外國旅客赴韓就醫人次創歷史新高
Korea sees record high in inbound medical tourists

海擇短評 Haize Comment：

韓國政府近期公告外國旅客赴韓就醫總人次，該數據創下歷史新高；而在2023年全球赴韓旅客1,103萬，僅為2019年的63%(1,750萬)的背景下，韓國醫療旅遊的增長使得該細分領域更為亮眼。

根據韓國保健福祉部(보건복지부)數據，2023年韓國共接收了60.6萬名外籍患者，這些患者並非以韓國公民或受僱員工身分使用韓國國民健康保險，而是以旅客身分，自費從海外來韓國接受醫療服務。該總數較2022年的24.8萬人次增長了144%，也較疫情前高峰(2019年)的49.7萬人次高出22%，創下韓國2009年允許醫療機構接收外國患者以來的歷史新高。

海擇資本將從198個國家赴韓國進行醫療旅遊的旅客以不同維度簡略區分如下：

1. 從客源地看：日本以18.8萬名旅客位居榜首，佔31%；其次是中國，有11.2萬名旅客，佔18.5%；再次分別為美國、泰國、蒙古，旅客數與占比分別為7.7萬名(12.7%)、3.1萬名(5.1%)、2.2萬名(3.6%)。

2. 從目的地城市看：主要是首爾(78.1%)，加計首爾周邊地區則為88.9%。

3. 從醫療行為看：35.2%選擇接受皮膚科相關治療，16.8%接受整形手術。

國際醫療旅遊是高技術、高投入、高毛利的觀光活動項目。亞洲以泰國、新加坡、印度較早發展醫療旅遊，但韓國成效則有後來居上之勢。韓國將醫療旅遊制訂為國家政策，目前已經建立品牌優勢。根據第三方數據推算，全球醫療旅遊市場產值在2022-2029年間，能以約15%的年複合年增長率成長，而醫療旅遊所對標的服務一般以癌症治療、整形手術和生育治療為主，韓國醫療旅遊的產業鏈在旅遊與投資上的後續潛力值得留意。

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 The South Korean government recently announced that the number of foreigners visiting Korea for medical purposes has reached an all-time high. Despite the total number of international visitors in 2023 being only 63% (11.03 million) of the 2019 figure (17.5 million), the growth in medical tourism has made this sector particularly noteworthy.

According to data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, in 2023, South Korea hosted 606,000 foreigners who were not using the national health insurance as Korean citizens or employed workers but came as tourists paying out-of-pocket for medical services. This total represents a 144% increase from 248,000 in 2022 and a 22% increase from the pre-pandemic peak of 497,000 in 2019, setting a new record since the allowance of medical institutions to accept foreign patients in 2009.

Haize Capital has categorized the travelers from 198 countries who visit South Korea for medical service into different dimensions as follows:

1. By source: Japan leads with 188,000 visitors, accounting for 31%; followed by China with 112,000 visitors, making up 18.5%; and then the USA, Thailand, and Mongolia with 77,000 (12.7%), 31,000 (5.1%), and 22,000 (3.6%) visitors respectively.

2. By destination city: The majority are concentrated in Seoul (78.1%), with the inclusion of the surrounding areas totaling 88.9%. 

3. By medical services: 35.2% opt for dermatological treatments, and 16.8% undergo cosmetic surgeries.

International medical tourism is a high-tech, high-investment, and high-margin activity. In Asia, Thailand, Singapore, and India were early developers of medical tourism, but South Korea has emerged as a strong competitor. South Korea has designated medical tourism as a national policy and has established a brand advantage. According to third-party data, the global medical tourism market is expected to grow at an annual compound growth rate of about 15% from 2022 to 2029. The services typically associated with medical tourism include cancer treatment, cosmetic surgery, and fertility treatments. The potential for further development in tourism and investment within South Korea's medical tourism industry chain is noteworthy.

                                                                        

標籤 Label： Korea  Tourism  Inbound  Medical