Health Tourism and Infrastructure

Last week while travelling in the Caribbean the potential importance of healthcare to some of the island economies became more and more apparent. The global financial crisis has driven down the number of tourists travelling for traditional Caribbean holidays, so the governments and tourist promotion agencies are looking for new ways of attracting visitors to their shores.

Aside from the more mainstream efforts to promote business tourism and the like, there is a good opportunity to become a destination of choice for medical tourism. A similar desire was espoused by the Prime Minister of Grenada while at a Lunch I hosted in the UK a couple of months back, however he made it clear that there is a large infrastructure gap to filled in this sector.

This is a good example of where government and the private sector can work together to create an affordable, highly advanced and comfortable medical environment that is suitable for more elderly patients. The Caribbean is an ideal location for this industry, with its experience in delivering a 5 star tourist experiences and its proximity to the Large US market.