medical tourists visiting China revealed that 68% of respondents cited “traditional therapies validated by modern technology” as a key factor in choosing China.
IV. Industrial Innovation: Technology-Empowered “Service Upgrading”
The high-quality development of China's medical tourism industry relies on deep integration with cutting-edge fields such as digital technology and biotechnology. From the full-process digitization of “online appointments + offline treatment” to the precision services of “genetic testing + AI diagnosis,” technology is reshaping the service logic of medical tourism.
Digital healthcare breaks through spatial and temporal constraints, building a “global-local” collaborative network. In 2023, China approved nine cross-border telemedicine services, allowing overseas patients to conduct multidisciplinary consultations (MDT) with domestic experts via 5G networks. The “International Telemedicine Center” established by the Ruijin Hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine has provided tumor and rare disease consultation services to patients from 12 countries, with an average response time reduced to 30 minutes; Alibaba Health's “Medical Tourism Service Platform” integrates resources from over 2,000 hospitals nationwide, supporting multi-language appointment booking, medical record translation, and cost estimation. By the first half of 2024, the platform's order volume exceeded 150,000. This “online pre-diagnosis + offline treatment” model reduces the upfront decision-making costs for international tourists while improving the efficiency of medical resource allocation.
Biotechnology is driving the popularization of “precision medicine” to meet personalized needs. China's technological breakthroughs in fields such as gene sequencing, cell therapy, and regenerative medicine have shifted medical tourism from “standardized services” to “customized solutions.” For example, a biotechnology company in Shenzhen offers a “cancer screening + immunotherapy” package that uses liquid biopsy technology (with a sensitivity of 92%) to detect tumor markers early, combined with CAR-T cell therapy to provide personalized treatment plans, attracting a large number of high-risk cancer patients from Europe and the United States; A stem cell therapy center in Beijing offers an “anti-aging” program based on mesenchymal stem cell-directed differentiation technology, providing “cell bank” storage and reinfusion services for high-end clients. In 2023, international clients accounted for 30% of the total. These technology-driven services not only fill the gap in the international market for precision medicine but also give China's medical tourism industry a “technology premium” advantage.
V. Market Potential: The “Dual Overlap” of Upgraded Demand and Global Opportunities
The rise of medical tourism in China is essentially a precise response to global health needs. In the post-pandemic era, global health awareness has undergone a fundamental shift—according to a World Health Organization survey, 83% of respondents listed “preventive healthcare” as their top health goal for the next three years, and cross-border medical tourism demand has expanded from “disease treatment” to “health management.” China, with its “full-cycle, multi-dimensional, and cost-effective” services, has effectively seized this market opportunity.
The upgrade in demand from “disease treatment” to “health management” has opened up vast opportunities for China's medical tourism industry. Unlike traditional medical tourism powerhouses (such as Thailand, which focuses on medical aesthetics, and Japan, which focuses on health checkups), China's services cover the entire chain from “prevention-treatment-rehabilitation-elderly care”: projects like “traditional Chinese medicine wellness” and “forest therapy” for healthy individuals, services like “hyperbaric oxygen chambers” and “sports rehabilitation” for sub-healthy individuals, technologies like “precision cancer treatment” and “organ transplantation” for patients, and “chronic disease management” and hot spring wellness" packages for the elderly. This comprehensive service model meets the needs of diverse customer segments—data from 2023 shows that among China's medical tourists, the proportion of those seeking health management and rehabilitation wellness reached 58%, an increase of 21 percentage points compared to 2019.
The balance between “cost-effectiveness” and “service quality” enhances appeal to mid-to-high-end customer segments. Compared to developed countries like the US and Germany, the cost of high-end medical services in China is only one-third to one-half (e.g., the annual cost of targeted cancer therapy in the US is approximately $150,000, while in China it is around $50,000), yet the treatment outcomes are comparable; compared to Southeast Asian countries, China's medical technology is more advanced (e.g., the adoption rate of surgical robots is three times that of Thailand) and its service chain is more comprehensive (providing full-process support from diagnosis to rehabilitation). This positioning of “mid-to-high-end pricing with high-quality services” aligns perfectly with the needs of high-net-worth individuals in emerging markets (such as Indian and Middle Eastern elites). According to the 2024 Hurun Report, international visitors from the Middle East and India accounted for 22% of China's medical tourism market, an increase of 15 percentage points from 2019.
Conclusion: The Path from “Newcomer” to “Benchmark”
The rise of China's medical tourism industry is the result of the combined effects of institutional advantages, resource endowments, cultural wisdom, and technological innovation. It has not only injected new vitality into the global health tourism market but also promoted the globalization of the health industry through the “medical-driven tourism, tourism-driven medical” model. In the future, with the deepening implementation of the RCEP, the advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative, and breakthroughs in technologies such as digital healthcare and synthetic biology, China's medical tourism industry is poised to evolve from a “newcomer” into a “pioneer.” This will require further optimization of international medical tourism visa policies, strengthening of international medical quality certifications (such as JCI certification), and the incorporation of traditional Chinese medicine standards into WHO guidelines. It will also necessitate an open and inclusive attitude to deeply integrate Eastern health wisdom with global civilizational achievements.
As global health tourism enters the “Chinese era,” what we see is not merely the prosperity of an industry but the manifestation of the Chinese civilization's value of “harmony in diversity”—using traditional wisdom to address modern challenges and embracing global needs with an open mindset. This may well be the ultimate key to China's medical tourism becoming the “new darling.”