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

Singapore market should stabilize by 2H, supported by the ramp-up of ambulatory care centers, medical tourism growth, and the expansion of Mount Elizabeth hospital, he adds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

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

Greater case complexity, rising medical tourism and steady occupancy rates should support the sector’s earnings visibility even as pressure from insurers and government reimbursement limits persists, they say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 19, 2026

Asia has emerged as a major hub for medical tourism, with wealthy patients heading to South Korea for cosmetic surgeries and to Singapore's private hospitals for advanced medical treatments.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2025

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

From New York Times ● Jan. 21, 2024