The 7^th OIC/COMCEC Private Sector Tourism Forum was held on 05 September 2019 in Istanbul, Turkey under the theme “Prospects for the Development of Health Tourism in OIC Member States.”

The event brought together relevant OIC Institutions and representatives of public and private sector from the OIC Member States to exchange ideas, experiences and identify means of cooperation in Health Tourism.

SESRIC attended the Forum and delivered a presentation on “International Tourism in OIC Member States: Prospects and Challenges for the Development of Health Tourism.”

The presentations and discussions revealed that health tourism, as niche market, has a great potential for the development of the tourism sector in many OIC Member States. Some of the OIC countries have already started making significant investments and implementing targeted policies in healthcare facilities, wellness centres and clinics.

In some of the OIC Member States, the private sector led such investments and started to offer comprehensive healthcare services for international patients and visitors at internationally recognized standards. As a result of such investments and policies, each year, they attract increasing number of international tourists travelling for healthcare reasons.