Macau, which has held the title of the world’s largest gambling hub since surpassing Las Vegas nearly 20 years ago, is now shifting its focus toward becoming a significant center for healthcare tourism. Recently, the region inaugurated its first resort hospital designed to offer health screenings, advanced scans, and cosmetic procedures within a luxury setting.
Positioned within Studio City, a casino and entertainment resort themed around Hollywood and owned by Melco Resorts and Entertainment, the new facility aims to enhance the medical tourism sector in Macau while also creating jobs and merging healthcare with leisure activities. Lawrence Ho, the CEO of Melco Resorts, highlighted the project’s potential in promoting this sector.
Developed in collaboration with iRad Hospital, a private healthcare group based in Hong Kong with expertise in MRI scans, the hospital’s innovative approach targets both regional and international visitors. Melco Resorts stated that this initiative could encourage longer stays and increased spending in the resort and city. With nearly 40 million tourists visiting the region annually, the honorary chairman of iRad, Dennis Tam, emphasized the unique opportunity for Macau to establish itself as a leading medical tourism destination.
This hospital aligns with Macau’s broader strategy to diversify its economy, which has largely relied on the entertainment industry. The Macau government is actively pursuing the development of sectors such as healthcare, technology, and events to reduce this dependence.
The global medical tourism industry, valued at tens of billions of dollars, is expected to expand significantly in the coming years. Asia has become a key player in this market, with countries like South Korea and Singapore attracting wealthy patients for cosmetic and advanced medical services, respectively. Likewise, Turkey has emerged as a favored destination, hosting millions of medical tourists seeking various procedures.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y8nr1dg54o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss