Web Infrastructure – the way forward for Dental Tourism

There is a growing trend in Dental Tourism in India – recently the Forbes published an article around the same issue, with great facts & figures, but what should you do as a Dentist to become better at attracting more patients and catering to more and more Dental Tourists? We spoke to a few Dentists who are specialists at Tourism, but first let’s understand the basics:

Why do these patients come to India to see specialists?

• Cost Factor (50% of expenditure on normal treatment there pays for entire trip including flight tickets and the work on the patient by a Dentist in India)
• Tourist Hub-Spot
• No-Queues
• Skill of Doctors is brilliant

Talking to a few of the more Dentists who are gaining great traction on Dental Tourism, there are suggestions for others across the country to improve upon their practices in the following ways – and the 1 main suggestion is to improve your Web Presence!

• Website should be well built – time/money should be spent on making it interactive
• There should be an easy contact module for patients to reach out to via – Online Appointment Booking
• Online Patient Records
• Testimonials & Pictures aplenty showing previous patients
• Transparency reflects from the Web – show your costing, and keep it same for all – unless you are providing a package tour
• Lots of Search Engine Optimization – Blogs, YouTube Videos, Pictures, Facebook & Linkedin

But having all this set-up does not provide the only answer – it is only a means to it:

Dr. Balvinder S. Thakkar (Pic Below) from Jaipur Dental Hospital says “Like any tourist, there is a small fear of the unknown, and the only way that can go away, is when I as a human-being provide support, help and most importantly transparency in my work, that is when I get the best references and great patients”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Thomas Paulose from Nechupadam Dental Clinic from Cochin, Kerala – the hubspot of Dental Tourism talks about the increasing problems in Dental Tourism in the state, which gives all the more reason to focus on quality – “Documentation, quick follow-up on the internet on mails, Good English and focus on quality of work, is what clicks for me!”

He also has a clinic in the Ramada Resort as well, and also focuses on creating a lobby group hopefully for supporting more of Dental Tourism/Medical Tourism with stalwarts such as Maggie Ann Grace – worldwide known author on Medical Tourism. Dr. Thomas has over 35+ Youtube videos on the internet which enhances modes for international patients to understand his work, clinic and get best referrals!

Last but not-least an active Twitter user – Dr. Anand Krishnamurthy (Picture Below), Citizen Dental Clinics, Navi Mumbai recommends that a Dentist focus on the Internet in many ways beyond the conventional “Be prompt on the internet, respond immediately to the queries, it provides a new level of accountability and creates great trust, infact the real Dental Tourists – those who travel only majorly for their pain, and not for leisure are the best one’s; whom a true Dentist should focus on!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is interesting to note that all the tips help you push towards a larger and smarter web presence, and this can only be done when you spend a bit of time understanding it. India is a major tourist spot and the inflow of Tourism in the country is constant. What is a variable, is how you can capture more of such visitors to be your patients and loyal customers. USA/Europe & Middle-East form a large chunk of customers, and the globalization has just begun!