Cancún Medical Tourism Holds Steady With 25,000 Foreign Patients

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Medical tourism in Quintana Roo held steady this year at roughly 25,000 foreign patients, matching last year’s figure even as sargassum and inflation weighed on traditional tourism, said Andrés Jurado, director of My Medical Vacations and a promoter of the segment.

“It held. The important thing is that it didn’t decline, fortunately for this sector,” Jurado said. “There are very important factors that keep other visitors away but aren’t relevant to patients. Sargassum, the rise in airfares — yes, that affected things a little, but in the end the reason for the trip isn’t pleasure, it’s a health priority.”

Rising U.S. costs boost Cancún’s appeal

Rising health care costs in the United States have reinforced the destination’s competitiveness, he said, because insured patients there face high deductibles and premiums. Undergoing a joint replacement or plastic surgery in Cancún, by contrast, offers savings of 80 to 90 percent — more than offsetting the cost of travel and lodging.

The local medical offer has also expanded into lower-complexity, high-volume procedures such as hernia surgery and executive checkups, along with addiction treatment clinics. These visitors — mostly from the United States and usually accompanied by a family member — pushed average spending to about $13,500 (250,600 pesos) per trip.

Hospital capacity expanding

To meet demand, the private sector is expanding hospital infrastructure in Cancún, Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya, with national and international investment adding new operating rooms and advanced diagnostic technology to the existing accredited capacity.

“I think as a tourist destination it deserves it, and we have hospitals certified with the highest accreditations in the world, such as the Canadian health system accreditation and our own from the General Health Council,” Jurado said. “At the hospital level we’re very complete, and very well-trained specialists are arriving as well.”

Jurado said Cancún is consolidating its position as a reference medical center, backed by strong air connectivity, functional hotel infrastructure and trained specialists that keep health tourism a key economic driver for the region.