K-Medical Mart
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) emerging as a mecca of “K Medical” hosted an event to promote the Korean medical industry and its competitiveness.
The 2017 UAE Dubai Korean Medical Wellness Tourism Expo hosted by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization was held at Intercontinental Hotel Dubai Festival City in Dubai of the UAE from 22 to 23 (local time).
"Korea's medical and wellness travel mart was held for three consecutive years in the UAE," said Kang Gyu-sang, head of the Korea Tourism Organization's Dubai branch. "Our goal is to attract more than one million Muslim tourists and 800,000 medical tourists by 2018."
In particular, this year's event was held as the Korea Medical Wellness Expo which combines medical tourism with wellness. The event was the expansion of the Korea International Medical Tourism Convention (KIMTC) which been held since 2008.
To this end, the Korea Tourism Organization operates a wide array of events such as a booth about Korean medical and wellness tourism, business-to-business (B2B) meetings between the local travel industry of the UAE and the Korean medical wellness industry, a travel talk show for those who enjoyed Korean medical wellness tourism programs, a medical wellness seminar for local ladies clubs and the promotion of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics among others.
The opening ceremony was followed by various cultural experiences including production of lacquerware souvenirs, virtual reality (VR) experiences, trying on Hanbok (traditional Korean dress), eating Korean foods and wellness experiences.
The event was participated in by 19 medical institutions including Gangnam Cha Hospital and Chaum Clinic, Bundang Seoul National University Hospital, Samsung Seoul Hospital, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul Asan Hospital, Daehang Hospital, Live Dental Hospital, Banobagi Plastic Surgery, Byu Plastic Surgery, Medipia Medipium, Jasaeng Oriental Hospital, and Jisaem Hospital, three wellness companies including the National Forestry Healing Center and Dongui Bogam Health Village and MMK Network which attract medical and wellness tourists.