Greece Gaining Ground as Medical Tourism Destination

“As a team, we have managed to distinguish and establish Greece as a recognizable medical tourism destination”, the president of the Greek Medical Tourism Council (ELITOUR), Yiorgos Stamatiou (second from left), said during a press conference in Athens.

Greece is establishing itself as a sought-after medical tourism destination, the Greek Medical Tourism Council (ELITOUR) said following its participation in this year’s IMTEC (International Medical Tourism Exhibition Conference) 2015, held in Dubai earlier this month.

ELITOUR’s stand at this year’s IMTEC (International Medical Tourism Exhibition Conference) 2015.

With the support of the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) and the tourism ministry, ELITOUR delegates, including IASO Group, Athens Medical Group, Euromedica Group, Eurodentica Specialized Dental Care and Zante Medical Care, had the chance to meet with over 100 agents from hospitals, clinics, dental offices and insurance agencies as well as with company representatives and organizations from Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Pakistan, China, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, South Africa, Switzerland, Russia, India, Egypt, Russia, England, Germany, Korea, Ukraine, Namibia, Kuwait, USA, Uzbekistan and Belarus.

Medical fields in Greece of interest included in vitro fertilization (IVF), plastic surgery, rehabilitation, dentistry and ophthalmology among others.

“As a team, we have managed to distinguish and establish Greece as a recognizable medical tourism destination… Greece’s dynamic presence at such a high-level conference has laid the solid foundation for the further development of an area in which our country can excel,” ELITOUR President Yiorgos Stamatiou said.

The Athens-based NGO will work with the tourism ministry to organize: roadshows in Athens, Heraklion and Thessaloniki, the Global Conference of Medical Tourism in 2017, to be held in Greece, with the participation the Global Healthcare Travel Council, an international educational program offering vocational training and certification for special coordinators/medical tourism facilitators and a webinar event featuring health care and health tourism industry leader Maria Todd.