Medical tourism turned Costa Rica into a health market with an unusual buyer: someone living four thousand kilometres away, who does not know the country, and who will make a medical decision based on what they see on a screen.

How to build trust with a patient who lives abroad

The full arrival walkthrough

From the airport to the clinic. It is the first doubt of any foreign patient and almost no clinic answers it.

Credentials explained by the professional

Where they studied, how many years they have practised, what certifications they hold. In medical tourism this is not vanity: it is necessary information.

The testimonial from the patient who has already gone home

At three or six months. It is worth infinitely more than one filmed on discharge day.

The real facility

Waiting room, operating theatre, recovery room. The foreign patient's unspoken doubt is whether the place meets standards.

The total cost, all inclusive

Consultation, procedure, accommodation, transfers. Compared honestly with the cost in their own country.

What the rules allow you to show

This is settled before filming, not after.

Advertising health services is regulated and cannot promise results or guarantee treatments. Professional bodies also have their own rules.

Health data is sensitive: any testimonial requires explicit written consent detailing the intended use, including international paid media, and allowing it to be withdrawn.

And clinical images are not published without specific authorisation for that use.

Which creators to hire

Real patients before professional creators. In this category an overly polished testimonial raises immediate suspicion.

And the decision with the most impact: hiring creators who speak English naturally. If your target patient is American or Canadian, subtitled Spanish content does not compete with content in English.

The brief that produces good material

Include: what can and cannot be claimed, the signed consent, the main objection, three hooks and the disclosure wording.

The Costa Rican calendar

The peaks are the dry season, when foreign patients prefer to travel, and the end of the year, when medical cover budgets free up in the United States.

Where to go next

In medical tourism, trust is built before the patient sets foot in the country. Our complete UGC guide for brands explains the rest of the process.