Mérida has the potential to become a Medical Tourism powerhouse (Michelle Fridman)

The Secretariat of Tourism Development (Sefotur), headed by Michelle Fridman Hirsch, participated in the Tenth Congress of Medical Tourism held in Cozumel, Quintana Roo, where the official explained the different strategies that are being implemented to strengthen this segment that brought 5.3 billion USD into the country last year.

Fridman Hirsch participated in the panel entitled “Innovation and creativity, a challenge to diversify the tourist product of Mexico and attract high-level tourism“, prior to the inaugural event that was attended by the Federal Tourism Secretary, Miguel Torruco Marqués, who emphasized the importance of this subject.

“According to the Medical Tourism Association, treatments of cardiology, plastic surgery, ophthalmology, oncology and dentistry, are between 40 and 80 percent cheaper in Mexico than in the United States, as 80 percent of “medical tourists” that visit Mexico, come from that country”, said Torruco Marqués.

It should be noted that until 2018, Mexico was the second place in this sector with 1.2 million people, And this segment represents an economic spill of 100 billion USD worldwide.

Meanwhile, Fridman Hirsch said that one of the first actions to be developed is a coordinated plan with all the actors involved, that is, a cluster that has been working to develop strategies to boost medical tourism in the territory.

“Mérida, Yucatan has what it takes to become a benchmark in Medical Tourism, we have 11 private hospitals, of which two are certified; highly recognized doctors, we have the necessary infrastructure and tourist offer, we have an international airport with great air connectivity, a captive regional market, as well as a very important sector from Central America, not to mention a large number of “Snowbirds” from Canada, permanent and temporary residents from the United States, ” she added.

In this regard, the head of the Sefotur stressed the importance of continuing to train and professionalize service providers, including courses and workshops in English as a first step. Also, provide better care to travelers seeking treatments, evaluation and diagnosis processes, surgical interventions, rehabilitation or therapy.

In front of his counterparts Marisol Venegas from Quintana Roo, Jorge Manos Esparragoza from Campeche and Fernando Oliver Rocha from Tamaulipas, as well as the mayor of Cozumel, Pedro Oscar Joaquín Delbouis, and representative Luis Alegre; Fridman delved into the importance of making a diagnosis and ” thus be able to create public policies that help strengthen tourism so that it can attract higher figures in the indicators of all segments and therefore generate better results for the whole Yucatan Peninsula. ”

On the other hand, the head of SEFOTUR reaffirmed her commitment to continue working jointly for the sustainability of this industry in the state, and for the benefit of all the sectors that participate in it, in order to provide a better quality of life for the people of Yucatán.

The forum, cataloged as one of the most important in Latin America, featured 1,300 business meetings of Mexican, American and Canadian buyers, according to data released by the president of the organizing committee, Carlos Arceo.

Arceo said that “Medical Tourism is the fastest growing segment in the country and the only one that grows even in times of crisis, since it has no problems of temporary nature and is a segment that does not depend on seasons or vacational periods.”

The Yucatan Times Newsroom

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