BNH: Wellness Tourism Boosts Spending by 35%

Matichon•Economy•19d ago

Reader Briefing

BNH Hospital reports that quality wellness tourists spend 35% more than general tourists and notes a rising trend in residential preferences near medical facilities.

•BNH Hospital reports a 18.35% increase in flights for medical treatment from January to August 2026.
•Quality wellness tourists spend 35% more on average than general tourists.
•Medical tourism spending for GCC groups exceeds 100,000 Baht per trip, while BNH Spine Surgery averages 500,000 Baht per person.
•A trend of purchasing residences near hospitals, seen in Japan and South Korea, is starting to influence Thailand.

Overview

•On August 5, Matichon editorial team organized the EXCLUSIVE MEETING: NEW TOURISM NEW ECONOMY seminar at The Crystal Box, Gaysorn Tower, Bangkok.
•Nopparat Panthongwiriyakul defines Wellness from a medical perspective as promoting good health through treatment, prevention, and physical and mental health promotion.
•Nopparat Panthongwiriyakul explains that residences near hospitals are critical for emergency conditions like stroke or heart attack where treatment must occur within minutes.
•Between January and August 2026, while total foreign tourists to Thailand decreased by 3.19%, BNH Hospital saw an 18.35% increase in patients flying in for treatment.
•Average expenditure for quality wellness tourists is 35% higher than general tourism, with specialized BNH Spine Surgery costing an average of 500,000 Baht per person.
•Long-term treatments like chemotherapy (approximately 6 months) or spinal surgery lead to increased domestic activity in shopping, massage, spas, and beauty services by patients and accompanying relatives.
•Nopparat Panthongwiriyakul identifies Thailand's strengths as medical personnel, hospitality, diverse culture, and variety of hotels and geography.

Full article content is available on the original source.

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Source: Matichon (Original)

Key Quotes

Nopparat Panthongwiriyakul

"Once people are 50 and older, we start seeing people with sudden death, mostly caused by heart attack and stroke attack."

พอคนอายุ 50 ขึ้นไปก็เริ่มเห็นคนที่มี Sudden death สาเหตุส่วนมากก็ Heart attack และ Stroke attack

Key Entities

Person

Nopparat Panthongwiriyakul(นพ.นพรัตน์ พานทองวิริยะกุล)

Director of BNH Hospital

Organization

BNH Hospital(โรงพยาบาลบีเอ็นเอช)ℹ️

A medical facility providing specialized services including spine surgery.

Matichon(มติชน)ℹ️

The editorial team that organized the NEW TOURISM NEW ECONOMY seminar.

Place

The Crystal Box, Gaysorn Tower(The Crystal Box อาคารเกษรทาวเวอร์)

The location in Bangkok where the seminar was held.

Bangkok(กรุงเทพฯ)ℹ️

The city where the seminar took place and where residential trends are emerging.

Japan(ญี่ปุ่น)ℹ️

A country where the trend of buying homes near hospitals started and where medical tourism communities were attempted in Chiang Mai.

South Korea(เกาหลีใต้)ℹ️

A country where the trend of buying homes near hospitals started.

Chiang Mai(เชียงใหม่)ℹ️

A location where Japan attempted to create a medical tourism community.