Incheon City Holds Medical Tourism Briefing in Mongolia for the First Time in 5 Years... 22 Institutions Including Hospitals Participate

Incheon City and Incheon Tourism Organization announced on the 1st that they held a dedicated Incheon medical tourism briefing session in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on the 31st.

The city visited Mongolia with 46 members from 22 organizations, including 17 medical institutions, as part of the Incheon medical tourism joint marketing cooperation group to secure the attraction of overseas medical tourists in the rapidly recovering international medical tourism market due to the COVID-19 endemic.

The event was organized to promote the excellence of Incheon medical tourism and expand networks with local organizations. At the briefing session resumed after five years since 2018, they achieved 434 business consultations, 35 attraction contracts, and 10 business agreements between major national hospitals, private hospitals, state-owned enterprises, and medical tourism agencies.

The event was divided into two parts. In the first part, introductions to Incheon medical tourism and medical institutions were given, and the Mongolian government presented a certificate of appreciation for Incheon City's sharing medical services.

In particular, the story of two Mongolian children suffering from congenital scoliosis and syndactyly who found a new life through Incheon's sharing medical services was introduced. To commemorate Mongolian Children's Day (June 1), a child receiving treatment expressed gratitude, fostering a favorable image of Incheon's excellent medical technology and the city itself.

The Mongolian government presented certificates of appreciation to Incheon City, the first Korean local government to practice sharing medical services, the supporting organization Incheon Tourism Organization, and medical institutions Incheon St. Mary's Hospital and International St. Mary's Hospital. This was also broadcast by local Mongolian media.

In the second part, conducted as a B2B and B2C event, over 140 organizations including local Mongolian governments, medical institutions, the Mongolian Tourism Association, the Mongolian Korean Tourism Association, and local agencies participated to strengthen networks with Incheon medical institutions.

An Incheon Medical Tourism Presentation is being held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. May 31, 2023.
[Photo by Incheon City]

Mongolian medical tourists visiting Incheon are characterized by a high number of patients with severe illnesses such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases seeking treatment. The city analyzed that this reflects Incheon's regional advantages, including its geographical proximity to the airport and the presence of many hospitals equipped with specialized medical technologies.

Meanwhile, the number of foreign medical tourists visiting Incheon sharply dropped from 24,864 in 2019 to 5,279 in 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak but has gradually increased to 7,905 last year.

The city stated that inquiries from foreign patients wishing to visit Incheon have also surged recently as the international medical tourism market recovers in line with the COVID-19 endemic period.

Kim Seok-cheol, Director of the Health and Welfare Bureau of Incheon City, said, "This briefing session was a great opportunity to promote the excellence of Incheon medical tourism by actively cooperating with the Mongolian government and local media in the rapidly recovering medical tourism market." He added, "We will continue to focus on proactive and strategic marketing to establish Incheon as a global medical tourism hub city."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.