87% of Mongolians Say "Korea" for Medical Tourism
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization announced on the 28th that they will strengthen medical tourism marketing in Mongolia, a key country for attracting foreign patients to Korea.
From the 25th to the 27th (local time), the Ministry and the Organization held the '2023 Mongolia Korea Medical Tourism Expo' in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. This was the first medical tourism event held in Mongolia in four years since the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a recent survey conducted by the Korea Tourism Organization’s Ulaanbaatar office, 87% of local Mongolian respondents chose 'Korea' as their preferred country for treatment. Mongolia ranked sixth in the number of medical tourists visiting Korea in 2022, and it is a country with very high interest and trust in Korean medical technology.
In line with this trend, the Organization operated a K-Culture linked Korean medical tourism promotional booth, a Mongolia patient-tailored Korean medical tourism consultation session (B2C), and a Korea-Mongolia travel industry travel mart (B2B) at the medical tourism expo.
The travel mart was attended by about 130 participants, including 9 domestic local governments, regional tourism organizations (RTOs), and associations, 43 medical institutions, and 5 medical tourism attraction companies. As a result of conducting 294 one-on-one consultations with about 90 local stakeholders, 42 on-site contracts and business agreements were concluded.
About 40 Korean medical institutions provided patient-tailored medical tourism consultations ranging from mild to severe cases for 1,000 Mongolian patients who registered through a pre-booking system, and a prize event was also held for those who made reservations.
Additionally, reflecting the high demand for treatment of diseases that cannot be treated locally in Mongolia or for severe illnesses, a business agreement was signed with Mandal, Mongolia’s largest insurance company. Plans are underway to develop specialized products that reduce the economic burden of treatment in Korea and enhance convenience for visiting Korea.
During the event, the Organization appointed popular Mongolian composer and pianist Chingbat and his wife, singer Sarnae, as honorary ambassadors for Korean medical tourism.
Chingbat, who had been battling liver disease for a long time, successfully underwent a liver transplant surgery in Korea in November 2019, receiving a liver from Sarnae, and has fully recovered. The Organization plans to promote Korean medical tourism locally in Mongolia together with them in the future.
Seo Young-chung, Director of the International Tourism Headquarters at the Korea Tourism Organization, said, "As the global medical tourism market rapidly grows, it is necessary to actively respond to target the high value-added industry convergence market of 'medical + tourism.' We plan to strengthen strategic marketing reflecting regional characteristics not only in Mongolia but also in the Middle East, the Americas, and Southeast Asia in the future."
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