The Health Tourism Department of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) successfully organized the first group meeting for members of Dubai Health Experience (DXH). The meeting, which was held virtually and discussed various initiatives and efforts to continue enhancing Dubai’s position as a premier health tourism destination.

Mohamed Al Mheiri, Director, Dubai Health Tourism Department, DHA, pointed out that the DXH.ae website received more than 30,000 unique users on a quarterly basis in 2020–searching for key specialties such as dental, cosmetic ophthalmology and fertility treatments. The DXH portal provides comprehensive information about health tourism services, member offerings and complete details that you would need when planning a journey to Dubai for health tourism purposes.

Dubai’s growing preference placed in the emirate for health tourism attributed to the presence of advanced infrastructure developed for healthcare and the various wellness pursuits, which follows the vision of consolidating Dubai’s position as a global health and wellness destination.

He added, “Dubai is ranked as the number one medical tourism destination in the Arab world and among the top six medical tourism destinations in the world in 2020–a result of the combined efforts of both public and private sector. In addition, the medical tourism demographics show that 37 per cent from Asian countries, 28 per cent from Arab and Gulf countries, 17 per cent of visitors are from Europe, 10 per cent from the Americas, and the remaining 10 per cent are from other parts of the world.”

Jeff Strachan, Business Development Director, Dubai College of Tourism, Dubai Tourism, introduced the new online training programme on health tourism that was developed in partnership with the Dubai College of Tourism. The course aims to simplify the understanding of health tourism, as well  the city’s diverse offerings, and interested candidates can follow the course from anywhere in the world.

The course, which is now available via the online training platform, ‘Dubai Way’,  aims to provide an enriching learning experience as well as share the latest information about the city of Dubai and its health tourism offerings.

The ‘Introduction to Health Tourism’ course offers practical guidance via interactive videos, activities and specially designed assessments to help professionals learn about the globally recognized standards of the health tourism journey. The course also provides information about Dubai’s diverse destination offerings  for an enhanced experience for the health tourist during the treatment period.

Essa Bin Hadher, General Manager of Dubai College of Tourism, also commented: “The effective management of the pandemic across the city under the guidance of our visionary leadership has helped highlight the world-class health infrastructure, systems and services that are available in Dubai. We are pleased to partner with the Health Tourism Department at Dubai Health Authority to further enhance their Dubai Health Experience initiative, as part of efforts to boost the city’s position as a medical tourism hub. The new programme dedicated to health tourism also reflects Dubai College of Tourism’s commitment to develop online training modules to empower professionals with the necessary skill sets to successfully navigate the current situation while showcasing Dubai as a safe, must-visit destination.”

“The full value offered by health tourism decreases if it does not come with the support that it needs to further grow and develop. The growth of this sector in the emirate is directly proportional to the high-quality infrastructure and the services offered. We continue to grow strong because of the presence of world-class hospitals and highly-qualified healthcare professionals in Dubai,” Al Mheiri concluded.