Marbella strengthens its position as a health tourism destination for international patients

Travelling to Marbella is no longer only about beaches, golf, gastronomy or luxury hotels. For a growing number of international visitors, healthcare is becoming one of the main reasons to come.

In recent years, the city has developed a broad network of private hospitals, specialist clinics and medical centres geared towards international patients, many of them prepared to support patients from their first consultation through treatment and follow-up.

This trend is part of the wider phenomenon known as medical tourism or health tourism, in which patients travel away from their usual place of residence to access treatment, surgery, a second medical opinion or a specific wellness programme.

In Marbella, this activity also benefits from an unusual combination of private healthcare, international professionals, air connections, high-end hotels and a climate that supports tourism throughout most of the year.

75% of HC Marbella patients come from abroad

One of the clearest examples of the international profile of Marbella’s private healthcare sector comes from HC Marbella International Hospital.

The hospital states that 75% of its patients currently come from outside Spain.

That means three out of every four patients treated at the centre are international.

The hospital also has a department specifically dedicated to these patients, supporting them before, during and after their stay.

Care can be provided in several languages, and medical reports can be made available in English.

The centre also has staff able to assist in languages including French, German, Russian and Arabic.

Much more than translating a consultation

Treating an international patient involves needs that go far beyond the medical appointment itself.

Someone travelling for treatment may require help with documentation, appointments, private insurance, authorisations, diagnostic tests or planning their stay.

For this reason, some Marbella hospitals have created dedicated international patient and international relations departments.

These teams act as a point of contact between the patient and the different hospital services.

They may also assist with guarantees from foreign insurance companies and help organise the care process before the patient arrives in Spain.

Marbella officially promotes health tourism

Medical tourism is not simply a label used by hospitals and clinics.

Marbella’s own tourism platform includes health tourism as part of the city’s offer for international visitors.

Its health and wellbeing section includes private hospitals, specialist clinics and wellness centres.

The city is home to facilities such as HC Marbella International Hospital, Hospital Quirónsalud Marbella, Hospital Ochoa, Buchinger Wilhelmi, Clínica Premium and a wide range of specialist clinics.

This diversity allows Marbella to offer everything from general consultations to more complex medical treatments and programmes focused on prevention and wellbeing.

Oncology, surgery, dentistry and aesthetic medicine

Medical tourism is not linked to just one speciality.

International patients may travel for many different reasons.

One of the most relevant areas is oncology, particularly when a patient is seeking a second opinion, specific technology or a highly specialised team.

There is also demand in areas such as:

• surgery;
• traumatology;
• cardiology;
• fertility;
• ophthalmology;
• dentistry;
• plastic surgery;
• aesthetic medicine;
• rehabilitation;
• prevention and wellness programmes.

The length of stay depends entirely on the treatment involved.

A dental procedure may require only a few days, while other medical processes can involve several weeks of follow-up.

Dental tourism also targets international patients

Dentistry is one of the areas where adaptation to foreign patients is particularly visible.

Some clinics in Marbella offer programmes specifically designed for people travelling from other countries.

Certain treatments can even be organised so that they are completed within relatively short stays.

This model can be attractive to patients who want to combine medical care with several days on the Costa del Sol.

Being able to receive treatment in English, German, French or other languages also makes communication between patient and doctor easier.

Language becomes a key factor

When someone receives medical treatment outside their own country, communication becomes especially important.

It is not enough to simply manage a basic conversation.

Patients need to understand diagnoses, tests, risks, medication, post-treatment instructions and medical documentation.

For that reason, bilingual professionals and international teams have become one of the main distinguishing features of Marbella’s private healthcare sector.

For some centres, international care is not an added service but a central part of their healthcare model.

A city used to treating foreign patients

Marbella also has an important advantage over many other destinations.

Its international population is not purely seasonal.

A significant number of people from the United Kingdom, Germany, the Nordic countries, France, the Netherlands and many other countries live permanently or for several months of the year in Marbella and the wider Costa del Sol.

This has encouraged the development of doctors and clinics accustomed to working with foreign patients on a daily basis.

As a result, speaking several languages, dealing with international insurance companies and treating people who are not permanent residents in Spain has become part of everyday healthcare provision.

Medical tourism generates activity beyond the hospital

The economic impact of an international patient does not end with the medical bill.

Someone travelling to Marbella for treatment will usually also need accommodation, food and transport.

In many cases, patients do not travel alone.

A relative or companion may stay with them for part or all of the visit.

This creates additional activity for:

• hotels and apartments;
• restaurants;
• taxis and private transport;
• pharmacies;
• translation services;
• physiotherapy and rehabilitation;
• shops;
• care and assistance companies;
• insurers and healthcare management services.

