The city of Seoul is gearing up to launch a new hospitality initiative that will facilitate the travel of patients from abroad seeking medical services and their families. The project called “Seoul Medical-Friendly Accommodation” stems from growth in the sphere of medical tourism in South Korea.
As part of the program, hotels and other types of acknowledged providers of accommodation services will be analyzed for their ability to satisfy the requirements of patients from other countries in terms of accommodation before, during, and after medical treatment. The acceptance of applications by accommodation providers began on 14 September and will last until 30 September 2026.
The program is being implemented amid a remarkable increase in the number of medical tourists visiting South Korea every year. In 2025, about 2.01 million patients were treated in South Korean hospitals, thus being 71.9% more than in the previous year.
Of these, around 1.76 million patients were treated in Seoul, which was a 75.6% increase in comparison with the previous year, which is when the number of foreign patients who applied for medical care in the city was around one million.
International medical tourists are also making significant contributions to South Korea’s healthcare industry. In July 2026, outside patients spent around 213.1 billion won or about 2.5 trillion Indonesian rupiah, on clinical services.
The new accommodation scheme aims at helping the international patient and his/her companions find lodging that suits his/her needs during the course of treatment. However, not all hotels and other lodging businesses are going to qualify for it automatically.
To apply for the designation, candidates must be officially registered accommodation providers located in Seoul. The city authority will check the property in all respects according to several criteria: the distance from the medical center, the availability of wheelchair prams, and a 24-hour emergency response system.
Also, long-term accommodations will be taken into account. Amenities like laundry can come in handy for patients and their families having to stay in Seoul for a long time.
After finishing the inspections, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is going to choose the candidates that are going to receive a “Seoul Medical-Friendly Accommodation” certificate. The status is going to last for one year.
The given designation does not indicate that the approved hotels can provide medical care and treatment, but rather indicates the accommodation’s compliance with criteria that have been established to ensure better accommodation services for tourists traveling for medical purposes.
Approved hotels will be able to access advertising through Seoul’s medical tourism marketing platform presented in five languages, as well as take part in events associated with medical tourism organized by the city.
The implementation of the initiative will highlight another aspect of the medical tourism sector in South Korea: the significance of providing accommodation.
