Supported by the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) and the Ministry of Tourism, ELITOUR (Greek Medical Tourism Council) participated for the first time as a Gold Sponsor in one of the largest international medical tourism exhibitions, the International Medical Travel Exhibition Conference (IMTEC) 2015, 7-8 October, held in Dubai. ELITOUR’s team comprised the following five ELITOUR members: IASO Group, Athens Medical Group, Euromedica Group, Eurodentica Specialized Dental Care and Zante Medical Care.

The International Medical Travel Exhibition Conference (IMTEC) is annually held in Dubai and constitutes a unique platform where the participants can promote their healthcare services in the rapidly developing field of medical tourism, network and conclude agreements. With this year’s participation of more than 100 exhibitors, the exhibition is rendered as one of the most important of its kind on a global scale.

Namely, the exhibitors were hospitals and clinics (19%), travel agencies (16%), medical assistance companies and facilitators (14%), states (13%), insurance companies (12%), hotels and travel agencies (9%), spas (7%), etc.

There were participators from the USA (5%), Europe (18%), the Middle East (54%), Africa (8%) and Asia (15%). In terms of countries, most of the participations were from the UAE (25), Turkey (15), Spain (7), Germany (7), Cyprus (6), etc.

The results were impressive: More than 100 appointments were realized with medical tourism coordinators, hospitals, clinics, dental centers, insurance providers and others. At the same, our international network was significantly enriched, as we held meetings with representatives of companies and institutions operating in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Pakistan, China, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, South Africa, Switzerland, Russia, India, Egypt, Great Britain, Germany, Korea, Ukraine, Namibia, Kuwait, USA, Uzbekistan, Belarus and many others.

There was a strong interest in many medical specialties: In-vitro Fertilization, Plastic Surgery, Rehabilitation, Dentistry, Ophthalmology, major surgical procedures (oncology, neurosurgery, vascular surgery, cardiac surgery, etc), routine medical procedures (check-ups, cataracts, arthroplasties, etc)

Moreover, interviews were given to local TV channels. An important event was the re-election of Greece, via Mr. Antonis Vlachousis, Vice-President of ELITOUR, as Vice-President of the Global Healthcare Travel Council.

Many other actions are already being designed for the future such as holding roadshows in 3 cities (Athens, Heraklion and Thessaloniki), in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism, hosting of the 2017 Global Conference of Medical Tourism in Greece-the international education program in professional specialization and accreditation for Medical Tourism Coordinators in Greece-, organizing webinars with Maria Todd, the International Healthcare Industry Expert, and many more.

Mr. Georgios Stamatiou, President of ELITOUR, stated: ‘I cordially thank all the representatives of the healthcare units who trusted this initiative right from the beginning, and all as a team managed to make our country stand out and now constitute a world-renowned destination in the field of medical tourism. The excellent organization along with the professionalism exhibited by all members of the team, gave Greece its most dynamic presence to date, in a prestigious international conference, and set the foundation for the further development of a field our country can undoubtedly excel in. I would also like to thank the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) and the Ministry of Tourism for their constant support; a support, however, that has to become more active and the Greek State should be an effective assistant throughout this effort of ours’.

The representatives of the healthcare units who participated in the exhibition, stated:

‘We are proud that for the first time Greece had an excellently organized and dynamic presence in an international exhibition, a constitution in the field of medical tourism. The interest shown in our country and its services was strong and quite encouraging for the years to come. ELITOUR’s work creates the solid foundation for the development of a very promising field’, Christina Tampourea, Commercial Director at IASO Group.

‘It is the first time that distinguished Private Healthcare providers act coordinately in the context of an extrovert national effort. We are and shall remain true supporters of this effort in the field of Medical Tourism, which can constitute one of the rising stars in the Greek Economy’, Apostolos Economou, Project Coordinator and Organizer at Athens Medical Group.

‘We felt an exceptional pleasure being at ELITOUR’s team stand, where we shared experiences, prospects and moments of joy with the rest members of the Greek team. We do consider that following this significant presence of ELITOUR, the field of Medical Tourism in Greece shall open soon and thrive’, Nikolaos Kouvelas, CEO at EURODENTICA, Assistant Professor of Dentistry, University of Athens.

‘The excellent presence of ELITOUR and the carefully organized and well-located stand, assisted to the greatest extent in holding interesting meetings with industry executives. This is the proper way to set the foundation for future partnerships, which, with the help of the private sector’s coordinated efforts, shall place Greece in the map of medical tourism, too’. Thanos Koios, CEO at GENESIS, EUROMEDICA Group

About ELITOUR

ELITOUR (Greek Medical Tourism Council) is a non-governmental organization. Its primary aim is to promote Medical Tourism in Greece and co-operate with respective bodies abroad.

Founded by the biggest private healthcare providers in the country, it has created a cluster of reliable, state-of-the-art healthcare units and entities from several industries such as airlines, insurance companies, travel agencies, facilitators, hotels, advertising companies, business consultants and certification bodies, all covering the whole spectrum of medical tourism throughout Greece.

ELITOUR is a founding member of the Global Healthcare Travel Council

For more press information, please contact:
Ms. Christina Korovesi, tel.:210 6383955, E-mail: [email protected]