The more complex the procedure, the longer the stay may be and the greater the amount spent outside the medical centre itself.

Do medical tourists spend more than conventional tourists?

Comparing the two profiles is not straightforward because the cost of medical treatment can vary enormously.

A specialist consultation, a dental procedure and a surgical operation all have very different price levels.

For this reason, there is no single figure that can be used as an average cost for all medical tourists.

What is clear is that certain treatments can add thousands of euros to the total cost of the trip before accommodation, food and transport are even included.

As a general reference, international visitors to Spain in July 2026 spent an average of €1,579 per trip, according to the latest available data from Spain’s National Statistics Institute.

For a trip centred around a medical procedure of a certain level of complexity, total spending can be significantly higher.

Economic impact depends on the type of treatment

Not all medical tourists generate the same level of spending.

Someone travelling for a diagnostic test may stay in Marbella for only one or two days.

A surgical patient may need accommodation before and after the procedure, follow-up appointments and several days of recovery.

Other treatments, including some fertility, oncology or rehabilitation programmes, may require multiple journeys.

This gives medical tourism one particularly interesting characteristic for the destination: it can generate stays linked to a specific need rather than only to traditional holiday seasons.

Health tourism can help reduce seasonality

Another important factor is seasonality.

Healthcare demand does not depend on July and August.

Patients may travel at any point during the year, which can help generate activity when holiday tourism is lower.

For Marbella, this fits with the wider goal of remaining active throughout all twelve months.

Golf, events, gastronomy, residential tourism and private healthcare can all help reduce dependence on the peak summer season.

Climate also forms part of the appeal

Marbella Town Hall also highlights factors beyond healthcare itself.

The climate, hotel offer and Mediterranean lifestyle all form part of the image the city projects as a health and wellbeing destination.

For some patients, being able to recover in a calm environment with mild temperatures can be appealing.

This does not replace clinical criteria in any way, but it can influence the decision when several destinations offer similar treatments.

Private hospitals with dedicated international services

The adaptation to foreign patients is visible in other centres as well.

Hospital Quirónsalud Marbella has a specific international patient service and offers support with appointments and personalised care.

The hospital also provides dozens of medical specialities and a 24-hour emergency service.

In September 2026, it became the first private hospital in Marbella to achieve the Optimal level of certification from the Andalusian Healthcare Quality Agency.

This certification adds to other quality standards already implemented by the hospital.

Specialisation and reputation are decisive factors

Price is not the only factor an international patient considers when choosing where to receive treatment.

For complex procedures, the experience of the specialist, available technology and reputation of the centre may matter more than cost.

That means Marbella competes in a different segment from destinations that base their medical tourism strategy primarily on lower prices.

The city’s model combines private medical care with international services and a high-end tourism environment.

The role of international health insurance

Another factor supporting the growth of this market is the relationship between hospitals and insurance companies.

Foreign residents and patients travelling specifically for healthcare may have international medical insurance.

Correctly managing approvals, coverage and payment guarantees can be essential before certain treatments begin.

Hospital international departments can help coordinate these processes and act as intermediaries between the patient, insurer and medical team.

Medical tourists and foreign residents are not the same thing

There is also an important distinction to make.

Not every foreign patient treated in a Marbella hospital is a medical tourist.

Many are international residents who live permanently or for part of the year on the Costa del Sol.

This makes it difficult to measure the exact size of the medical tourism market.

A hospital can have a very high percentage of foreign patients without all of them having travelled specifically from another country for treatment.

For this reason, figures on international patients need to be interpreted carefully.

A difficult sector to measure, but increasingly visible

Spain does not currently publish a regular official statistic showing exactly how many people travel to Marbella each year specifically for healthcare.

This makes it difficult to calculate the sector’s total economic impact with precision.

However, there are many signs of its growing importance.

International hospitals, dedicated foreign patient departments, multilingual professionals and services adapted to overseas insurers all point to established demand.

This is reinforced by the fact that health tourism is also promoted institutionally as part of Marbella’s official tourism offer.

Marbella brings healthcare and tourism together

The growth of international private healthcare adds a new dimension to Marbella’s tourism economy.

The city is not only competing for visitors looking for sun and beaches.

It is also attracting people interested in sport, golf, gastronomy, events, wellness and increasingly healthcare.

For hospitals and clinics, international patients represent a growing market.

For hotels, restaurants and service companies, they can mean customers travelling outside the traditional holiday season and staying for periods linked to their treatment.

And for Marbella, it strengthens an image the city has built over decades: that of an international destination where tourism, services and a large foreign population are all part of the same reality.