Feasibility Study of Hotel-Hospital Establishment Project with Aim of CIS Countries’ Market
Abstract:
Tourism industry is the third largest industry in the world after oil and automotive industries. Due
to combination of two high-income travel and medical industries, health tourism is one of the
greatest tourism industries in the world. Having a history of traditional medicine, our country can
achieve an acceptable position in this field. According to statistical information of the World
Tourism Organization (UNWTO), by entering every seven foreign tourists in a country, one job
opportunity is created, and this rate is one for every four people in health tourism.
An important criterion in choosing the treatment location is the space availability for the patient's
companions in a hospital. By health tourism prosperity and creation of modern hospitals and hotelhospitals, the potential of the country's health sector to present services for foreign patients can be
used. By attracting health tourists and providing care services according to international standards,
as well as hiring expert staff, investment in health sector will be profitable.
Iran has abundant capacities to attract health tourists including:
- Yazd and Tehran Infertility Treatment Centers
- Dental services, dialysis centers, heart, plastic, eye and orthopedic surgery centers in
Mashhad and Tehran
- Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and kidney and liver transplantation in Shiraz
- Herbal Medical Services in Hamedan
Health tourism sector in Iran has following potentials in terms of foreign demands:
- Abolishing visas with CIS countries and easy traveling
- Proximity to CIS countries for using Iran's medical care and hotel-hospitals
- Lower costs of medical services in Iran compared with CIS countries
- Having well-trained and proficient medical staff in Iran
- Common culture and language with the people of CIS countries
- High rate of business, commercial, and cultural delegation travels between Iran and CIS
countries
Aras Free Zone located close to Aras River and Caucasian and Central Asian countries has a great
influence on enhancing bilateral trades with neighboring countries especially Caucasian countries
also existence of beautiful tourist attractions and Jolfa-Tabriz railway, as one of the most important
railways in Iran that has a great influence on development of the country that connects Aras Free
Zone with independent countries and the common wealth of independent states, Caucasian
countries, Russia, Turkey, Black sea, Europe, Persian Gulf and Oman in the South. Moreover,
Tabriz-Jolfa railway linking Jolfa, Noordooz and Khoda Afarin with Nakhjavan, Armenia and
Azerbaijan.
On the other hand, Aras Free Zone enjoys from Medical capacity of Tabriz and existence of variety
of top innovative universities in Iran such as College of Tabriz, college of University of Tehran
(UT), College of Tehran university of Medical science with more than 12,000 students are the
advantages of constructing Hotel-Hospital in this region.
In addition to domestic patients’ treatment, the project can attract foreign patients and lead to
foreign currency entry and tourism industry improvement. Due to the fact that there is just one
hotel-hospital in the country, this project can be one of the first projects to be built and used in this
area and therefore, profitable. The first and the only hotel-hospital in the country is "Gandhi hotelhospital", which was inaugurated in 2013. This hotel-hospital has 100 hospital beds for patients,
40 ICU beds, 18 operating theaters and more than 90 suites for patients’ accommodation or their
companions. The foreign patients of this hotel-hospital comprise 25% of the total number of
patients who are provided with full welfare and hotel accommodations.
Unique Geo-economic location (Silk Road), proximity to European market and CIS countries,
Caucasian countries and Russia, access to international markets, transit and re-export of foreign
goods, enhancing appropriate discharge and loading infrastructures based on UNWTO standards,
and 20-year tax exemption according to free zones law are among advantages of investment in
Aras Free Zone.
Also granting part of the costs for the carriage of goods, discharge and loading, customs clearance
and contract costs and transit and export of foreign goods have created a very suitable condition
for a variety of economic activities in various fields in Aras Free Zone.
Advantages of Investment in Aras Free Zone:
- Inexpensive and proficient workforce
- Inexpensive energy costs
- Inexpensive inventory
- Inexpensive land
- High safety
- Customs duties exemption to import machinery
- Advantages of Value added law
- 20-years customs duties exemption according to Free Zones Law
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