Great place to operate

20th May 2008

When Carol and her two training mates finished the gruelling Laguna Phuket triathlon late last year, they decided the perfect way to celebrate was with a new bustline.

Extending their Thai stay, the trio took in some well-earned relaxation and breast augmentation surgery before returning to Australia and their usual routines.

Thousands of Australians every year are heading to nearby Asian countries for cosmetic surgery, dentistry and other medical procedures.

But Australia has the opportunity to turn the tide the other way and make big bucks from well-heeled travellers looking to get the best medical treatment.

Reports by the Australian Tourism Export Council and Jones Lang LaSalle reveal while to locals our medical costs seem expensive, developing centres of specialisation will enable Australia to snare some of the $US20billion that is spent each year on medical tourism.

Already about 19 million trips are made a year by people seeking medical treatment abroad and this is expected to increase.

According to JLL manager of health and aged care services Lois Towart, the increasing wealth of travellers aged between 50 and 70 will see strong demand in that age group.

She said Australia