medical tourism

American  

noun

1. tourist travel for the purpose of receiving medical treatment or improving health or fitness.

   The spiraling cost of healthcare has contributed to the growth of medical tourism.

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Other Word Forms

• medical tourist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of medical tourism

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Leigh Turner, a professor and executive director of the bioethics program at the University of California, Irvine, tracks direct-to-consumer therapies and medical tourism offerings.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

The outlook is supported by improving fundamentals in Turkey and Europe, patient recovery and operational efficiencies in India, steady demand and rising medical tourism in Malaysia, and utilization ramp-up in Singapore following the Mt.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025

The global medical tourism industry is worth tens of billions of dollars and is projected to grow significantly over the next decade, according to market estimates.

From BBC • Oct. 8, 2025

Aw doesn’t expect this to materially impact IHH’s earnings and remains positive on its diversified regional base, solid execution track record and earnings support from Singapore’s recovery and rising medical tourism in Malaysia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 6, 2025

Mr. Kodsi said his project would cater to the boom in medical tourism.

From New York Times • Jan. 21, 2024