Thailand eyes to be medical, wellness tourism hub

BANGKOK, August 15 (TNA) - The Thai Ministry of Public Health has joined forces with Thai Airways International (THAI), the national flag carrier, to promote Thailand as an international hub for medical and wellness tourism, aimed to earn the Kingdom more tourism-related revenues. Dr. Boonruang Trairuangworawat, Director-General of the ministry's Department of Health Service Support, told journalists of the update on August 14. Under the agreed cooperation, Dr. Boonruang said, the promotion of Thailand as an international hub for medical and wellness tourism will be launched through THAI's in-flight entertainment system and on board Sawasdee Magazine. Dr. Boonruang noted that Thailand has comparative advantages in medical, wellness tourism potential over other countries in the region, and even in the world, in such aspects as having 52 hospitals with Joint Commission International Accredition Standards (JCI), the highest number in the ASEAN Community (AC), having the high number of specialists in each medical and wellness field namely medical treatment and beauty, having execellent and friendly services with reasonable prices and having advance medical technologies with short periods of treatment and recovery. According to the senior health official, Thailand's three most popular medical and wellness services among internaional visitors include health checkups, heart surgery, plastic surgery and dentistry. Besides, Thailand has comparative advantages in terms of naturally-charming tourist destinations, well-developed facilities for recuperating patients, and over 1,600 legalized and standardized traditional Thai massage and spa parlors. The senior health official acknowledged that traditional Thai massage is a national identity and has increasingly become popular among international tourists. (TNA)