Chinese tourists put St Vincent’s Hospital on holiday destination list

Chinese tourists are descending on Melbourne in droves, but it’s no longer to visit the state’s famous landmarks and cafes. Here’s why one of the city’s biggest hospitals is fast becoming a major drawcard.

Chinese women are travelling to Melbourne to undergo a range of tests including blood pressure, chest X-rays, abdominal ultrasounds and mammograms.

The Twelve Apostles and penguins have been cast aside by Chinese tourists who are more keen to visit St Vincent’s Hospital on their dream Australian vacation.

Poor access to health care in China where patients can wait up to 24 hours for a consultation in a public hospital or pay exorbitant fees in a private clinic, is driving the trend for them to visit Australia for their health care needs.

Wellness travel organiser Garry Burns said middle class Chinese tourists typically go to Japan, the US or even Thailand for medical checks combined with a vacation but have begun to set their sights on Australia.

Chinese tourists are flocking to St Vincent's Hospital. Picture : Ian Currie

“It’s a new sector for Australia but there is high demand with 100 million Chinese people seeking medical tourism,” Mr Burns said.

“It is such an intense lifestyle in China where they are plugged in 24/7, competitive, have long commutes to work and then long hours at work. They are seeking a healthier lifestyle and that’s translating into their travel habits.”

Their wellness holiday starts with an appointment at the Executive Health Solutions clinic at St Vincent’s in Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane where they undergo a range of tests including blood pressure, chest X-rays, abdominal ultrasounds, bowel cancer tests and blood tests. Men can receive prostate cancer tests and women have mammograms.

The results are ready within 24 hours.

“One of the key selling points is that, in China, they wait so long to see a doctor and then the consultation lasts less than 10 minutes but in Australia they have at least an hour long consultation with the doctor,” he said.

“They have a Chinese translator and it’s a comprehensive consultation.”

Some tourists are shunning The Twelve Apostles in favour of St Vincent’s.

Mr Burns, who runs the Gaibo Agency, said wellness travel is the fastest growing sector in China, growing 33 per cent in the past two years. There are 10 million yoga practitioners in China but Mr Burns said yoga is one of their favourite activities on a wellness trip to Australia where the packages start at $3000 for a week.

“They want to experience another culture as well and love the fresh air here,” he said.

“They go to Peninsula Hot Springs or Hepburn Springs for the spa experience and we design packages for them to include lifestyle coaching, meditation, spa treatments and they particularly like healthy food options because they value the high quality of food and wine here.”

The other shift in Chinese tourism has been a move away from large busloads of tourists towards independent travellers.

As language barriers have improved and confidence has increased, 70 per cent of Chinese travellers are now independent.

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Most who visit Australia for wellness are aged 25-45 and women are driving the trend with packages beginning earlier this year.

“It’s the `she economy’,” he said.

“There are a lot of girlfriend holidays with the younger women all looking to experience wellness together.”