Speaker
Description
The study of the border region between United States and Mexico throughout the 20th century, and the first decades of the 21st century necessarily implies understanding the historical, economic, social and cultural processes that made possible the transformation of this cross-border area. The border in terms of space does not only refer to the territorial delimitation that divides two countries, cultures or different legal systems, it also means understanding the different social dynamics that occur in this geographical area, which by sharing the same space leads to the seeking of strategies, and agreements that require collaboration and negotiation.
The medical tourism as an economic activity has played an important role in recent decades in this border, and has generated the emergence of medical clusters oriented to attend the health needs of American and even Canadian tourists, visiting the border for cosmetic surgeries, dental procedures and the purchase of medications, which due to the high costs in the United States and Canada, has turned the Mexican border into a health tourism destination.
The aim of this study is to analyze how medical tourism has laid the groundwork for the emergence of a health-oriented tourism industry with the construction of specialized medical complexes to meet the high demand of U.S. tourists, who see the Baja California border as an option for medical attention and health care, making it a popular destination.
Therefore, one of the questions I seek to clarify is what responsible tourism planning and governance strategies should be implemented to enhance this activity and how existing medical services could be extended to local communities to take advantage of the development of this tourism industry and lessen the challenges of access to health care, which has become a regional and global issue.
References
John G. Bruhn and Jeffrey E. Brandon (1997). Border Health Challenges for the United States and Mexico, Garland, New York.
Jennifer Miller-Thayer (2010), Health Migration: Crossing Borders for Affordable Health Care, Field Actions Science Reports [Online], Special Issue 2.
Landeck, Michael and Cecilia Garza (2002), Utilization of Physician Health Care Services in Mexico by U.S. Hispanic Border Residents, Health Marketing Quarterly, 20, pp. 3-16.
| Keywords | medical tourism; U.S.-Mexico border; responsible tourism planning; governance |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
