Thailand has its sights set on transforming Phuket into a world medical tourism hub, with the Thai government planning to invest five billion baht (more than AUD$210 million) in boosting medical tourism to the island.
Choosing Phuket makes sense. Thailand’s biggest island is already popular with tourists, has direct flights to its international airport and is home to some pretty spectacular and well-known resorts.
Next year, construction will begin on a full-service hospital, the Andaman International Health Center, that will cater to both visitors and locals and is set to be completed by 2027, a government spokesperson told media in Bangkok on Tuesday, 11 October.
According to the spokesperson, the five billion baht investment should generate 62 billion baht (AUD$2.6 billion) in annual revenue, which is in line with the country’s 20-year national strategy to turn Thailand into a high-income country by 2037.
In an email to Karryon, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Australia said the initiative would “help the country indeed”, and once construction was completed “TAT will take this opportunity to promote Thailand’s health and wellness industry (as we already do) as people are now more health conscious that ever before, and Thailand is among the world’s top destinations that international tourists want to visit”.
As of 1 October 2022, overseas visitors to Thailand no longer need to show proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter the country, ending the South-East Asian nation’s pandemic restrictions.
Via Bloomberg Asia
