What are the opening hours?

Monday 09:00 - 17:00 Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00 Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00 Thursday 09:00 - 17:00 Friday 09:00 - 17:00

Akwaaba African Travel Market

Home
Nigeria
Lagos
Akwaaba African Travel Market

AKWAABA African Travel Market. The only International Travel and Tourism Expo in West Africa since 2004. AKWAABA!!!..where Africa meets the World 🌍

09/07/2026

UNDERSTANDING REVERSE MEDICAL TOURISM

For many years, discussions about medical tourism in Africa centred on patients travelling abroad for specialised healthcare. Countries such as India, the United Arab Emirates, Türkiye, Germany, the United Kingdom, Egypt, and South Africa became popular destinations for African patients seeking treatment.

Today, a new trend is emerging “Reverse Medical Tourism”.

Reverse Medical Tourism refers to the process of attracting patients into a country for medical treatment instead of losing patients to overseas destinations. It reflects growing confidence in local healthcare systems and increased investment in specialist medical services.

The growth of reverse medical tourism is driven by several factors, including the establishment of specialist hospitals, improved healthcare infrastructure, advanced medical technology, internationally trained healthcare professionals, and better patient support services.

For Nigeria and Africa, reverse medical tourism has significant implications. It contributes to strengthening healthcare systems, retaining healthcare expenditure within the continent, creating employment opportunities across healthcare, hospitality, tourism, aviation, and related industries, and encouraging investment in medical research and innovation.

Reverse medical tourism does not eliminate outbound medical travel. Certain highly specialised treatments may still require international referrals. Instead, it focuses on expanding Africa’s capacity to provide more advanced healthcare services, allowing more patients to receive quality treatment closer to home while positioning the continent as a competitive destination for specialised medical care.

06/07/2026

WHAT IS MEDICAL TOURISM?

Understanding the words medical and tourism separately is not enough to fully explain the concept of Medical Tourism. Medical tourism is a combination of several interconnected activities that extend beyond receiving medical treatment.

When a person travels outside their usual place of residence or across international borders to obtain medical care, that journey is referred to as Medical Travel. However, when the journey also involves accommodation, transportation, hospitality services, patient coordination, cultural exposure, family support, leisure activities where medically appropriate, and other destination-related experiences, it becomes Medical Tourism.

Medical tourism is therefore not simply about visiting a hospital. It is an integrated ecosystem that combines quality healthcare with travel, hospitality, logistics, and patient support to provide a complete healthcare experience.

It is also important to distinguish Medical Tourism from Medical Evacuation. Patients travelling for emergency or life-saving treatment are participating in medical travel rather than medical tourism because their journey is focused solely on urgent medical intervention.

Today, Nigeria and several African countries are gradually evolving from being sources of outbound medical travel into destinations capable of receiving patients from across Africa and the diaspora through improved specialist hospitals, experienced healthcare professionals, modern medical technology, and internationally competitive healthcare services.

Medical tourism should therefore be viewed not only as a healthcare service but also as a multidisciplinary industry that connects medicine, tourism, hospitality, transportation, and economic development.

29/06/2026

Nominations for the AFRICA TRAVEL 100 AWARDS 2026 are NOW OPEN! 🌍
For the 2026 edition of the Africa Travel 100 Awards, we shall be recognizing top tour operators across Africa who have demonstrated excellence, innovation, leadership, and outstanding contributions to the growth and development of African tourism.
Do you have a proven track record of promoting African destinations and driving inbound tourism across the continent?
Eligibility Criteria:
✅ Must have at least five (5) years of experience in selling outbound tours into Africa
✅ Must sell tours into other African countries
✅ Must have done at least five 5 tours to any African country in the last 18 months
✅ Must be based in Africa
✅ Tour Operators can nominate themselves if they meet the criteria but must be endorsed by a tour operator from another country.
✅ Can be nominated by a past winner of Africa Travel 100 Awards as an endorsement.
📌 Submit your nomination today!
https://atqnews.com/africa-travel-100-award-2026-nominations/
🏆 The Africa Travel 100 Awards will be held on 14th September 2026 during the Tour Operators Summit at the AKWAABA African Travel Market.

25/06/2026

The next decade could reshape healthcare across the continent.

Key trends include:
• Telemedicine
• Artificial Intelligence
• Cross-border healthcare partnerships
• Specialised treatment centres
• Healthcare infrastructure investment
• Patient-centred care
Africa has the population,talent, and demand.

