Bulgaria Is Rising as a Medical Tourism Destination

Bulgaria has been underrated in terms of its place in the medical tourism industry, but it’s seen a boom in foreign patients arriving for medical treatment in recent years. According to the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Irena Georgieva, 26,300 foreign patients landed in Bulgaria in 2017 for medical treatment. In 2016, this number was over 47,500.

From an article found on novinite.com, Georgieva talks about the untapped potential of Bulgaria’s medical tourism industry. There were 7.5 million visits to Bulgaria by foreign tourists for treatment purposes, which is almost an 8% growth compared to the same period in 2016. “At the same time, foreign tourists visiting Bulgaria for treatment only, which is only part of medical tourism, were only about 26,300. For the whole of 2016 visits to this end were over 47,500, which is still untapped potential in different health directions.”

An important and potentially strong development area is still underdeveloped, but she indicates that this is only the beginning for Bulgaria’s medical tourism. “I think we have a potential for development. Second, these figures should be seen as a point of reference for us to organize our marketing and advertising. Not only we as the Ministry of Tourism, but also healthcare institutions, the Ministry of Health.”

“As a Tourism Ministry, we are convinced that this is one of the promising forms of tourism that can successfully complement the summer and winter holiday tourism. One of the goals of our ministry is to impose Bulgaria as a year-round tourist destination, an opportunity for health and medical tourism,” added Deputy Minister.

You can read the full article here.