Elitour Greek Health Tourism Council

What Elitour Greek Health Tourism Council does

Elitour (Greek Health Tourism Council) is a non-governmental, non-profit organization established in 2013 and headquartered in Athens, Greece. Its functional purpose is to promote Greece internationally as a destination for health and wellness tourism, acting as a coordinating council rather than a direct service provider. The organization operates a membership network of more than 150 members drawn from hospitals, clinics, dental and dermatology practices, fertility (IVF) centers, airlines (Aegean Airlines), hotels (via the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels), research institutes (CERTH, HYGIEIA), and tourism facilitators across 16+ healthcare service categories including clinics, dentistry, dermatology, diagnostics, dialysis, general surgery, gynecology/IVF, neurological surgery, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, pediatrics, plastic surgery, rehabilitation, thermal springs, and spa & wellness.

Elitour does not own or operate healthcare facilities itself. Its "product" is a directory/cluster platform that aggregates Greek providers, certifies services against national legislation, and matches international patients to member providers through events, bilateral forums, and partnerships with entities such as Athens International Airport and the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels. The organization is led by President George Patoulis, who simultaneously heads the Athens Medical Association and the Global Doctors' Hippocratic Institute, providing embedded medical-association reach.

The business model is membership-based subscription funding. Elitour generates revenue from recurring membership fees paid by healthcare providers, tourism businesses, and related organizations enrolling through its website. Specific fee schedules are not publicly disclosed. The organization is small (1–10 employees) and does not publish revenue figures; it functions as a cooperative cluster/NGO rather than a profit-generating enterprise, and reports no equity funding rounds. Strategic positioning is funded through member dues supplemented by access to European funding for methodology development in health and wellness tourism.

Name

Elitour Greek Health Tourism Council

Legal name

ELITOUR

Website

https://elitour.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Elitour is a Greek non-profit council, founded in 2013, that coordinates a network of 150+ hospitals, clinics, hotels, airlines, and research bodies to promote Greece internationally as a health and wellness tourism destination.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Athens

HQ country

Greece

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: ELITOUR operates through membership contributions from healthcare providers, tourism businesses, and related organizations in the health and wellness tourism sector. The organization offers membership enrollment through their website.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Elitour is a non-profit NGO that promotes Greece as a health, medical, and wellness tourism destination by coordinating a network of 150+ member healthcare providers and tourism businesses. It operates an online Health & Wellness Services Directory covering 16+ categories of services and facilitates connections between international patients and member providers. The council also acts as an industry representative body, advocating for the sector and supporting members through promotional and certification activities.

Product overview

ELITOUR (Greek Health Tourism Council) is a membership-based NGO established in 2013 that promotes Greece as a premier health and wellness tourism destination. The organization operates as a network platform connecting international health tourists with Greek healthcare providers and tourism services. Its product portfolio includes a comprehensive Health & Wellness Services Directory covering 16 service categories (Clinics, Dentistry, Dermatology, Diagnostics, Dialysis, General Surgery, Gynecology-IVF, Neurological Surgery, Oncology, Ophthalmology, Orthopedics, Pediatrics, Plastic Surgery, Rehabilitation, Thermal Springs, Spa & Wellness), as well as specialized medical services offered by member organizations including IQ SKIN CLINICS (dermatology, laser treatments, anti-aging, hair transplantation), Seneca Medical Group (hair restoration), and Anastasakis Hair Clinic (hair transplant surgery). ELITOUR does not offer a unified software product but rather serves as an aggregator and promotional body for Greece's health tourism ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Elitour Membership Program Annual membership program for Greek healthcare providers, clinics, wellness centers, tourism facilitators, and ancillary service businesses that join the council. Members gain access to collective advocacy, promotional channels, and referral pathways for international patients.
• Health & Wellness Services Directory Public online directory listing 16+ categories of Greek health and wellness service providers, serving as a discovery and reference tool for international patients and facilitators researching Greek health tourism options.
• International Patient Referral Facilitation Service connecting international patients seeking medical, wellness, or healthcare services in Greece with member providers through the council's network and directory.

