Medical & Wellness Travel Market Update
Author : D Edward Levy | Published On : 09 Mar 2026
The medical and wellness travel market continues its ramp upwards with final tallies for 2025 expected to value the market in the $140 billion (USD) area. This represents major growth over the last 5 years and CAGR of approximately 15%. Higher costs and longer wait times in home countries are driving demand for more affordable elective and non elective healthcare. Cosmetic procedures proved to be the most popular subcategory in 2025 with dental procedures a close second. For wellness and preventative care, Thailand and Germany were the top destinations while Mexico leads in dentistry and Turkey and South Korea held the 1 and 2 spots for cosmetic procedures. Spain dominated the fertility category with 16% of that specific market. The outlook remains positive as healthcare costs and capacity continue to see pressure in Western Economies and medical travelers look for other, more practical solutions for their healthcare needs.
Category Trends and Preferences
Medical Travel can be categorized into two distinct groups: elective and non-elective procedures. Non-elective are doctor or practitioner prescribed procedures and can cover anytime from dental procedures, cardiovascular healthcare, joints and body therapies, fertility therapies as well as diagnostic procedures such as MRI’s where wait times for exams can be lengthy in certain countries. Elective procedures refers to wellness and cosmetic therapies that are generally not prescribed. Wellness trips and cosmetic procedures dominate the medical travel category with most trips falling under the elective spectrum in the medical travel category. Current trends among consumers is to combine elements of leisure travel with the medical trip, elevating the overall experience. Many healthcare providers abroad are integrating local experiences and traditional travel spots with procedures, delivering a complete package of medical and leisure travel experiences to the growing consumer base. Rising demand for medical and wellness travel is also driving demand for companion technology that simplifies the complexities of planning healthcare trips. Increasing use of smartphone devices during travel has positioned them as the go-to travel accessories, especially for medical and wellness travelers that demand functionality and conveniences before, during and after the medical trip.
Mobile Devices and Consumer Experiences
Technology and travel have always had a close relationship but key milestones such as commercial internet usage and mass adoption of smartphone devices have had significant impacts on every facet of the travel industry. IATA’s recent Global Passenger Survey indicated that 70.5% of consumers use smartphone devices for travel research, planning, purchasing, navigation and communication while on the go. Rapid evolution in mobile device technology brings even more conveniences and benefits to the table and many of these functions can be effective and practical when it comes to medical travel planning and logistics. Within the elective and non-elective realms of medical tourism, organizing travel and accommodations while navigating foreign healthcare systems can be daunting and stressful but technology can simplify complex processes and provide critical resources to medical travelers while at the destination. Smartphone devices specifically are so well evolved with advanced capabilities, planning and fulfilling medical trips can be much less stressful and even elevate the overall experience for the user. As smartphone usage and adoption continues to ramp up, so will demand for functions and benefits from these devices.
medTOUR+assist Delivers In-Demand Conveniences and Benefits
The booming medical travel category has increased demand for accessory technology that reduces stress and eases planning and logistics of medical and wellness trips. medTOUR+assist is a new mobile app from Travel Technology Solutions that maximizes smartphone capabilities and delivers benefits and conveniences to medical travelers. From planning and organizing travel itineraries and accommodations to localized navigation, medTOUR+assist offers a suite of functions that simplifies the complexities of medical and wellness travel planning. medTOUR+assist provides one touch access to regional health care resources and the recent integration of WALT functionality offers concierge-like services when requesting information or resources. Advanced checklist features ensure all medical processes are noted and completed before, during and after the medical trip. medTOUR+assist can also organize and store important trip related documents, providing additional practical functionality. A companion desktop app increases accessibility when originating and planning medical and wellness travel. Online evaluations of medTOUR+assist will be available in mid Q2/2026.
Outlook for the Category
The medical and wellness travel category is experiencing robust growth and the outlook is even more positive with ITIJ forecasting a market valuation of $704.8 billion (USD) by 2033. Conversely, healthcare costs are never expected to decrease, driving demand in this niche area of the travel industry. Increasing demand for medical and wellness travel positively impacts demand for technology that works within the category. Mobile applications such as medTOUR+assist are specifically designed for medical travelers and offer an array of benefits and conveniences for before, during and after the medical or wellness trip. Navigating foreign healthcare systems creates its own set of complexities and stresses but medTOUR+assist aims to deliver functionality that simplifies the planning process and offers real benefits during and after the medical trip. Online evaluations are coming soon. Please visit the Evaluation Portal for updates: https://traveltechnologysolutions.net/EvalPortal/
