As the number of medical tourists visiting South Korea surpassed 2 million for the first time last year, marketing efforts are intensifying to attract high-spending visitors from Russia and Central Asia, who spend significantly more than general tourists.
According to the Korea Tourism Organization on April 29, the agency conducted large-scale K-medical tourism promotional campaigns in Russia and Kazakhstan from April 17 to April 25. The campaign was designed to expand demand for inbound medical tourism, which has reached record levels, and to secure key customers from Russian-speaking regions, whose spending power is more than 40% higher than average.
Roadshows held in Moscow and St. Petersburg in Russia brought together 24 South Korean medical institutions and about 330 local participants for business consultations. In particular, the campaign targeted secondary cities such as St. Petersburg, a major hub in northwestern Russia, to diversify channels for attracting medical tourists.
At the Kazakhstan International Tourism Fair (KITF) in Almaty, eight South Korean medical specialists participated in private consultation sessions. Through one-on-one meetings with pre-registered participants, they introduced South Korea’s advanced medical services, while experiential events combining K-beauty and food were held at a major local shopping mall, showcasing Korean tourism to about 50,000 local consumers.
A total of 4,397 consultations were conducted during the campaign, leading to an estimated 346 contracts and projected revenue of about $3.9 million.
The organization plans to leverage the local networks established through the campaign to position South Korea as a long-stay tourism destination combining advanced medical technology and wellness services.
Meanwhile, the agency is continuing region-specific marketing strategies, including targeting high-net-worth individuals in China, hosting large-scale medical tourism events in Japan and exploring new markets such as Mongolia.
Lee Dong-seok, head of the Medical Wellness Team at the Korea Tourism Organization, said the agency aims to firmly establish South Korea as a destination that combines advanced medical technology with K-wellness tourism.