africa

SA’s medical tourism an untapped treasure-trove

15 January 2018 – Medical tourism is an avenue that is often overlooked when considering tourism in South Africa, even though it is set to grow globally at an estimated 15% annually.

Research by SA Tourism indicates that foreign spending on medical care in South Africa has increased from R582m to approximately R916m in 2015, as the number of tourists originating from Europe and those coming by air from other African countries has increased.

“Travelers coming to South Africa for medical treatments do so for cost savings, South Africa’s infrastructure, medical technology, qualified and skilled doctors at an international standard, and most advantageous is the fact that the English language is widely spoken in South Africa,” says Charnel Kara, Tourism Specialist at FNB Business.

Globally, medical tourism is estimated to be worth between $45 billion and $72 billion. It is estimated that this industry will continue to show growth of between 15% and 25% each year, making it a growth industry that medical entrepreneurs could build a business towards.

“A substantial portion of medical tourists to South Africa originate from our neighbouring countries. We are also seeing a growing number from Europe and countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria, says Kara.”

She explains that the downstream impact of medical tourism acts as an important feed into the rest of the tourism industry.

“The average tourist stays in South Africa for an estimated 6 days. This means hospitality services, tour operators, transport, retail, wildlife and seaside attractions, spas and wellness centers all have an opportunity to gain from a medical tourist visiting South Africa.”

“Businesses can tailor or enhance their product offering to cater to this growing demand. Offering products with pricing and services tailored to suit the needs and requirements of travelers that are going to have or have had medical procedures can diversify a business’s product offering and add to their revenue stream,” she adds.

South Africa has the infrastructure along with the medical professionals to take full advantage of this largely untapped market. The success of medical tourism in SA will largely depend on the exchange rate, prices, quality and diversification of procedures, in tandem with medical care and hospitality services offered to potential medical tourists.

“For South Africa to become a leading and sought after medical tourism destination globally, it is imperative that businesses within the medical and tourism spheres leverage off synergies and work together to provide a seamless and holistic offering to this growing sub sector, we have all the moving pieces in place, now we just need to put them together to amplify it,” concludes Kara.

 Notes: Patients Beyond Borders

For media queries, contact:

Themba Msimango: Themba.Msimango@fnb.co.za or 087 736 9267

On a scorching day this New Year’s Eve, I found myself crammed into a small bus with a large number of my family and friends. We were making our way through a valley between the Langeberg and the Outeniqua Mountains in South Africa to see the big five animals of the continent, and no, Zuma and Mugabe were not on the list.

The previous morning I had been rather distraught on discovering that the safari was a four-hour drive each way from our house. ‘Let’s just cancel the safari and get a refund!’ I hollered at the man of the house from the shower stall. ‘Their website clearly states refunds are not possible,’ he yelled back.

Right at that moment, I had a eureka moment though unlike the excitable Archimedes, I didn’t leave the bathroom and start running naked on the street. ‘I have an idea. Just call them and say that one member of our group passed away last night and according to our religion, one cannot leave a dead body alone for the first 48 hours! So either they give us a refund or tell them we’ll just have to bring the corpse along.’

I was then beset with uncontrollable giggles, ‘Imagine us going on the tour, looking at giraffes and zebras with a body, cotton in his nose and ears propped up on the backseat.’

‘And which member of our group are you imagining dead right now?’

‘I first thought of the person I like the least but then it would probably be more humane to just kill off the oldest, you know he has seen the world, done his bit etc.’

The man of the house did not seem amused, ‘Sometimes I think you are insane! I am doing no such thing, we are going and that’s final.’

And so here I was, staring out of the window at a landscape in varying shades of brown and chomping on a Mars bar out of sheer boredom. I was paying rudimentary attention to the ranger’s talk. He was a gentleman of indeterminate age with broad lips, nose and eyebrows raised like he was constantly amazed. The green bus advanced and right in the middle of our path stood a magnificent elephant. ‘A male. He is showing off, see he is standing on five legs for you.’ The risqué joke fell rather flat, but as the ranger continued, his enthusiasm, undimmed by the number of times he must have taken people on these excursions, began infecting us all.

Illustration credit: Chad Crowe

‘Elephants form deep family bonds like us,’ he explained. ‘Last year, one of our younger elephants died and I saw the rest of the herd gather around it to mourn. They didn’t leave the body for days.’

‘My wife is very much like an elephant!’ And when I gave him a nasty glare, the man of the house hastily added, ‘Oh I didn’t mean size wise! Just the way she believes in keeping her family close and their corpses even closer!’

Ignoring him, I continued listening to our guide. ‘The elephant world is matriarchal. Women are the leaders, males wander away and it’s the females who help each other find food and look after calves.’

‘See I told you, women are natural leaders and we really should be the head of communities as well as countries. Hillary over Trump any day! After all, we are definitely the more caring gender in all species.’

The man of the house replied, ‘Yes, only someone with a caring heart could laugh hysterically while imagining killing off a relative in order to get a refund.’

Unable to come up with a suitable rejoinder, I was compelled to eat humble pie along with another bite of my Mars bar.

Ahead, a mother and a baby rhinoceros were rolling around in a muddy puddle. My friend tapped her snoring teenager on the head, sarcastically adding, ‘This Gen Z bit should be amended to Gen zzz because all they do is stay up all night on their filtered Snapchat stories and snooze through reality!’

