Hold your nose, because information about medical tourism sometimes stinks.

But this is no surprise to most medical travel professionals.

From Forbes to Treatment Abroad and the Medical Tourism Association, it seems no one can resist listing the best, the most popular, the trendiest medical destinations. Oh, wait, there is no “trendiest” list of medical tourism “hotspots” … yet.

Many of these lists, for lack of ANY criteria, are manufactured from thin air. The people who create these lists are under the mistaken impression that this sort of false advertising will draw medical tourists. Their purpose is to promote, mislead, or spam.

You know a list of medical tourism leading destinations is fake if …

1. It contains the phrase “medical tourists are flocking to”
2. It includes doubtful destinations like Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka or Australia
3. It doesn’t include India and Thailand, the most popular destinations
4. It promises 10 but lists only 8 destinations
5. You’ve never heard of the “author” or the “source”
6. The authors pretend not to have a financial interest in promoting a particular destination or provider there
7. It includes just about every country you’ve heard of that might possibly be, or aspires to be, a medical destination

What are other signs that tell you the list of popular or top or best or leading medical tourism destinations is false?