Sun, sea, sand and liposuction
All of a sudden, local orthodontic and plastic surgery clinics are raking in wads of cash from vanity tourists. In addition to Swedes, Danes, the Dutch and Germans, clients are hightailing it in from as far away as Ireland, France, and even the USA to take advantage of the fact that such treatments cost as much as five times less here than in richer Western nations, a result of the combined cheaper operating and living costs to be found on this side of the Oder.
Marcin Gaborski, president of the Hahs Implant and Orthodontic Clinic says the rush started "about a month before Poland's EU entry," and the clinic has already seen a 100 percent increase in foreign clients this year compared to 2003.
On average, clients at the clinic spend between €100 (zł.439) and €25,000 (zł.109,747), but foreign customers, which now account for one in ten of all business there, often splash out on more than one service in order to make the most of their sojourn east.
But it's not all cut and tuck at the Hahs Clinic, as it also affords clients the chance to relax in style by using the various golfing and yachting facilities available, as well as enjoying sightseeing trips in the surrounding countryside.
Grzegorz Grabowski, who together with his wife Janina, owns and runs the Aesthete plastic surgery clinic near Kraków, also reports surging numbers of foreign clients.
"Foreigners now make up around 30 percent of clients," he says, explaining that Spanish, Italian and German clients come to beautify themselves in Poland because operations that cost €5,000 (zł.21,976) in their own countries can be had for as little as zł.6,000 here.
Historic spas are also doing well. So much so, that Janek Hejek, marketing director of Uzdrowisko Połczyn Zdrój, 130 kilometers from the German border, doubts that the government has any intention of reviving privatization plans that foundered more than a year ago.
Reporting that there has been a 100 percent increase in clients this year, Hejek says the spa has established links with several German travel agencies, which has resulted in growing numbers of visits by elderly tourists, who mainly come to ease their rheumatism and receive treatment for neurological conditions.
Busko-Zdrój spa, meanwhile, which, among others things, offers children's allergy programs, even coordinates local festivals to attract clients and boasts visitors who fly in from Australia and New Zealand in addition to Western Europeans. And Alicja Bednawska, Busko-Zdrój's marketing director, sees no reason to privatize the spa. However, she adds, "Even so, we are also looking for private investors. For example, to build up a hotel complex."
Hejek, like Gaborski and Grabowski, says that though his company markets itself actively in the EU and USA, most clients are won over by word of mouth. And his comments seem to support the view of independent health services consultant Adam Kruszewski that the biggest problem for the local health tourism industry is a lack of faith in local standards.
"Put it this way," he says, "I wouldn't go to the Ukraine for plastic surgery however much cheaper it was. And Poland is still, to many EU members, what the Ukraine is to us."
In his view, it'll take intense marketing and a lot of buzz form word of mouth to convince the rich West that Polish standards are up to scratch. He adds that cheaper service aren't the only deciding factor. For example, how Polish waiting times compare to those in the West is also of pertinence.
"Mostly, people don't start looking abroad unless there's some obstacle to realizing their demands on the local market," he explains. But, consumer confidence and waiting times aside, the prospects generally look rosy for the domestic health tourism market, especially given that, according to Robert Maciejko of the Boston Consulting Group, the cost of labor and living in Poland won't be catching up with the EU average for "several decades" to come. Fancy a nose job with your ice cream?
Marcin Gaborski, president of the Hahs Implant and Orthodontic Clinic says the rush started "about a month before Poland's EU entry," and the clinic has already seen a 100 percent increase in foreign clients this year compared to 2003.
On average, clients at the clinic spend between €100 (zł.439) and €25,000 (zł.109,747), but foreign customers, which now account for one in ten of all business there, often splash out on more than one service in order to make the most of their sojourn east.
But it's not all cut and tuck at the Hahs Clinic, as it also affords clients the chance to relax in style by using the various golfing and yachting facilities available, as well as enjoying sightseeing trips in the surrounding countryside.
Grzegorz Grabowski, who together with his wife Janina, owns and runs the Aesthete plastic surgery clinic near Kraków, also reports surging numbers of foreign clients.
"Foreigners now make up around 30 percent of clients," he says, explaining that Spanish, Italian and German clients come to beautify themselves in Poland because operations that cost €5,000 (zł.21,976) in their own countries can be had for as little as zł.6,000 here.
Historic spas are also doing well. So much so, that Janek Hejek, marketing director of Uzdrowisko Połczyn Zdrój, 130 kilometers from the German border, doubts that the government has any intention of reviving privatization plans that foundered more than a year ago.
Reporting that there has been a 100 percent increase in clients this year, Hejek says the spa has established links with several German travel agencies, which has resulted in growing numbers of visits by elderly tourists, who mainly come to ease their rheumatism and receive treatment for neurological conditions.
Busko-Zdrój spa, meanwhile, which, among others things, offers children's allergy programs, even coordinates local festivals to attract clients and boasts visitors who fly in from Australia and New Zealand in addition to Western Europeans. And Alicja Bednawska, Busko-Zdrój's marketing director, sees no reason to privatize the spa. However, she adds, "Even so, we are also looking for private investors. For example, to build up a hotel complex."
Hejek, like Gaborski and Grabowski, says that though his company markets itself actively in the EU and USA, most clients are won over by word of mouth. And his comments seem to support the view of independent health services consultant Adam Kruszewski that the biggest problem for the local health tourism industry is a lack of faith in local standards.
"Put it this way," he says, "I wouldn't go to the Ukraine for plastic surgery however much cheaper it was. And Poland is still, to many EU members, what the Ukraine is to us."
In his view, it'll take intense marketing and a lot of buzz form word of mouth to convince the rich West that Polish standards are up to scratch. He adds that cheaper service aren't the only deciding factor. For example, how Polish waiting times compare to those in the West is also of pertinence.
"Mostly, people don't start looking abroad unless there's some obstacle to realizing their demands on the local market," he explains. But, consumer confidence and waiting times aside, the prospects generally look rosy for the domestic health tourism market, especially given that, according to Robert Maciejko of the Boston Consulting Group, the cost of labor and living in Poland won't be catching up with the EU average for "several decades" to come. Fancy a nose job with your ice cream?
