Turkish Airlines Highlights Major Medical Tourism Push

DALLAS — Harnessing a massive route network, Turkish Airlines (TK) aims to open Turkish healthcare to the world.

Airways attended a Nov. 28 conference in Miami, where TK Chairman Dr. Ahmet Bolat led a panel highlighting the cooperation between the airline and the Turkish healthcare industry in the expansion of the medical tourism sector. TK aims to attract 2 million American tourists to Türkiye in 2023 amid a broader tourism push.

Joined by Dr. Uygar Üstün of the Medipol Health Group and Deniz Yücel of the Medical Park Health Group, Dr. Bolat referenced both the growth of TK and high-quality Turkish healthcare, bolstered by a "150-year-old healthcare education system" with services accessible in "20 different languages and 30 different dialects."

The conference highlighted "Heal in Türkiye," a unique collaboration between Turkish Airlines and the Turkish healthcare industry with the goal of promoting medical tourism in Türkiye. Photo: Brent Foster / Airways

Air-to-Ground Collaboration

TK is assisting a national effort to attract a total of 2 million medical tourists from around the globe to Türkiye in 2023, with the potential to net the country billions of dollars in revenue.

Specifically, TK is partnering with the Turkish healthcare industry to promote "Heal in Türkiye," a package offering medical tourists a roundtrip flight to Türkiye along with an Executive Check-up, a day-long guided tour, and 5 days of "four-star" hotel accommodation.

The Executive Check-Up will include a broad array of medical services for both men and women from dental to respiratory and cardiological examinations. It is broadly designed to introduce international medical tourists to the Turkish healthcare system.

"Turquoise" by artist Ardan Özmenoğlu, who utilized Post-It® notes to depict a Turkish Airlines aircraft. Photo: Brent Foster / Airways — The conference preceded a Turkish Airlines Gala Dinner hosted on Nov. 29, the airline aims to attract 2 million American tourists to Türkiye in 2023. Photo: Brent Foster / Airways

An American Push

Medical tourism in Türkiye has traditionally relied upon travelers from surrounding countries in the Middle East and Europe but Dr. Bolat expressed a hope that "U.S. citizens try [Turkish] medical facilities."

Dr. Bolat further expressed a hope that American medical tourists will appreciate the "affordability" of the Turkish healthcare system. He further described Türkiye as "an ideal destination for combining health tourism with other types of tourism whether it's a visit to a beach or a cultural center" and emphasized the "suitable climate" and "hospitality" of the country.

As the largest network carrier in the world with a modern fleet and a growing American presence, TK has the potential to connect millions of tourists to Türkiye with economic benefits spread across the service industry in 2023.

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Featured image: Dr. Uygar Üstün, Dr. Ahmet Bolat, and Deniz Yücel present a raffle winner with a trip to Türkiye as part of the new Executive Check-up Program. Photo: Brent Foster/Airways