Evaluation of Medical Tourism as a Touristic Product

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate medical tourism as a touristic product in Türkiye from the perspective of medical tourism stakeholders. Within the scope of the study, interviews were conducted with 72 medical tourism shareholders consisting of health workers, hotel and travel agency managers working in different public and private sector institutions in Antalya. The data was obtained between 15.10.2019-15.05.2020 and analyzed by content analysis. Based on the stakeholders’ point of views, SWOT analysis of medical tourism in Türkiye was conducted and some recommendations were made. According to the study results, Türkiye's main strengths in medical tourism are; (a) following/implementing up-to-date and trustworthy technologies, having top quality medical education/medical development and qualified and experienced doctors in Türkiye, (b) cheaper, lower prices, reasonable prices, higher quality and cheaper services than competitors and (c) geographical location/geopolitical location and easy/short time accessibility. The weaknesses of Türkiye in medical tourism are; (i) lack of foreign language speaking workforce in public hospitals, (ii) insufficient promotion and marketing activities, and (iii) terrorist attacks and ongoing political instability in the neighbor countries.