Korea Tourism Organization Operates Online Medical Tourism Academy for Russia and CIS

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The Korea Tourism Organization announced on the 6th that it will hold an online academy for one year starting from the 7th targeting medical tourism companies in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), utilizing local networks such as its Moscow branch, Vladivostok branch, and Almaty branch in Kazakhstan.

The Korea Medical Tourism Online Academy is an educational program promoting the excellence of Korea's medical system to specialized medical tourism travel agencies in Russia and the CIS, as well as luxury travel agencies targeting affluent clients, amid the suspension of international tourism exchanges due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

Until the end of June next year, 21 general hospitals in Korea, along with departments such as orthopedics and plastic surgery, will hold explanatory sessions on a rotating monthly basis. The online academy will be listed on the website of the International Luxury Travel Market (LTM). LTM is held annually in February in Moscow and has a network of about 25,000 companies in Russia and the CIS region.

Through the Korea Medical Tourism 'webinar' (seminar held on a website) involving domestic medical institutions, detailed information about Korean medical tourism will also be provided.

According to the Tourism Organization, about 50,000 tourists visit Korea from Russia and the CIS region for medical tourism purposes, and 30,000 of them, accounting for 10% of all tourists visiting Korea from Russia, come for medical tourism.

Kim Jeong-ah, head of the Medical Wellness Team at the Tourism Organization, said, "In a situation where existing exhibitions and consultation meetings have been canceled due to COVID-19, we hope that more people will visit Korea as a medical tourism destination through online marketing activities in the future."