From Berlin and London to Seoul, Dhaka and Santo Domingo, a growing network of trade fairs and congresses connects hospitals, destinations, insurers and international patient specialists
Health tourism has developed its own international event landscape. What was once a niche topic within general tourism and healthcare conferences is now represented by dedicated exhibitions, congresses and B2B meetings across Europe, Asia, the Americas and the Middle East.
The formats vary considerably. Some events bring hospitals and clinics face to face with potential patients. Others are designed primarily for business development between healthcare providers, facilitators, insurers and international patient departments. A third group focuses on policy, destination development, quality standards and the wider economics of cross-border healthcare.
Together they reveal how health tourism has evolved from a largely fragmented market into an increasingly organised international sector.
ITB Berlin brings health tourism into the global travel industry
One of the most visible platforms is ITB Berlin. Medical and Health Tourism is a permanent specialist segment within the world's major tourism trade show.
The Medical & Health Tourism Pavilion brings together clinics, hospitals, destinations, hotels and travel specialists, while a dedicated stage runs presentations, expert interviews and discussions throughout the three-day show. Buyers and agencies are specifically targeted as visitors to the segment.
The significance of the format lies in its position between healthcare and the conventional travel industry. Hospitals and medical destinations are not meeting only other healthcare providers but tour operators, destination organisations, travel technology companies and international distribution partners.
For 2027, ITB Berlin is scheduled for March 16 to 18.
Medical Korea connects international patients with Korea's healthcare industry
Medical Korea has become one of Asia's established institutional platforms for international healthcare.
Organised by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute and supported by government institutions, the annual event combines conference sessions with exhibitions, business meetings and government-to-government meetings.
The 2026 edition was officially titled the 16th Global Healthcare & Medical Tourism Conference, demonstrating the longevity of the format. Its programme focused not only on attracting international patients but on the wider infrastructure required for global healthcare, including technology, policy and international cooperation.
A 2027 date has not yet been officially announced.
The US market focuses on insurers and healthcare buyers
The Global Medical Tourism & Insurance Summit represents a different model.
Rather than operating primarily as a public exhibition, the event is positioned as a closed B2B meeting for senior decision-makers from hospitals, insurance companies, employers, travel insurers and medical tourism facilitators.
Its roots extend back more than 15 years to the World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Congress. The current format places particular emphasis on commercial partnerships, cross-border insurance, employer healthcare, international patient programmes and the infrastructure required to move patients between healthcare systems.
The 2026 summit was held in Palm Beach, Florida, on May 13 and 14. Organisers have announced that the event will return, but the 2027 date has not yet been published.
The Global Healthcare Travel Forum connects destinations
The Global Healthcare Travel Council provides another important international meeting point through its Global Healthcare Travel Forum.
Unlike commercially oriented exhibitions, the forum has a strong institutional dimension. The council brings together countries and organisations involved in international healthcare and medical tourism, with discussions covering cross-border cooperation, standards, investment and the development of national health tourism strategies.
The seventh Global Healthcare Travel Forum was held in Moldova in 2025. The council continues to organise international meetings and participate in health and medical tourism forums worldwide. Details of the next main forum have yet to be confirmed for 2027.
The Caribbean has developed its own industry congress
Santo Domingo has established one of the most durable health tourism meetings in the Caribbean.
The International Health and Wellness Tourism Congress brings together government authorities, healthcare providers, insurers, tour operators, academics and investors. Seven editions have already been held, making the event an established regional platform rather than a one-off conference.
Its eighth edition is scheduled for June 9 and 10, 2027 at the JW Marriott Hotel Santo Domingo.
The congress illustrates an important characteristic of the health tourism event market: regional platforms can be particularly valuable because international patient flows frequently develop between neighbouring or culturally connected markets rather than exclusively on long-haul routes.
Dhaka targets one of South Asia's major outbound markets
Bangladesh hosts another long-running specialist event.
The International Health Tourism & Services Expo in Dhaka will reach its tenth edition in 2027. Unlike conferences focused primarily on policy, the exhibition has a strong commercial orientation and connects international healthcare providers with a market characterised by substantial outbound demand for medical treatment.
Hospitals, clinics, medical tourism companies and other service providers use the event to reach patients and business partners in Bangladesh.
