ASEAN NOW Sales Posted November 19, 2019 Share Posted November 19, 2019 Chinese Medical Tourists to Replace Zero-Dollar Tourists Despite fears of Thailand’s tourism industry shrinking, and the surging baht, Chinese medical tourism is growing and expected to continue. From rhinoplasty to liposuction, Thailand’s reputation for affordable and reputable cosmetic surgery clinics draws tourists from all over the world. For many, it’s cheaper to fly to Thailand, get surgery and a vacation, and fly back than it is to get the procedure done in their own country. Of Thailand’s 35 million tourists in 2018, 9% are estimated to have been medical tourists, a large portion of which were Chinese. Economic shifts in mainland China could be a significant factor in this new wave of Chinese medical tourism. Even though the baht is currently strong, Thailand undercuts China by such a large margin that its still worth the trip. With Thailand’s negative reaction to zero-dollar Chinese tourism, encouraging medical tourism seems to be a step in the right direction. 2016 saw the Thai government take extraordinary measures to crack down upon low quality Chinese tour companies, with mass arrests, company closures and bus seizures. Last year China’s ‘two-child policy’ caused Chinese medical tourists coming to the Kingdom to seek fertility treatment to surge. Middle-aged couples flocked to Thai clinics in hope that they could conceive whilst still fertile. This post is brought to you by DeeMoney, Thailand’s payment provider. Exchange and send money to 14 countries, register via our app, website or in store. DeeMoney currently has four Bangkok-based currency exchanges but more are on the horizon. Send money to Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam from just 150 baht per transaction plus a foreign exchange fee. DeeMoney serves as a hybrid solution that’s similar to both Transferwise and Western Union, yet distinguishable from both. Whilst TransferWise offers only digital transfers, and WesternUnion mainly cash transfers, DeeMoney is Thailand’s only service to provide both means of transferring money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pravda Posted November 19, 2019 Share Posted November 19, 2019 Oh well.... Buy buy rich Indians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailbreeze Posted November 19, 2019 Share Posted November 19, 2019 There is potential. However they are going to have to compete with South Korea in this field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sqwakvfr Posted November 19, 2019 Share Posted November 19, 2019 Sailbreeze, you just nailed it. Rich Chinese go to S. Korea for medical services. Many of the clinics, especially in Gangnam, have Mandarin speaking translators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lingba Posted November 20, 2019 Share Posted November 20, 2019 Thailand’s reputation for affordable and reputable cosmetic surgery clinics draws tourists from all over the world. reputable??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sydebolle Posted November 22, 2019 Share Posted November 22, 2019 So the Chinese are next for the rip-off by private Thai medical institutions; let's wait and see how this will fare ......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigpoint Posted November 22, 2019 Share Posted November 22, 2019 Hard to believe that Chinese hospitals are more expensive than the Bangkok hospital group or other private hospitals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pedrogaz Posted November 22, 2019 Share Posted November 22, 2019 On 11/19/2019 at 12:28 PM, sailbreeze said: There is potential. However they are going to have to compete with South Korea in this field. How does South Korea compare price and quality wise with Thailand? I must admit I am worried about having anything done here in Thailand. I do still go to the dentists here in Thailand, but the standard of dentistry here has really put me off having anything medical done here. I had a root canal that was a disaster and wound up costing over 30,000 baht including 10,000 for bone particles which fell out within a day of her putting them in (the 'estimate' was 6000 baht which is much cheaper than I could have done in the US). I wound up going to another dentist (US trained) who said there was so much bone loss that the tooth could not be saved....he took it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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