The growing trend for tourists to visit countries for medical reasons as well as for pleasure seems set to continue with Tunisia tapping into the medical tourism market.
Tunisia is already a popular destination for tourism, welcoming 6.4 million holidaymakers who bring $1.98 billion to the North African nation's economy.
However, there are indications that larger numbers of people are travelling to Tunisia for medical reasons.
Reports on Reuters cite the case of Melinda Tricoli, who visited Tunisia for correctional surgery following a botched stomach flattening operation conducted in France.
Slim Ben Yeder of the Soukra Clinic in Tunis told the news agency: "There is a growing trend for plastic surgery in Tunisia. It could become a hub for medical tourism."
The global trend for health tourism is strong and growing annually. Currently more than 250,000 patients visit Singapore each year, close to 50 per cent from the Middle East, for treatment.
Estimates indicate that close to half a million foreign patients will seek treatment in India this year, compared to 150,000 in 2002. By 2012 it is thought that health tourism could earn the subcontinent up to $2.2 billion per year.
Countries such as Tunisia, Argentina, Costa Rica, Cuba, South Africa, Jordan, Malaysia, Hungary, Latvia and Estonia are all vying to become the next popular medical tourism destination of choice.
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Tunisia taps into 'medical tourism'
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