The 2027 edition will take place from May 6 to 8 at the International Convention City Bashundhara in Dhaka.
European specialist exhibitions are multiplying
Europe is also seeing the development of smaller events devoted specifically to international healthcare.
Health Tourism Expos operates a series of exhibitions designed to connect hospitals and clinics from medical tourism destinations with consumers and industry partners. Confirmed events for 2027 include Düsseldorf in April and London in June.
A second network, GoCare Expo, is expanding across European and neighbouring markets. Its calendar includes events in Sarajevo, Istanbul and Erbil in 2026, followed by Paris and Bucharest in 2027.
These formats are smaller than the major international congresses but demonstrate how health tourism is developing its own specialised exhibition infrastructure close to important source markets.
Stuttgart combines medical, wellness and preventive travel
The GesundReisen exhibition within CMT Stuttgart takes a broader definition of health tourism.
Its portfolio ranges from Medical Travel and rehabilitation-related services to spa destinations, wellness hotels, retreats, thermal tourism and preventive health programmes. The format therefore reflects the wider spectrum between medical tourism and wellness travel.
GesundReisen is scheduled for January 21 to 24, 2027.
The programme will also include the first Global Health Tourism Congress on January 22, bringing together healthcare providers, destination representatives, investors and industry specialists to discuss international patient mobility, digital healthcare, quality standards, wellness, thermal tourism and new source markets.
A sector with several different meeting places
There is no single event that dominates global health tourism in the way some major trade shows dominate other industries.
Instead, the sector has developed several complementary types of meeting place.
Tourism platforms such as ITB Berlin connect healthcare with international travel distribution. Events such as Medical Korea bring together government policy, healthcare providers and international business. Specialist congresses in the Caribbean address regional market development, while exhibitions in Dhaka and European cities create direct commercial connections between healthcare providers and source markets.
At the same time, executive formats such as the Global Medical Tourism & Insurance Summit focus increasingly on the less visible infrastructure behind international patient mobility: insurers, employers, payment systems, accreditation, referral networks and cross-border partnerships.
That diversity reflects the nature of health tourism itself. Moving a patient across borders is not solely a healthcare transaction and not solely a tourism transaction. It requires medicine, regulation, transport, accommodation, insurance, communication and trust.
The international event landscape is increasingly bringing those different parts of the industry into the same room.
Confirmed health tourism events in 2027
A number of major and specialist health tourism events have already confirmed dates for 2027. Further events are expected to be added as organisers publish their calendars.
January 21–24 – GesundReisen / CMT, Stuttgart, Germany
Medical travel, rehabilitation, wellness, prevention and health destinations
January 22 – Global Health Tourism Congress, Stuttgart, Germany
International patient mobility, healthcare providers, destinations, digital health, quality standards, wellness and thermal tourism
March 16–18 – ITB Berlin Medical & Health Tourism, Berlin, Germany
International medical and health tourism, hospitals, clinics, destinations, buyers and travel industry partners
March 26–27 – GoCare Expo Paris, Paris, France
International health tourism, healthcare providers and cross-border patient services
April – Düsseldorf International Health Tourism Expo, Düsseldorf, Germany
Hospitals, clinics, healthcare providers and medical tourism services. The organiser currently publishes differing dates for the 2027 edition, so the exact April dates remain to be confirmed
April 24–25 – GoCare Expo Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
International health tourism, healthcare providers and cross-border patient services
May 6–8 – 10th International Health Tourism & Services Expo, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Medical tourism, international hospitals, clinics and healthcare services
June 5–6 – New Health & Beauty Expo, Cologne, Germany
Health tourism, healthcare services and medical solutions
June 9–10 – 8th International Health and Wellness Tourism Congress, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Health and wellness tourism, international patient services, investment and B2B cooperation
June 25–26 – 4th London International Health Tourism Expo, London, United Kingdom
International hospitals, clinics, medical tourism providers, patients and B2B partners
Several other established industry events have not yet announced their 2027 dates. These include Medical Korea, the Global Medical Tourism & Insurance Summit and the next Global Healthcare Travel Forum. Their dates will become relevant additions to the international 2027 health tourism calendar once officially confirmed.
Image Credit: © AI generated illustration
