Puerto Vallarta is emerging as a major destination for medical tourism, one of the most innovative and profitable segments of tourism in the country.
The Secretary of Tourism of the State of Jalisco, Enrique Ramos Flores, at the opening of the Sixth Medical Tourism Convention 2015 in Puerto Vallarta, proposed that services in medical tourism be promoted in the next edition of the Tianguis Turistico 2016.
To attract medical tourism, it is necessary to talk about the benefits of each destination, especially Puerto Vallarta, which is becoming the “cradle of big business,” said Mayor Arturo Peña Dávalos, pointing out that the convention was first held in Puerto Vallarta.
Mexico is highly competitive in the field of medicine and medical services offered at high quality, said Jose Alfonso Rios, Deputy Director General of Tourism Innovation Projects at the Federal Secretary of Tourism, who was present and said that the country offers professional and friendly service to the people who come for medical treatment of any kind, which makes it “more bearable and less distressing”, which is a great advantage.
Mexico has more than a dozen destinations specialized in medical tourism, where touristic providers join medical care of the highest quality to meet the fields of oncology, orthopedics, cardiology, general surgery, plastic surgery and gastroenterology.
The International Joint Commission has accredited 7 hospitals in our country. In turn, the Federal Ministry of Health has provided certification for 105 hospitals, 98 of which are equivalent to international standards.
Puerto Vallarta took first place for medical tourism in Mexico in 2012 and has grown yearly at nearly 17%, surpassing even Cancun and the Riviera Maya.