Globalisation has intensified in many parts of the world, becoming an important challenge for public health institutions and policymakers. Although many studies have been conducted on the role of globalization in healthcare, no consensus has been reached on its effects. In this commentary, we attempt to evaluate the drivers of healthcare globalization and their effect on medical tourism destination selection. The focus of the commentary is the effects of globalization on patients, whose primary purpose is to travel for planned treatment for health reasons. People from developed countries look for alternative healthcare services and travel to developing countries for cost-effective medical care. Factors which foster medical tourism include demographic changes, remodeling of the healthcare industry, modern technological changes and advanced medical practices, including cost and quality considerations. This commentary presents a list of key factors related to globalization and their effects on medical tourism.