Medical tourism
Question 1:
Is medical tourism another way (poor) people in developing countries are exploited by wealthy foreigners? What do the different readings this week, directly or indirectly, argue?
Question 2:
All three readings this week raise concerns, directly or indirectly, about the term tourism in regards to the travel for medical or reproductive reasons. Both Beth Kangas and Amy Speier prefer the term travel over tourism, that is, medical travel instead of medical tourism (Kangas) and cross-border reproductive travel instead of reproductive tourism (Speier).
Questions
What do you think about the authors’ reservations regarding the term tourism (as in medical tourism, reproductive tourism, or transplant tourism)? Connected to this question: What are the authors’ (underlying) views on tourism? What do you think of the replacement of the term medical tourism with medical travel?
* In your response, you may want to consider Chambers’ definition of the term tourism, presented in the introduction of his book Native Tours. See also my post “Addition to Week 2: Travel and Tourism” in the forum of week 3.
Answer preview to medical tourism
APA
736 words