Korea’s medical tourism sector is projected to reach 2.01 million foreign patients in 2025, marking the first time annual visitor numbers have exceeded 2 million since 2009. This figure would represent the third consecutive year of record-high patient volumes for the country.

The sector’s growth trajectory shows a significant rebound and expansion following the COVID-19 pandemic. Foreign medical tourist numbers, which dropped to 120,000 in 2020, recovered to 610,000 in 2023. This increased to 1.17 million in 2024 and is forecast to reach 2.01 million in 2025. Cumulatively, over 7.06 million foreign tourists have visited Korea for medical purposes since 2009.

Economic Impact and Patient Spend

The economic impact of medical tourism in Korea is substantial. The Korea Institute of Industrial Economics and Trade analysed that foreign patients and their companions spent KRW 12.5 trillion in Korea last year. Of this, medical expenditures alone accounted for KRW 3.3 trillion. The domestic production inducement effect from medical tourism is estimated at KRW 22.8 trillion.

Medical tourists visiting Korea spend an average of 7.2 days in the country, with an average expenditure of KRW 7.75 million per person. This spending extends beyond hospital services to include accommodation, shopping, dining, wellness, and local tourism.

Korea Tourism Organization’s Marketing Efforts

The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) has played a central role in driving this growth through targeted international marketing. Last year, the KTO conducted 17 overseas marketing sessions across 10 countries, tailoring efforts to specific treatment demands in each market. These initiatives resulted in 12,882 consultations and KRW 19 billion in sales.

For the current year, the KTO plans to expand its strategic marketing to 20 sessions in 12 countries. New target markets include the United States, Thailand, Uzbekistan, and Saudi Arabia. The organisation is also focusing on second-tier cities such as St. Petersburg in Russia and Surrogate in Mongolia.

Key Source Markets and Regional Growth

China led in foreign patient numbers last year, with 619,000 visitors, followed by Japan with 600,000. These two countries together accounted for over 60 percent of the total. Taiwan showed significant growth, with 186,000 visitors, representing a 122.5% increase from the previous year. The United States market also reached 173,000 visitors, its highest number since 2009.

Southeast Asian markets are also growing. Thailand recorded 58,000 medical tourists, and Singapore had 43,000. Indonesia saw a 104.6% increase in medical tourists, and Malaysia experienced a 106.8% rise compared to the previous year.

An example of targeted marketing is a medical tourism product for Mongolian government officials from Erdenet. This 7-day, high-value package, priced at KRW 2 million (5.1 million Tugreek) per person, includes check-ups, skin care, night views in Gyeongju, yachting in Haeundae, and K-beauty shopping in Daegu.

Regional medical tourism is also expanding. Non-metropolitan areas saw notable increases last year, with Busan reporting a 151.5% rise, Jeju a 114.7% rise, and Daegu a 31.4% increase in medical tourism visitors.

Lee Dong-seok, head of the medical wellness team at the Korea Tourism Organization, stated that “Medical tourism is a high-value-added tourism sector that the corporation has steadily promoted based on public-private cooperation with overseas branch networks.” He added that the KTO intends to “diversify the country, region, and medical fields and expand convergence products that combine medical care, wellness, shopping, and local tourism.”

HTN Analysis

The projected growth to 2.01 million foreign patients by 2025, with a KRW 22.8 trillion domestic production inducement, confirms Korea’s strategic shift from a recovery phase to aggressive market expansion. This is not solely an organic “K-pop effect,” but a direct outcome of the Korea Tourism Organization’s targeted, high-yield marketing initiatives, evidenced by the KRW 7.75 million average spend per patient and specific high-value packages, such as the KRW 2 million Mongolian government official programme. The deliberate expansion into secondary cities and new markets like Saudi Arabia and the United States suggests a focus on diversification and higher-spending patient segments.

While the patient volume and economic impact figures are significant, they are projections for 2025, and the specific medical specialities driving growth in these new markets are not detailed. Understanding which procedures or conditions attract high-spending patients from the US or Saudi Arabia would provide clearer insight into the competitive positioning. The sustained year-on-year growth in Taiwan and the US, alongside strong Southeast Asian increases, indicates successful market penetration, but the long-term sustainability of growth in non-metropolitan areas like Busan and Jeju also requires monitoring.

What to watch

  • The KTO’s success in converting strategic marketing sessions in new target countries (e.g., Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan) and second-tier cities into confirmed patient volumes and revenue.
  • Specific data on medical specialities or treatment categories that attract the highest-value patients, particularly from the US and Middle East.
  • Whether the regional growth in Busan, Jeju, and Daegu can continue to decentralise medical tourism away from Seoul, indicating a broader national capability.

The news signal for this article was referred from: https://www.mk.co.kr/en/culture/12042610