A Strategic Look at Florida’s Medical Tourism Opportunities

Demographics, technology and the globalization of medicine are conspiring to give rise to more medical tourism and Florida is well positioned to capitalize on this trend. In addition to robust healthcare options and opportunities for health and wellness, our natural attributes and world-class hospitality lend themselves to “health and hospitality.” This report is intended to provide a strategic look and assessment of the opportunity in Florida.

Our findings conclude that:

Florida is already engaged in extensive medical tourism activities.
Growing our medical tourism market is best accomplished through specialized marketing and collaboration, focused on Florida’s competitive excellence (physicians, facilities, tools, trials and hospitality).
Fortunately, we find that growing Florida’s market and impact is possible without market intrusion.
Medical meetings provide a particularly powerful tool for growing our market and potentially for solving future healthcare challenges.
Finally, the virtuous cycle of expanded medical tourism leading to enhanced medical services and the recruitment or expansion of the growing medical device, pharma and life science industries moving to Florida which in turn further improves our health care capacity, our attractiveness to medical tourists and practitioners, and our broader economic diversification and quality of life points to this as a strong opportunity for Florida’s future.

To grow medical tourism, Florida should continue to focus on quality, affordable, timely and accessible care; develop skills in the unique nature of medical marketing; pay attention to connected community experience (from pre-visit to post-care); highlight our centers of excellence (physicians, facilities, tools, trials and hospitality); build Florida’s health and wellness brand; and take advantage of related economic development opportunities.