Quantifiable outcome

• Greece well positioned to achieve international leadership in IVF, aesthetic medicine, rehabilitation, dialysis, ophthalmology, dental tourism, Medical Wellness, Anti-Aging, and Longevity services

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Institute of Applied Biosciences of CERTHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 May 2024A cooperation agreement was signed between ELITOUR, the Institute of Applied Biosciences of CERTH (Centre for Research and Technology Hellas), and the HYGIEIA Research and Educational Cluster. This partnership aims to promote health and wellness tourism in Greece through research, innovation, and educational initiatives.
• HYGIEIA Research and Educational ClustercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 May 2024Partnership between ELITOUR, CERTH, and HYGIEIA Research and Educational Cluster to promote health and wellness tourism through collaborative research, innovation development, and educational programs in Greece's health tourism sector.
• Hellenic Chamber of HotelscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 July 2023ELITOUR and the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to promote health tourism in Greece. This partnership combines hotel accommodation services with healthcare offerings, creating comprehensive health tourism packages for international visitors.
• Athens International AirportcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023ELITOUR and Athens International Airport signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to promote health tourism. The partnership facilitates easy access for international health tourists arriving in Greece, supporting the health tourism ecosystem with convenient travel connections.
• Arab World Healthcare OrganizationsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerELITOUR builds bridges of cooperation with Arab world countries including Qatar, Iraq, Canada, and other Middle East and North Africa regions. Partnerships focus on attracting investments in hospital infrastructure, rehabilitation centers, wellness facilities, and longevity services, as well as developing synergies for establishing Greece as a reference destination for patients from the region.
• Global Doctors' Hippocratic InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresident George Patoulis serves as President of Global Doctors' Hippocratic Institute, linking ELITOUR with international medical networks and supporting the organization's mission to promote Greece as a health tourism destination.
• Athens Medical AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresident George Patoulis also serves as President of the Athens Medical Association (ISA), creating a direct link between Greece's medical professional community and ELITOUR's health tourism promotion activities.
• International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerELITOUR members including Seneca Medical Group and Anastasakis Hair Clinic participate in ISHRS World Congress and follow international protocols set by ISHRS and ABHRS, positioning Greece as a hub for hair restoration tourism.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Korea Tourism Organization (Medical Korea): Korean government's national health tourism promotion program operated under the Korea Tourism Organization. Far larger budget and brand footprint than ELITOUR, but functionally comparable in promoting a country's medical services to international patients.

Others

• Treatment Abroad: UK-based patient information and directory platform for cross-border medical treatment. Adjacent ecosystem intermediary that routes patient demand to providers — overlapping with ELITOUR's directory and referral role.
• International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ): Media, research, and conference platform covering the medical tourism industry. Not a direct competitor but a closely adjacent ecosystem participant that influences destination branding and policy in the same space where ELITOUR operates.

Direct peers

• Dubai Health Experience (DXH): Dubai's official health tourism brand under the Dubai Health Authority, coordinating marketing, licensing, and patient experience for Dubai-based providers. Closely comparable DMO structure targeting similar Middle East and international patient segments as ELITOUR.
• Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC): Government-backed national council responsible for promoting Malaysia as a health tourism destination. Operates as a membership-based coordinating body across healthcare providers, hotels, and facilitators — directly analogous to ELITOUR's mandate for Greece.
• Medical Tourism Association: US-based international non-profit membership organization for the medical tourism industry, connecting hospitals, facilitators, and governments globally. Comparable in mission, membership model, and conference-driven GTM to ELITOUR.
• Global Healthcare Travel Council (GHTC): International industry body that aggregates national health tourism councils and promotes cross-border medical travel. ELITOUR participates in this peer network, and GHTC operates as a supra-national membership organization with similar advocacy and standards mandate.
• USHAŞ (Turkish Healthcare Travel Council): Turkey's state-affiliated health tourism coordination body, marketing Turkish hospitals and clinics internationally. Closest direct competitor in Mediterranean-region health tourism and a benchmark for ELITOUR's institutional positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elitour

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Elitour Greek Health Tourism Council