AUSTRALIA has an opportunity to make big bucks from well-heeled travellers who want to come here for cosmetic surgery and dentistry.

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

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 $US20 billion which is spent each year on medical tourism. According JLL Manager of Health and Aged Care Services Lois Towart, the increasing wealth of travellers aged 50 to 70 will see strong demand in that age group.