Florida lawmakers are considering a measure to allocate $5 million annually in state funds to add medical tourism to the list of state attractions. The money would go to promote a combination of hospitality and medical care to people from places both domestic and foreign, including the Middle East, the Caribbean and Europe.

The Caribbean region can boost its bottom line by developing a medical tourism product that takes advantage of its brand as a great vacation destination, its proximity to North America as well as its tourism facilities.

As the Caribbean looks to develop its medical tourism dreams into realities, the Turks and Caicos Islands are looking to join the fray. The British Overseas Territory’s Cabinet announced this week that it had approved the membership of a Medical Tourism Steering Committee.

The proximity to a big-ticket market like the United States, cost-saving efforts and the high level of its experts and centers have made Latin America gain ground in the realm of medical tourism, a trendsetting move that has already put major travel destinations from the region on the map, such as Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Cuba.