MACAU is becoming a hotspot for health tourism. The use of traditional Chinese medicine, combined with Macau’s luxury accommodation, attracts international and local visitors from China.
Macau has 22 Forbes five-star hotels, allowing guests to recover and heal after treatments in luxury.
Apart from health tourism, Macau is also an attractive destination for general tourism. Its famous blend of Portuguese and Chinese cultures and casino gambling make it a hotspot destination where medical travel companies can combine both health and travel tourism.
Research shows that many local Chinese tourists are interested in traveling to Macau for both health and leisure, meaning there is a huge opportunity for Macau to cash in on Chinese medical tourism.
The background of Macau’s healthcare
Macau’s healthcare sector is a mix of public and private hospitals such as Hospital Conde de São Januário and the Macau University of Science and Technology Hospital. The health sector is managed by the SSM Health Bureau.
Macau’s private healthcare centers have been expanding for some time and there are now has over 700 private clinics.
In terms of treatment, Macau is known for using a mix of traditional Chinese medicine, with many healthcare clinics offering herbal treatments and acupuncture as well as modern medical treatments like cosmetic and advanced diagnostics.
Macau’s healthcare has come a long way since the 20th century when the former Portuguese colony was returned to Chinese sovereignty.
Since 1999, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been included in the public healthcare system and it has always been a strong part of local practices. The combination of Western medicine and TCM has established Macau as a luxury health tourism destination for people interested in holistic treatments.
One of Macau’s outstanding healthcare features is that it appeals to international visitors, through medical visas and health tourism packages, and also offers some free services for its residents and aging population.
Statistics of Macau health tourism
In 2023, Macau, which has a population of 683,500, welcomed approximately 28.2 million visitors. However, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic the region had welcomed an average of 39 million visitors.
The health sector has grown over the last few years and seen developments like The Cotai Islands Healthcare Complex to care for the aging population and add new healthcare facilities.
This development will add 1,100 hospital beds. This will increase the number of hospital beds by 50%, thus paving the way for medical tourism.
Due to the high demand for internationally advanced medical equipment, Macau will offer more specialised treatments such as cosmetic surgery, cancer treatment, and health management at the complex from 2024 onwards.
This will appeal greatly to local tourists in the rest of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and will reduce the need for people within Macau to use medical travel companies outside of the country to get special medical treatment.
The developments of medical tourism in Macau
Since 2000, Macau has slowly been growing its medical tourism appeal, with upgraded healthcare facilities, vouchers that provide residents with free healthcare, and partnerships with global healthcare institutions like the WHO and MTA (Medical Tourism Association).
Despite obstacles such as language barriers and lack of quality accreditation in the early years, Macau has invested in its health sector. Multilingual staff are now provided in hospitals such as Kiang Wu Hospital.
International accreditation given to Kiang Wu Hospital and Macau University of Science and Technology Hospital by JCI is an indicator of the high-quality healthcare services Macau offers.
Recent developments such as the Cotai Islands Healthcare Complex and advancements of other medical modern technologies in hospitals are positioning Macau to become a healthcare hotspot in the coming years.
For example, some hospitals offer robotic surgery using the da Vinci Surgical System, and there is a growth of advanced diagnostic systems. More MRI CT scans are also being installed in hospitals, e.g. the Hospital Conde S. Januário and Kiang Wu Hospital.
It is well known that patients in Macau have a high level of satisfaction when it comes to healthcare.
The future trends of China medical tourism in Macau
With medically advanced equipment, new developments such as the Cotai Islands Healthcare Complex, and the high demand of people looking to combine holistic traditional Chinese herbal medicine with Western medicine, Macau is bound to see the onset of Chinese medical tourism in the coming years.
Macau has an impeccable standard of hygiene and health safety plus multilingual services due to the training of doctors and nurses. The next few years will see hospitals like the Complex offering specialised treatments.
With its luxury accommodation and amenities, low level of cost compared to European countries, streamlined visa processes along with easy connections to Mainland China, Macau is looking to see a health tourism boom.
Dr Jun Wen is a researcher focusing on interdisciplinary tourism research with health in the School of Business and Law at Edith Cowan University, Australia. His current research interests lie in global health, tourism marketing, and travel medicine.
Dr Ian Phau is John Curtin Distinguished Professor at Curtin University, Australia. His research interests include luxury branding and hospitality, country image and tourism.
