Health tourists are worth their weight in gold

Published on Sunday 14 January 2007 00:06

HAVE your hip replaced in Mumbai, your teeth fixed in Prague but refresh your mind and body amid the exhilarating hills and glens of Scotland.

The tourist industry is being urged to market the fresh air of the Scottish outdoors to entice a new and wealthy generation of "health tourists" to spend time and money in the country.

With ageing populations and rising disposable incomes in many countries, health-related holidays have been identified by VisitScotland as one of global tourism's biggest trends.

The agency believes Scotland should cash in on the emerging boom by making it the place to get fit and keep active outdoors.

A new report suggests "pampering packages" should be developed to cater for patients recovering from major or cosmetic surgery as well as "active" family holidays or fitness camps to help combat childhood obesity. The agency also recommends further expansion of the health spa market, and not just for women, saying men are now more interested in health and beauty products.

The report, on future trends in tourism, says: "Scotland's unique selling point is the great outdoors, unpolluted fresh air, landscape and endless walking possibilities, which could all be used to sell recovery from cosmetic surgery, stress-related illnesses and major surgery as well as pampering treatments."

Walking and cycling holidays already bring an estimated 220m into Scotland annually, with spa breaks adding another 70m. But VisitScotland believes the market is ready for rapid expansion and Scottish businesses have to be ready to compete with other countries.

"Over the past two decades, society has witnessed a steady growth of disposable income and staying fit and healthy has been consumers' top priority, resulting in a plethora of health-related consumer products, whether anti-ageing creams, day spas or medical procedures," the report states.

"Consumers will now travel abroad to combine health and beauty surgical procedures with a holiday. Demand will soar as consumers seek a combination of mind, body and spirit, whether travelling to Japanese 'no-food hotels' for the weekend, a spa treatment in Thailand or hill-walking in Scotland."

Some countries are already trying to corner the market in holiday surgery, with Indian hospitals offering hip replacement operations and breast implant procedures in a business worth around 500m a year. Around 10% of beds in Mumbai hospitals are now filled with foreign patients seeking to avoid waiting lists and take advantage of low-priced private operations

Ian Yeoman, VisitScotland's scenario planner and the report's author, said patients were unlikely to visit Scotland for cut-price surgery but would seek it out as part of their recovery.

"One big emerging theme is that because more people are living longer there will be a boom in health-related tourism," he said. "Scotland is all about wellbeing and people getting away from it all. As populations get older and larger in size, there will be an emphasis on fitness and walking. The faster life gets and the more stressful the more people will want to slow down and escape it all. This means there has to be more investment by the industry if it wants to join in."

One obstacle that may have to be overcome is Scotland's reputation as one of the "sickest" countries in Europe due to its high heart disease and cancer rates. But Yeoman said this was mainly based on diet and lifestyle factors. "It doesn't alter the fact that Scotland has an abundance of wonderful, open countryside," he said. "That's what we need to be stressing."

The new boom in health tourism is part of the reason why the Gleneagles Hotel, which hosted the G8 summit two years ago, is investing around 5m in a new spa and leisure complex.

Spa hotels such as Stobo Castle, near Peebles, and the Sheraton Grand, in Edinburgh, have also witnessed a boom in tourists who want more than just relaxation.

Sue Finlay, marketing director at the Sheraton, said: "The big change in health tourism has been the amount of groups booking into the spa. This has been a big part of a 30% increase in business over the last five years."

Tourism experts are urging businesses to move fast.

John Lennon, professor of tourism at Glasgow Caledonian University, said: "We do not have a monopoly on the great outdoors and most northern European countries will be looking to cash in on the same market.

"Eastern European countries such as Hungary, Rumania and Bulgaria have abundant natural spas to attract people, so what we have to do is offer spas plus other outdoor activities."

Alastair Durie, a tourism expert based at Stirling University, believes VisitScotland is not going far enough, saying it could also cash in on holiday surgery.

"When you go to somewhere like India you are getting around waiting lists and getting your treatment cheaper," he said. "But there is a balance. Is it reliable and do you really want to be away from family and friends when you are ill.

"In the UK, we are arriving at the situation where we have too many hospital consultants for the jobs available. There will be a lot of skill out there not being used, which could be put to use in the private sector.

"Travel abroad is getting more burdensome all the time. Perhaps what people really want is surgical treatment in a country with a strong medical tradition.

"Scotland has a first-rate reputation in the field of medical care. Why not exploit it?"

Extolling benefits of wine and cannabis

Many countries are trying to cash in on the ever-growing trend for a healthier lifestyle - including holidays. Scotland's fresh air and space to exercise is a major benefit, but other countries are on its tail.

Red wine producers, such as South Africa, are planning to advertise scientific claims it contains substances that can protect against heart disease. In the Netherlands, Amsterdam has looked at advertising its liberal policy towards cannabis use to sufferers from chronic pain.

Meanwhile, medical tourism is booming in India with relatively low cost and extremely low waiting times cited as the main motivation.

Eastern European countries are cashing in on dentistry, with far lower charges in countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic.