While traditional destinations such as Eastern Europe, South-East Asia and South America have cornered the medical tourism market for at least the past decade, the increasing size and buying power of the medical tourist segment is enticing governments, corporates and private medical practices to invest in their domestic tourism trade, and thus the emergence of previously unthought-of medical tourism destinations. A key variable in this phenomenon is that while overall global spending on healthcare has increased dramatically as investors realise the potential of the healthcare demand, this is however particularly more evident in emerging markets. Emerging nations, such as those in Africa where the population is largely debt free and with increasing wages, are seeing their Governments faced with increasing demand for services and as a result have turned to the private sector to fulfil these needs. This of course is opening the doors for corporate infrastructure and high standards of care. The African continent is a prime example of an emerging medical tourism destination, with the health tourism sector truly evolving to offer a unique tourism destination with high standard medical care. While South Africa is leading this charge, and Tunisia is becoming increasingly more popular with European medical tourists, it is actually the newest players on the field that are most interesting to watch such as Kenya, Mauritius and Uganda. Kenya is slowly creeping its way in as the first of the lesser-contemplated African destinations truly taking the initial steps for establishing themselves as a competitive medical tourism destination. The Kenyan Government is currently trying to diversify their economies and move themselves into a more services focused economy. Thus they see medical tourism as a valuable investment. Along with the adoption of marketing strategies by the Kenya Tourism Board and the Ministry of Tourism that saw Internet and television campaigns targeting China and Russia, Kenya has also seen huge investment in establishing an international standard of medical offerings by both government and private sources. Such facilities as the relatively brand new 102-bed Karen Hospital, the Kenyatta National Hospital and the 302-bed Nairobi Hospital, have all seen massive spending to bring around the newest equipment and highly trained personnel. Medical tourists in Kenya can now receive treatments from cosmetic, dental and orthopedic surgery through to fertility treatment and heart transplants. In addition, Kenya is also positioning itself for the medical spa and alternative medicine market, with the Government establishing a registration and licensing scheme for traditional herbalists, and their landscape offering up a plethora of fauna, and even mud, with medicinal properties. But the questions is, are nations such as Kenya barking up the wrong tree trying to take on the medical tourism powerhouses of India, Thailand and Mexico? Well, not necessarily. Two of the key drivers of a medical tourist are price and quality, and with large investments in international standard medical facilities and very affordable treatment and accommodation costs for many foreigners, there is great potential for Kenya and other emerging nations of Africa. Furthermore, a draw card for a medical tourism destination is of course the destination itself, and while others offer tropical beaches and golden sands, only Africa can offer the unique tourism experience of the wildlife and landscapes that it envelops. Kenya alone is home to savannahs, tropical beaches and coral reefs, snow capped mountain peaks, dense forests, and is Africa's original safari destination.
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