Chris Pochiba is a social media influencer who traveled to South Korea for laser eye surgery in 2022. His wife, Sara Aho, explained why they chose South Korea, instead of other destinations. The Covid-19 pandemic, however, halted international travel — and, by extension, patient inflows — disrupting what was at the time a booming industry worth more than $70 billion. "We came back with less people, made more revenue than 2019, last year of 2022," Paul McTaggart, CEO and founder of medical travel agency Medical Departures, told CNBC. Paul added: "As you're seeing inflation at the pump, at the grocery store, you're also seeing it at the hospital.

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Persons: Chris Pochiba, influencer, Sara Aho, Aho, Paul McTaggart, Paul, we've Organizations: CNBC Locations: Turkey, Switzerland, South Korea, Korea, Mexico, Costa Rica, India, Thailand