A recent article in the Economist, “Medecine avec frontieres” questions why international medical travel has not lived up to the hype. As I and other marketing professionals have reported, there have been many costly mistakes in developing this market. International medical travel is an early, nascent market, with a far narrower niche than its boosters would admit. But there is a market, and intelligent, careful providers and destinations will not throw the baby out with the bathwater, or accept the unsupported claims of the sectors’ unabashed cheerleaders.
Irving Stackpole
Marketing, research and business development consultant in healthcare, human services and senior living.
