Keen for a holiday? Want a new look? Got bad teeth? These seemingly unrelated questions are being answered by a new type of travel: cosmetic surgery and dental tourism. More and more people are avoiding prohibitively expensive cosmetic surgery costs or dental bills by heading to far-flung destinations and seeking out the treatment there.

Realizing the revenue potential of medical tourism, the hospitality and business sectors in Mindanao are now exploring ways to take advantage of the growing trend. According to a PriceWaterhouseCoopers study, 24 countries spent a combined $2.7 trillion on health and wellness in 2002 and the figure should rise to $10 trillion by 2020.

How far would you go for the perfect nose job or a bit of liposuction on the cheap?

Surgeons in Poland told Newsbeat they're seeing more and more Brits fly out for there for cosmetic surgery.

Sri Lanka is trying to promote ayurveda in the hope that the soothing herbal therapies will attract travellers looking for relaxation and rejuvenation and boost its tourism industry, which has been affected by the ongoing civil war. 

Tourism is one of the main income generating industries in Sri Lanka. Major tourist attractions are focused around the island’s famous beaches, ancient cities, heritage sites, and the lush green tea estates in the central hills.

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.

Medical tourism, a growing travel phenomenon that combines international travel with various medical procedures, is the newest indication that Americans are fed up with expensive medical procedures, inefficient hospitals, and sky-high deductibles from insurance companies...

Getting Care Abroad May Be Less Usual Than Once Thought
The number of people traveling the globe for medical treatment likely is far lower than commonly assumed, but there remains potential for huge growth in the industry, according to a study by consulting firm McKinsey & Co.

About a third of hospitals in England and Wales are ignoring government advice to charge foreign visitors for NHS treatment.
Guidance published in 2004 stipulates hospitals should check whether foreign nationals are entitled to free care. But a third of overseas visitor managers polled by their association admitted patients were not routinely asked about their entitlement.

The Wellness and Spas Middle East exhibition is set to be firmly established as the largest exhibition of its kind in the Middle East, fueled by the upsurge of 11.2 million medical tourists expected to arrive in the UAE, generating Dhs7bn for the UAE's flourishing tourism industry by 2010, according to market research.