Medical tourism in Iran

Introduction

One of the areas that can have a great impact on the development of tourism in Iran is medical tourism in Iran.

The tourism industry, with its various sub-branches, has become a very valuable industry in creating job opportunities and making positive changes in the economic situation. Among the various areas that the tourism industry has created, medical tourism has attracted special attention. Join us to get more familiar with health tourism.

What is medical tourism?

There are different definitions of medical tourism, but the World Tourism Organization (WTO) defines medical tourism as follows: Medical tourism (Health tourism or tourism therapy) means using services that cause positive changes in the mood and behavior of human beings. These changes can include climate change for more than 24 hours and less than a year away from their habitat.

How and where was this type of tourism formed?

This type of tourism has existed since ancient Roman times and later was formed in some European countries. The interesting point about health tourism is that in all eras, people have had great desire to use mineral springs and hot water. For this reason, some hot springs and mineral springs are always a good place for tourists to have fun.

For example, since ancient times, there has been a hot spring called Saratoga in U.S which has become a commercial area in the field of tourism since 200 years ago and has provided accommodation and hospitality services to tourists.

Over time, this type of tourism took on a new form, and in addition to providing services such as hot springs and living in a favorable climate, medical services were added to it. In fact, many people today turn to health tourism for medical services.

How many sub-branches does medical tourism have?

In general, medical tourism has three sub-branches:

1- Medical Tourism

As its name implies, different people travel to treat their disease or to have surgery. In medical tourism, patients can follow their treatment stages at relatively reasonable costs.

Medical tourism is the most important and sensitive part of tourism because it is related to the lives and health of tourists. The only thing that can boost the medical tourism industry in a country is medical services and medical infrastructure.

2- Nature- therapy tourism or Curative tourism

In curative therapy tourism, tourists travel to places where there are natural therapy services for patients. In nature therapy, tourists enjoy natural resources such as hot springs (spas), salt lakes, sun, medical massage therapy, herbal baths, as well as beautiful nature.

Nature therapy tourism has a lot of fans and can create a good economic prosperity for certain regions.

3- Wellness Tourism

This branch of medical tourism is more related to mental health. In medical tourism, people are more looking for a place to relax, where it can take them away from the hustle and bustle of the city and various worries.

Medical tourism is a very good option for treating mental illness.

What is the reason behind the formation of this type of tourism in the world?

The only thing that has shaped medical tourism in the world is the provision of medical services. In fact, tourists determine the desired destination according to their needs for medical services.

Due to the advancement of science and technology, many countries have achieved high rankings in various fields of medicine, which has led to an increase in the number of health tourists in many countries around the world.

In addition to the quality of medical services that can increase the demand for this type of tourism, the cost of medical services is also very important for tourists. Medical tourism in Iran is cheaper and better quality than most countries.

Medical tourism in Iran

Tourism is known as the third most profitable industry in the world. Although Iran is among the top 10 countries in the world in terms of natural tourist attractions, unfortunately it has not made many changes in the Iran’s economy. Fortunately, Iran has been successful in health tourism. For example, every year many tourists come to Iran for treatment in the following areas:

• Heart, eye and plastic surgery
• Different transplants such as liver transplant
• Skin and beauty
• Sterility
• Cancer-related diseases
• Dental health

Successful provinces in the field of medical tourism in Iran

1- Fars province

Shiraz city is one of the largest medical hubs in Middle East that has had great research and progress in various fields, including organ transplantation, especially liver transplantation. Also, after the construction and operation of a specialized hospital in the field of organ transplantation, many tourists are attracted to Shiraz.

Shiraz can be introduced as one of the cities in Iran and the Middle East that has been very successful in the field of medical tourism.

2- Yazd province

Yazd province, with its historical attractions to attract tourists, has also been successful in the field of medical tourism in Iran. Yazd Infertility Center is one of the largest infertility treatment centers in the Middle East, which can be introduced as one of the medical tourism hubs in the world.

3- Mazandaran province

The special climate of Mazandaran has made it a very good place for medical tourism. Also, mineral waters and hot springs of the province can attract a large number of tourists annually.

Introducing medical centers in Iran

We have introduced the medical centers of each province.