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

See Examples For:

medical tourism

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

I don’t mind medical tourism, but I was a bit irked this summer when he sent me to a hospital in Chicago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025

The project aims to promote medical tourism in Macau, create jobs and bring healthcare and leisure under one roof, said the resort chain's chief executive Lawrence Ho.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2025

Now, longevity companies are exploring investments in the state in a moonshot bid to make it a medical tourism hub.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2025

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

From New York Times ● Jan. 21, 2024