Medical tourism, where patients travel to a place for operations, is gaining importance as an alternative form of tourism in many parts of the world. With an annual growth rate of 30 percent in medical tourist numbers, many countries are seeking new tourism strategies in order to benefit their local service industry development.

The Yiling Life Care Center in Boao Township, Qionghai City of Hainan Province. [Photo by Cui Can/China.org.cn]

As the first international medical tourism pilot zone in China, Hainan Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone (BMTPZ) is a world-leading green city project which integrates medical care, physical examinations, cosmetic surgery, and scientific research.

According to the administration committee of BMTPZ, the total planned area of the zone is 20.14 square kilometers, with 9.96 square kilometers under construction. As of June 2016, the zone has attracted 62 planned medical projects, with a total investment value of 19.8 billion yuan. Among these projects, Yiling Life Care Center, an early investor in the zone, offers health care which integrates Chinese culture and traditional Chinese care.

Approved by the State Council in 2013, BMTPZ isanother big move by Hainan’s government to accelerate the building of an international tourism island. BMTPZ will carry out preferential policies on introducing high-end health care institutions at home and abroad into the zone, in a bid to build a platform for international cooperation on medical tourism.