GENERAL INFORMATIONS
WHAT IS HEALTH TOURISM?
Health tourism is defined as individuals traveling from their own country or region to another country to preserve, improve, or treat their health.
TYPES OF HEALTH TOURISM
Health tourism in Türkiye is conducted under four main categories: Medical Tourism, Spa/Health and Thermal Tourism, Senior Tourism, and Tourism for People with Disabilities.
1. Medical Tourism
Medical tourism refers to individuals traveling abroad to receive medical treatment, typically driven by factors such as lower costs, shorter waiting times, and higher quality of care.
2. Spa & Wellness Tourism
Spa practices stand out as a sector of health tourism that involves water-based treatment and relaxation methods, similar to thermal tourism. The acronym is derived from the Latin phrase “salus per aquam,” which translates to “health through water”. Wellness is a holistic approach that refers to an individual's state of well-being and vitality across mental, physical, spiritual, and social dimensions. Treatments such as natural ingredient-based skincare, mud and algae baths, hydrotherapy baths, and thalassotherapy are encompassed within wellness. It is noted that spiritual and complementary health practices with deep historical roots are particularly widespread in Asian countries, primarily China. Nevertheless, SPA and wellness tourism is considered one of today's prominent tourism sectors, aimed at supporting individuals' physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
3. Thermal Tourism
Thermal spa tourism is defined as a branch of health tourism in which individuals travel outside their place of residence to utilize natural mineralized and hot water resources, aiming to benefit from both physical relaxation and therapeutic effects.
Thermal tourism types are categorized under three main headings. These are:
Climatism refers to practices aimed at utilizing the healing effects of clean air and climatic conditions.
Thermalism is a branch of health tourism that refers to treatment and rehabilitation-oriented practices carried out by utilizing natural thermal and mineral water resources.
Uvalism refers to nutrition-based therapeutic methods that utilize fruits and vegetables.
4. Senior Tourism and Accessible Tourism
This type of tourism involves the cross-border mobility of individuals with age- or disability-related special needs, enabling them to access care and healthcare services under more suitable conditions. According to the World Report on Disability (2011), approximately 15 percent of the global population lives with at least one form of disability. This underscores the specific needs of individuals with disabilities regarding travel and tourism, positioning accessible tourism as an increasingly significant form of travel. In Türkiye, services for senior and accessible tourism are provided through clinical hotels, care institutions, holiday resorts, and recreational facilities. In this context, guided tours and social activities, rehabilitation programs, occupational therapies, as well as specialized care and travel facilities are provided for individuals with disabilities.
INTERNATIONAL PATIENT CLASSIFICATION
Furthermore, the classification of international patients by the Ministry of Health is structured as follows:
Individuals traveling from their place of residence to another location to improve their health are referred to as "Medical Tourists”.
Tourists who require emergency or unplanned healthcare services during their vacation are classified as "Patients Receiving Services Within the Scope of Tourist Health”.
Individuals coming to Türkiye under bilateral agreements concluded by the Ministry of Health with various countries in healthcare fields are classified as "Patients from Countries with Bilateral Agreements in Healthcare”.
Individuals coming to Türkiye to benefit from healthcare services under reciprocal agreements between social security institutions are classified as "Patients from Countries with Social Security Agreements”.
HEALTH OF THE TOURIST
Tourist health is a concept that refers to the need for individuals to access healthcare services due to unplanned health issues arising during travel or in the country they are visiting.
Foreign guests who are visiting our country as tourists and experience sudden illness can fully benefit from our hospital's emergency services, physician consultations, laboratory/imaging tests, and inpatient treatment facilities.
