New focus on the health tourism

The Beijing-based Utour Group has made major inroads in health tourism.

Yu Hui, Utour's vice-president, says: "Our products which are focused on consultation abroad are very well received."

Tours offering health checks in Japan, Finland, Germany and the United States are very popular, according to Yu.

Many health travelers also want anti-aging treatment in Switzerland and Ukraine, and assisted reproduction treatments in Ukraine, Abu Dhabi and Thailand.

Now, Utour is targeting destinations with distinctive health preservation programs.

So, travelers in China can opt for a 15-day stay on Lushan Mountain in Jiangxi province, where therapeutic treatments are arranged.

Those who want to go abroad can go to hot springs in Japan, or to the seaside in Sochi, Russia.

Medical facilities and tour operators abroad are also eyeing the Chinese market.

Victoria Travel and Coach Tour Pte Ltd from Singapore has recently shifted focus to the Chinese health tourism market after being in the travel market over more than 20 years.

The company now takes Chinese to experience the medical resources in Singapore while arranging fun programs on the side.

"We schedule appointments with local hospitals for our clients and plan activities for a day or two afterward," says Lie Wan Fong, an operations executive with the travel agency.

"Travelers can also go on their own, but it will cost them more," Lie says, adding that they have links with the hospitals, so the costs are lower.

She believes that the health tourism has big potential, considering the number of Chinese travelers going to Singapore for leisure and shopping.

The Shinwa Medical Resort in Japan has been receiving Chinese visitors on a regular basis in recent years.

"We've found that an increasing number of Chinese are now putting a premium on preventive medicine," the resort's marketing manager Ezaki Tatsoto says at the Beijing health tourism expo, where he was also approached by many Chinese organizations.

Explaining why many Chinese go abroad for medical treatment, he says: "Chinese medical facilities are just as good, but people might get a longer time with a doctor in Japan."

For now, cancer screening and vaccine shots are the most popular with Chinese visitors, according to Tatsoto.

The facility now offers a two-day trip featuring health checks in Tokyo or a leisure resort stay at Miyakojima in Okinawa.

The costs range from 100,000 to 500,000 yen ($943 to $4,715), in addition to translation and other costs, such as hotel and transportation.

Explaining why he was at the expo, Tatsoto says: "We have come here to see what the Chinese need and to develop more (pertinent) programs."

Tatsoto says his facility's goal is to receive 30,000 Chinese travelers a year.