“We had a ball … as long as you kept taking your painkillers” just how much tourism is there in medical tourism? Experiences of the patient tourist

The debate over 'medical tourism' versus 'travel for medical treatment' largely centres on the role of the voluntary leisure or touristic component. This study provides empirical evidence regarding the nature of leisure tourism occurring during medical travel, drawing on interviews with individuals who have returned from travel overseas for medical treatment. We identify four influences: the medical procedure; personal factors (e.g. travel experience, resilience, accompanying companions); destination factors; and financial matters. The most significant of these is the nature of the medical procedure, its level of invasiveness and requirements for post treatment recovery, and whether or not the patient-traveller suffered any complications. The 'hotel-isation' of hospitals ('hospitels') contributes to participants' perceptions of this type of travel being touristic in nature, even if no other conventional touristic activities are engaged in. We also observe similarities between medical tourism and business travel, both being hybrid forms of tourism, with variable leisure components.