Qualitative Research on the Potential of Medical Tourism: Case of Antalya

Abstract

This study aims to reveal Antalya's medical tourism potential. Antalya hosts thirteen million of tourists in average annually. The infrastructure of the region and the investments in means of transportation strengthen the region in terms of medical tourism every passing day. GZFT/SWOT analysis was used to assess the current status of the medical tourism in Antalya. The medical tourism potential of Antalya is revealed based on case study, one of the qualitative research designs. The data obtained through the face to face interviews with semi-structured interview forms within the scope of the research was organized with the "Content Analysis Method" through NVivo 11 qualitative data analysis program. The participant opinions were organized in 81 codes under four categories. The reliability coefficient related to coding was determined as 0.80. The reliability degree of coding is quite high. Antalya is considered positive in terms of accessibility, being a center of classical tourism, and its technological infrastructure for medical services. However, it is considered negative in terms of lack of legislation, ethical practices, and issues related to healthcare professionals' language skills.