Australia wants part of lucrative health trade

CAIRNS: Australia is set to make a push to the forefront of a health tourism global phenomenon estimated to be worth in excess of A$1.2 trillion ($1.5 trillion) with the signing of a landmark document.

More than 60 representatives from the tourism, health, medical and government sectors have issued a joint declaration to push into the untapped industry, expected to attract a new kind of big-spending tourist.

The declaration recognises the fast-growing health and wellness sector - which includes anything from surgery to day spas - and commits to develop Australia to be the number-one-quality health and wellness hub in the Asia-Pacific region.

Australian Tourism Export Council managing director Matt Hingerty said the promise, made following an ATEC conference on Thursday, was "landmark".

"For the first time we have a formal statement from tourism and health professionals agreeing to work together to build a viable new tourism sector for Australia," he said yesterday.

"Countries such as Singapore and Dubai are already investing billions in building new hospitals and other facilities to cater for the forecasted boom in medical travel in the decades to come."

Hingerty said Australia needed to start planning now to stop its medical graduates being lured offshore to countries where medical tourism was already booming as the world's population aged.

"The fact that the populations in all of our major source markets are ageing provides us with a new opportunity to attract high-spending overseas tourists to our shores," he said.

"Australia already boasts a private medical sector as good as anything found elsewhere and additional investment in private medical infrastructure will only improve this situation for the Australian public."

- AAP