Dubai wins ‘Destination of the Year' award at 10th World Health Tourism Congress.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Dubai, September 8, 2015: Dubai won the ‘Destination of the Year’ award at  the 10th World Health Tourism Congress.

The two day congress was held at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Academic Medical Centre in Dubai Health Care City (DHCC).

Ministers, senior government officials, medical and health experts and other tourism industry stakeholders from more than 80 countries attended the conference.

Dr Ahmed Bin Kalban, CEO of Hospital Services Sector at the DHA received the award and said: “The combined attractiveness of the place and the availability of excellent internationally accredited healthcare services, have led to the growth of medical tourism in Dubai.  Today, the Emirate has emerged as a favourable medical tourism destination on the global map. “

Dr Layla Al Marzouqi, Director of Health Regulation and the Medical Tourism Initiative in Dubai added that Dubai’s attractiveness as a destination and the availability of high quality medical care are the key drivers of the medical tourism initiative. However, in order to capitalize on these two parameters, the DHA’s medical tourism department has carried out  extensive research to identify target markets that are best suited for medical tourism. Al Marzouqi, said: “We have studied other medical tourism destinations and have carried out price benchmarking exercises. We then developed the medical tourism strategy which was chalked out after extensive consultation and feedback with  key private and government stakeholders.  We have also ensured on-going, regular communication with members of the private health sector through the Medical Tourism Club initiative.”

Al Marzouqi said that Dubai attracted 260, 000 medical tourists in the first half of 2015 and the revenues generated during this period exceeded one billion dirhams.

Top specialties accessed by medical tourists in Dubai are orthopedics, aesthetics, dental, preventive health and wellness and fertility treatments.