Trying to change the topic before the mother-daughter duo began bickering, my sister interjected, ‘Acha let it be na, have you heard about the rhino principle by Paul Johnson? When a rhino sees an object, it charges relentlessly until the object is either flattened or runs for cover. The secret to success, Johnson says, is to charge through tasks with determination till you complete them.’ Still in a belligerent mood, my friend snapped at her daughter, ‘See what aunty is saying, instead of leaving everything halfway, you should be like this rhino!’ Her offspring instantly pushed her sunglasses onto her head and said, ‘Mom, if you want to be an 800-kg creature with stumpy legs and a big nose, then go ahead but I am happy the way I am!’

Then we reached a group of hippos who sank beneath the pond’s surface as we approached. Our ranger said, ‘When a hippo goes under, its nose and ears automatically close so that no water seeps in.’ And then, perhaps hinting at the altercation he had just witnessed, he added, ‘A lesson to be learnt my friends: You don’t have to confront each situation, sometimes it makes sense to just quietly drop out of sight.’

The bus reached the base of a craggy mountain. Blending in with the beige sandy tableau, we saw a group of lions lying down in the shade. ‘Animals only kill what they need,’ said our guide, ‘if a lion sees two antelopes, he will kill only one and let the other one go. More food for later, you see. Animals create a sustainable environment by using resources based on requirements and giving nature time to replenish.’

This made me wonder about how we humans live. People buying everything in sight during Diwali ‘Discount Dhamakas’, loading up on free buffets, elbowing each other at Zara’s mid-season sales, whirling in a vortex of consumption without stopping to think about when this benevolent supermarket called Earth will run out of the products on its shelves. Four-legged animals are governed by need and two-legged ones by sheer greed.

The safari came to an end, and we all clambered back into our grey van. My gregarious, happy-go-lucky brother-in-law pulled out some beers from the boot, ‘Drink up! It’s New Year’s Eve people. Let’s get ready to party like animals!’

‘I wish we could learn to live a little like animals instead,’ I said, and following the hippo’s example, I drowned out the cacophony by taking a deep breath, closing my eyes, plugging in a pair of headphones and disappearing within myself.

No one tells you about the other Big Five on safari: Breakfast. Brunch. Lunch. Afternoon Tea. Dinner. From the moment you wake up (coffee with biscuits in bed) to the moment you go to bed (post-dinner wine and cheese), the indulgence doesn’t stop. Turning down crème brûlée after dinner or a cucumber sandwich at afternoon tea is hard, but working out is even harder. Few lodges offer fitness centers, and guests can’t walk off their meals, because trekking through open bush is forbidden unless you want to be something else’s dinner. Short of packing a jump rope and bouncing around your room, exercising on safari is not easy. That’s why some safari lodges have started catering to a more modern market, where practicing daily yoga or eating lighter meals are as crucial as spotting wild animals.

Taking a walking safari is the savviest way of getting your legs moving while absorbing the landscape and wildlife. In Zambia, a country known for its walking safaris and expert guides, hiking through the bush is a quintessential part of the experience. Time + Tides’ Norman Carr Safaris offers a selection of trails, where guests can walk from camp to camp. On the Luwi River Trail, guests spend seven nights trekking through Zambia’s game-dense South Luangwa National Park, sleeping at different lodges along the way. At the Bushcamp Company, which owns a string of lodges also located in South Luangwa and specialize in walking safaris, guests can expect to walk between two to four hours per day to get to the next camp. The treks aren’t particularly high impact, but you still move a lot more than you would on a game drive–filled day(note: if guides say you’re going through a zone known for ticks, take them seriously.)

Working out in your room is also becoming more attainable, as some lodges are starting to stock suites with workout gear. At Singita’s Mara River Tented Camp in Tanzania, guests are given a yoga mat to practice poses on their deck; andBeyond’s Nxabega Okavango Delta Tented Camp in Botswana offers guests a “gym-in-a-bag,” which includes a yoga mat, weights, and a resistance band, and all Sanctuary Retreats provide guests with yoga kits that include mats, jump ropes, resistance bands, and mini contour weights. Programs and group classes are also becoming more readily available. AndBeyond Phinda Rock Lodge in South Africa offers sunrise yoga sessions on the deck overlooking the bush and Mhondoro Safari Lodge and Villa in South Africa offers a no-joke, five-night yoga and wellness program—with three intense days of fasting.

Some safari outfitters, like ROAR Africa, have curated bush experiences that focus on all-around well-being. The newly launched ROAR Restore at Segera is a five-day program that incorporates healthy eating (fresh dishes like pineapple gazpacho and green salads are served), relaxation (in the form of spa treatments and yoga), and a number of activities (including guests speakers Laura Turner Seydel, an environmental advocate and eco-living expert, and Dr. Ian McCallum, a medical doctor and specialist wilderness guide) designed to help you get in back in touch with yourself and nature.

When it comes to food, many lodges are turning to lighter, fresher meals. At Segera Retreat in the Laikipia Plateau in Kenya, all the food is organic (heavy meals are replaced with selections like light, fresh pineapple gazpacho and fresh green salads) and served in a farm-to-table style. Singita has brought in culinary king Liam Tomlin (chef and owner of Chef’s Warehouse in Cape Town) to curate a lighter healthier menu that focuses on small, sharing-style plates. At Singita Sasakwa, the vegetables and herbs are grown in the nearby garden. Most lodges, no matter how remote, can cater to various dietary restrictions. (Gluten intolerant? Natural Selection’s Jacks Camp in the remote Makgadikgadi National Park of Botswana makes gluten-free cornbread that seriously rivals the original).

If the lodge you’re staying at doesn’t offer any wellness or health-focused options, the best strategy is to focus on mindfulness on your trip: Forget about the resolutions for a week or two and worry about it when you get home. Going to the bush is about leaving all your concerns behind and immersing yourself in the surrounding nature and wildlife—your energy is better spent searching for the real Big Five than counting calories. That’s a health and wellness exercise in itself.