With an aim to boost medical tourism in Thailand, a seminar was held at the Hormuz Grand Hotel recently.

Organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand in cooperation with the Thai Embassy in Muscat, the seminar was titled, ‘Seminar for Promoting Medical Tourism’. The main aim of the event was to promote existing cooperation between Thailand and Oman in the field of tourism and provide an opportunity for business matching for investors from both sides.

Eleven Thai private sector entities participated in the event including Phayathai Hospital, Vitallife Wellness Center at Bumrungrad Hospital, Al Meroz (the first halal hotel in Thailand), and Sheraton Hotel. H E Jesda Katavetin, Ambassador of Thailand to Oman said, “For many years, tourism has been one of the most successful industries of Thailand.

In 2015, we attracted 29.8mn visitors and earned approximately US$40bn. A lot of thanks to Omani travellers who have made Oman one of our fastest growing tourism markets in the GCC. In fact, Thailand welcomed more than 85,000 Omanis last year, with an increase of 13 per cent compared to the previous year. We hope our country will have a chance to welcome more Omani tourists in the coming years.”

H E Katavetin added, “In addition to a 30-day tourist visa exemption, Thailand has also offered a multiple-entry visa with  six months validity and entitlement to stay for a period of 60 days at a time for Omanis. And for those who wish to get medical treatment in Thailand, they can apply for a 60-day medical tourist visa, which can be renewed up to six months depending on supporting documents from hospitals. These options reflect how serious we are on facilitate entries of Omanis to Thailand.”

The delegation from Thailand was headed by Tanes Petsuwan.

Petsuwan said, “Our internationally acclaimed hospitals offer a wide range of high-quality, patient-centric medical services from orthopaedics, cardiology, cosmetic surgery to dentistry at affordable prices. Many hospitals out of 200 international standard hospitals and clinics, have Arabic-speaking interpreters as well as American and European board doctors and nurses. So, I hope that you still keep Thailand on top of your mind for your next retreat.”

Source: Muscatdaily