Cuba, a highly sought-after destination in medical tourism, has announced plans to expand services in many areas of health tourism. The expansion will not only be in terms of space but also attention will be given on capacity building, said Director of the Cira Garcia health centre, Joaquin Garcia, a leading health centre in Cuba.

In Caribbean Journal, an online news source, Curacao-based development consultants, Miguel Goede and Runy Calmera, cite opportunities ranging from the film industry, higher education to ecotourism and sports, and note the special advantages of medical tourism.

The number of Americans traveling abroad for medical procedures continues to increase. Patients Beyond Borders estimates that approximately 1.2 million Americans went to a foreign country for medical care in 2014, compared to 900,000 Americans in 2013.

Shomari Scott, marketing director of Health City Cayman Islands, one of the Caribbean's newest healthcare facilities, said that the international hospital's strategy to attract more travelers seeking medical attention has been given the thumbs up by the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism.

Anuja Agrawal jumped on the phone. President Obama had just announced that he would restore diplomatic relations with Cuba — and Ms. Agrawal, who runs a medical tourism company in Orlando, Fla., did not want to miss her opening.

The island nation’s medical facilities are, by and large, better equipped than hospitals in neighboring countries of the Caribbean, and with modest investment, observers say, the country could attract more students and trainees from hospitals and managed care providers in the U.S.