Ethiopian medical and wellness tourism strategic road map

Abstract

Medical tourism occurs when an individual travels across borders to seek medical treatment, whereas wellness tourism is associated with the pursuit of maintaining or enhancing one’s well-being. This includes rest, disease prevention and management, and lifestyle enhancements. Medical tourism has two components: inbound and outbound, with an estimated global industry size of $100 billion and a market growth rate of 10-20% per annum. In East Africa, research evidence suggests that an addressable market size of more than $175 million could be generated from medical tourism alone. Ethiopia has significant competitive advantages to become one of Africa’s most preferred and leading medical tourism destinations within the next 5-10 years.