As many as 30,000 medical travelers arrive in Cancun each year for cosmetic procedures. While in the city recovering, they enjoy a specialized vacation of around 12 days.

Cancun’s Municipal Secretary of Tourism, Juan Pablo de Zulueta Razo, explained that the city’s medical tourism industry receives between 25,000 and 30,000 foreign medical travelers each year.

Those who chose Cancun for their cosmetic medical procedures arrive primarily from the United States followed by Canada, England, Central America and the Caribbean. He reported that each medical tourist stays an average of 12 nights and spends around $11,500 USD per stay.

Juan Pablo de Zulueta Razo added that the most common cosmetic procedures requested by medical travelers to Cancun is plastic surgery followed by dental procedures and orthopedics. Reproductive fertility procedures also rank in the top five for Cancun medical travelers.

“These figures show that Cancun is seen as more than a place for its sun and sand,” he said during the recent Cancun Medical Tourism Forum.

Cancun Mayor Ana Paty Peralta explained “this medical tourisn forum gives us the opportunity to analyze achievements and challenges of this important sector that has become a strength for our city.

“Cancun is a leader in tourism in Mexico and Latin America, since every year, we receive thousands of foreign visitors, many of whom take the opportunity to undergo surgeries and medical treatments which generates an average economic benefit of $200 million USD a year.”

Participants in the recent 2023 Cancun Medical Tourism Forum allowed those involved in the industry to learn about the advances, statistics and, above all, the windows of business opportunities, to make the most of them in addition to the commitment to being at the forefront to respond to the demand of the growing market, she said.

According to Patients Beyond Borders, Mexico ranks fifth globally for medical travelers with the top procedure being cosmetic surgery followed by dentistry.