Uniquely addresses the world’s greatest current surge in medical tourism; announces dates, venue Shanghai, 7th February 2017: China’s premier outbound medical tourism event, MediWorld – China International Medical Travel Show, today announced it will take place at the Portman Ritz-Carlton in Shanghai’s exclusive Jing’an district, Friday 12th May to Sunday 14th May 2017. This timely exhibition and conference is expected to attract more than 5,000 affluent Chinese visitors with an interest in overseas travel for medical, wellness, fertility, anti-aging and beauty treatments, as well as 2,000 healthcare practitioners, hospital managers and medical tourism industry professionals from China and many other countries. More than 50 of the world’s leading international hospitals and clinics, second opinion providers, medical tourism facilitators, and online health and telemedicine platforms from the US, the UK, Europe and Asia-Pacific are expected to exhibit at MediWorld to meet prospective customers, start a dialogue with Chinese partners and gain their share of the huge Chinese healthcare market. The MediWorld theme, “Where China meets the world of medical tourism” captures the intent and essence of the event. China is a rapidly growing outbound medical tourism market already worth over USD10 billion[1] and motivated by quality of care and travel experiences – not cost. A wave of medical travellers from China, with over 500,000 trips made in 2016[1], is being driven by major changes in demographics, epidemiology and an increasing ability to spend on medical care. (Source: [1] Global Growth Markets) The MediWorld conference is an important aspect of the event, with a carefully thought-out program featuring world-class speakers from leading Chinese and international healthcare providers and other important stakeholders such as insurers, technology providers, investors and law firms. The two days of learning and networking will bring delegates up to speed on the latest strategies and opportunities in the industry – from both the business and clinical perspectives. “High acuity Chinese patients seek treatment overseas to access new or experimental drugs and innovative technologies. I’m seeing a significant rise of the Chinese patient in healthcare destinations everywhere-from expensive elective procedures, to health check-ups and wellness treatments combined with an international business trip or a memorable travel experience,” said Josef Woodman, CEO of Patients Beyond Borders and member of the MediWorld Board of Advisors. Many high net worth Chinese patients look to locations such as the US, the UK, Germany, Turkey, Israel, Japan and Singapore for high quality health services and their reputation for medical excellence. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of affluent patients are heading to nearby Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan for health check-ups and wellness treatments, in addition to cosmetic surgery, dental treatment and elective ophthalmology or orthopaedic procedures. The relaxation of China’s one-child policy is also boosting travel for IVF, birth tourism and surrogacy, especially to Southeast Asia, the US and Canada. For private hospitals and healthcare businesses with plans to expand into China, medical tourism is an ideal first step into the market and acts as a valuable pre-cursor to direct investment. It creates a natural channel for developing an understanding of Chinese private sector patients and building relationships with business partners, all while delivering a lucrative stand-alone revenue stream. For more information, contact: China: Nicole Huang [email protected] +86 21 6217 0505 ext 111 UK: Pete Read [email protected] +44 773 986 5080 About MediWorld – China International Medical Travel Show MediWorld is an unprecedented networking and learning event bringing together affluent Chinese health travellers, international hospitals and clinics, referring doctors, medical tourism facilitators, destination tourism organisations, online medical travel platforms, insurers and China’s private hospitals. Further info: www.chinamediworld.com About Comexposium MediWorld is organised by the Comexposium Group, a top-five global event organiser involved in more than 170 B2C and B2B events across 11 different sectors, including healthcare, food, agriculture, fashion, security, digital, construction, high-tech, optics and transport. Comexposium hosts more than 3 million visitors and 45,000 exhibitors. Further info: www.compexposium.com About Global Growth Markets Global Growth Markets is Comexposium’s strategic partner for MediWorld. GGM is an information, advisory and events firm helping healthcare, technology and industrial companies grow in international markets, with accurate and reliable intelligence from its consultants around the world. The company’s clients benefit from local insights, clear strategic advice and partner matching. Further info: www.ggmkts.com