DHA 'to offer special deals to attract medical tourists'
The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) is going that extra mile to attract medical tourists to the emirate, by offering special wellness and cosmetic surgery packages.
To advertise these deals, the organisation has launched the 'Be Beautiful in Dubai' marketing campaign, which will be promoted in July and August, the Khaleej Times reports.
A dedicated website will be created for the packages, with procedures being carried out in September and October, according to Dr Layla Al Marzouqi, director of the Health Regulation and the Dubai Medical Tourism Initiative at the DHA.
In an interview with the website, she said: "We can say that the sector is growing by 12 to 15 per cent each year. Cosmetic procedures are among the fastest growing and the most popular among medical tourists visiting Dubai."
Dr Al Marzouqi added that the medical packages will be promoted through the campaign's website and the DHA's social media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook.
"For this, we are planning to target a specific market to come to Dubai for wellness and cosmetic surgeries. The packages we are going to put for them will include accommodation, visa and insurance as well," she explained.
The DHA has hired an expert to help it promote medical tourism in Dubai globally, who will stay with the organisation for six months to help put the emirate "on the map" in the sector. He will advise on the upcoming travel insurance scheme and aid in positioning "the fastest-growing city in medical tourism in the world."
Furthermore, the DHA is making strides in creating a brand name for its medical tourism strategy, with the new website to include unique logos and smart application. Dr Al Marzouqi said the site will be like a basket, as it will offer all services in one place.
She explained that her organisation believes Dubai is among the few countries where the government has taken an active interest in promoting medical tourism, which it hopes will help it achieve its goal of attracting 20 million visitors a year by 2020.
Dr Al Marzouqi added that people across the world are interested in the initiatives being undertaken by the DHA, with the organisation being approached by countries such as Tunis, Greece and Turkey to talk about the 'Dubai experience' at conferences.
"People are already contacting us from Eastern Europe and asking us to participate in their conferences because of the name of Dubai," she noted.