The question is:
What will be the biggest driver of medical tourism growth in Africa over the next 10 years?

Healthcare infrastructure investment and the development of specialised treatment centres, particularly through public-private partnerships and cross-border collaborations, will likely be the biggest driver.
This stands out over the other trends for inbound medical tourism growth across Africa in the next decade, based on current patterns, market reports, and regional dynamics.
In short, Africa’s population, talent, and demand provide a strong base. The decisive factor for medical tourism growth vs. general healthcare improvement will be tangible, high-quality destinations that patients are willing to travel to, built through infrastructure investment and partnerships. This positions the continent to retain more spending onshore and attract inflows over the next decade.
The future of medical tourism in Africa is not about competing with the rest of the world,it’s about building a healthcare ecosystem that inspires confidence, delivers excellence, and keeps more African patients within the continent. Through innovation, investment, and collaboration, Africa can become a leading destination for quality healthcare.

22/06/2026

Healthcare demand continues to rise across Africa, driven by population growth, urbanization, rising chronic diseases, and increasing awareness of quality care.

At the same time, we are seeing a clear shift in how healthcare is being structured economically. It is no longer just a public service conversation, it is becoming a serious investment sector conversation too.

Across the continent, opportunities are emerging in several key areas:

• Specialty hospitals (cardiology, oncology, fertility, orthopedics)

• Diagnostic and imaging centers

• Telemedicine and remote consultations

• Rehabilitation and long-term care facilities

• Medical travel facilitation and coordination services

• Digital health platforms and healthtech solutions

But despite this clear demand, capital allocation in healthcare remains uneven. Some segments attract funding easily, while others struggle to scale due to regulatory barriers, infrastructure gaps, affordability issues, and fragmented systems.

This raises an important question for investors, policymakers, and healthcare leaders:

If you were deploying capital into healthcare today, where would you focus, and what makes that segment the most viable in Africa’s current environment?

Is it infrastructure-heavy models like hospitals and diagnostics?

Or asset-light models like digital health and telemedicine?

Or perhaps the fast-growing medical travel ecosystem?

Let’s have an honest conversation.

18/06/2026

Medical Tourism Is More Than Medicine. It’s an Entire Ecosystem of Opportunities!

When many people hear medical tourism, they think only of doctors, nurses, and hospitals. But behind every successful patient journey is a network of professionals working together to make the experience seamless, safe, and stress-free.

For Africa’s young people, this presents exciting career opportunities beyond the clinical space. From project management and patient advocacy to healthcare marketing, travel coordination, customer service, and digital health, the industry needs a diverse range of skills and talents.

As healthcare travel continues to grow globally, so does the demand for professionals who can bridge healthcare, tourism, technology, and customer experience.

The question is: What skills should young Africans start developing today to become leaders in tomorrow’s healthcare travel industry?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

15/06/2026

Medical tourism creates opportunities far beyond hospitals.

It supports:

• Healthcare professionals
• Travel consultants
• Medical coordinators
• Hotels
• Transportation providers
• Technology companies
• Insurance services

One patient journey can support multiple sectors of the economy.

Could medical tourism become a major source of employment in Africa?

Why or why not?

11/06/2026

What Makes a Country a Medical Tourism Destination?

Successful medical tourism destinations don’t emerge by accident.

They invest in:

• Infrastructure
• Specialist training
• Technology
• Patient experience
• International accreditation
• Ease of travel

In your opinion, what is the single most important factor that attracts international patients to a country?

08/06/2026

Countries like India, Turkey, Thailand, and the UAE have transformed healthcare into a major economic sector.
International patients contribute to:

• Hospital revenues
• Tourism income
• Employment
• Foreign exchange earnings

Healthcare is no longer just a service.
In many countries, it has become an export industry.

Could Nigeria and other African nations build healthcare systems capable of attracting international patients in the future?

Let’s discuss.

Address

Majekodunmi Street, Opebi Allen
Lagos

Opening Hours

Monday	09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	09:00 - 17:00
Thursday	09:00 - 17:00
Friday	09:00 - 17:00

Telephone

+2348146288455

Website

https://www.africantravelmarkets.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Akwaaba African Travel Market posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Akwaaba African Travel Market:

Want your business to be the top-listed Travel Agency in Lagos?