Resumen de Medical tourism, an opportunity for the Centro Hospitalar Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, located in a privileged region of natural mineral water
In the current context of great socio-economic difficulty, tourism has a truly strategic importance for the Portuguese economy thanks to its ability to create wealth and employment. After observing the international popularity of medical tourism and also - more recently - a growing interest for this niche market nationwide, Emanuel Ribeiro, employee of the Centro Hospitalar Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro of (CHTMAD) considered it appropriate to carry out an exploratory study in order to understand whether it was possible to implement the “medical tourism” product in his region (North of Portugal). He wondered if his employer would be interested in following this trend, that is, to invest in medical tourism; in this particular case their own medical expertise could be articulated with the know-how of local spas, using both therapeutic and / or well-being treatments, and overnight stays in hotels or in rural tourism units.
