First Integrated Resort to Establish New Medical Center
Plastic Surgery, Dentistry, and Stem Cell Treatment Facilities to Open
"Clinic" Scheduled to Launch This Month
Aiming to Attract Foreign Tourists and Expand Revenue from Accommodation and Other Services
In its second year of operation, Inspire Entertainment Resort (Inspire) has established a new medical center to attract medical tourists. Taking into account the global popularity of K-beauty, the center is equipped with medical facilities focusing on specialties such as plastic surgery and dentistry. The plan is to draw in foreigners visiting Korea for cosmetic and medical treatments and to expand profits by linking these services with accommodation and leisure facilities.
There is a signboard announcing the presence of a plastic surgery clinic, stem cell treatment center, and dental clinic within Inspire Entertainment Resort. Photo by Kim Heungsun
According to industry sources on June 13, Inspire plans to open a "clinic" this month that will house facilities for plastic surgery, dentistry, and stem cell treatment. The resort has already prepared a dedicated space for these facilities in a section of the third-floor corridor connecting the Sun Tower and Forest Tower. Some specialties, such as dentistry, have even completed preparations for opening by displaying the names of affiliated hospital brands. Among integrated resorts operating in Korea, Inspire is the first to attract specialized medical facilities and operate a medical center.
An Inspire representative stated, "By directly operating these medical facilities within the resort, we aim to attract overseas tourists for medical purposes and expand the use of related amenities. We have completed all necessary permits and preparations in advance."
Dental clinic located within the Medical Center at Inspire Entertainment Resort. Photo by Kim Heungsun
A notice stating that plastic surgery, stem cell treatment, and dental facilities within Inspire Entertainment Resort will open this month is displayed. Photo by Kim Heungsun
Medical tourism is considered a high-value-added industry because visitors have a clear purpose for coming to Korea and their spending in Korea is higher than that of general tourists focused on travel. In fact, according to data published by the Korea Tourism Organization based on credit card transactions, the total amount spent by foreigners on medical services in Korea rose from 107.8 billion won in January this year to 170.3 billion won last month. By medical specialty, dermatology accounted for 52.64% and plastic surgery accounted for 25.91%, with these two fields making up nearly 80% of the total. During the same period, the number of medical transactions by foreigners increased by about 70%, from approximately 223,000 to 379,000 cases.
The number of foreigners who visited Korea for medical purposes temporarily declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, but in 2023, it reached 605,768, surpassing the pre-pandemic figure of 497,464 in 2019. By country, Japan ranked first with 187,711 visitors, followed by China with 112,135, the United States with 76,925, Thailand with 30,844, Mongolia with 22,080, Vietnam with 20,371, Russia with 14,720, Singapore with 13,499, Taiwan with 12,828, and Kazakhstan with 11,810.
By expanding its medical tourism business, Inspire expects to reduce its excessive reliance on the foreigner-only casino and to balance the revenue ratio of non-casino segments such as rooms, entertainment, and food and beverage (F&B) to a similar level. According to Inspire's financial results for the 2024 fiscal year (October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024), released in January, the integrated resort recorded total revenue of 219 billion won during this period. Of this, casino revenue was 107.9 billion won, while non-casino revenue was 111.1 billion won, surpassing casino performance.
This was achieved by utilizing the Inspire Arena, a multi-purpose indoor venue with 15,000 seats, to host performances by renowned domestic and international artists and to attract group events such as international conferences, thereby boosting accommodation and entertainment facility usage. An Inspire representative said, "We plan to showcase the first Korea performance by JJ Lin, who has a large fan base in Greater China, targeting the high demand and interest from Chinese group tourists visiting Korea. Due to the strong reputation of Korea's medical infrastructure and product quality, there is significant foreign interest in K-beauty and beauty services. Therefore, we plan to expand medical tourism marketing using the medical center."
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