Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The Third Global Forum on Medical Tourism will be held in Puerto Vallarta from August 22-24, 2012. New attendees to the conference this year will include the 10 largest companies that manage groups of patients traveling to destinations where treatment prices are less expensive than in their home locations.

The director of the Forum, Real Carlos Arceo, who is considered to be an expert in this field in Mexico and Latin America, said that event organizers are progressing at a good pace with the inclusion of a large number of experts from various countries.

"This year the Forum will bring medical tourism facilitators, brokers, travel agencies, insurance companies, finance, and media companies specializing in the US and Canada.

He stressed the importance of including companies that organize trips for "medical tourists," so they have the opportunity to meet with travel agents and local hoteliers through a preset appointment system. According to the director this will transform the 2012 forum into a real business promotion which will present more speakers who are knowledgeable on the subject.

"The appointment system will provide opportunities for meetings between potential businesses interested in attracting tourists to destinations that have clinics, hospitals, and leading specialists in different fields. We expect to facilitate over a thousand appointments during the three days of the Forum."

He further stated that medical tourism is growing exponentially around the world, and that many regions are now receiving increasing flows of people seeking alternative medical treatments at lower cost than in their own countries. Mexico has great attributes in this regard, he said, with high-level hospitals and proximity to the United States and Canada, countries whose public health systems face many challenges.

Carlos Arceo also announced that in late April he will travel to Costa Rica to participate in a seminar on medical tourism in that country which has invested heavily in this area. He will then fly to Germany, where he has been invited to the European Forum on Medical Tourism. For more information, visit CongresoDeTurismoMedico.com.