Evaluation of health tourism practices in Thrace region

Today, positive developments such as rapid advances in technology, increase in life expectancy, desire to spend leisure time, increase in income level and the right to paid holidays have brought many different dimensions to touristic travel. When tourism is mentioned, not only traveling and vacationing come to mind. But also people sometimes try to take advantage of holiday opportunities for reasons such as protecting their health, receiving treatment and improving their health conditions. Accordingly, health tourism has become a sector that attracts the attention of all countries of the world. There are various reasons why people are interested in health tourism. The main reasons are that some countries can better follow the technological advances in the medical sector, people's treatment costs are very high and waiting times are long in their own countries, and they believe that they will receive better quality health care in another country. Türkiye has become a sought-after health tourism destination for international patients. In light of these changes and developments in our country, the Thrace region is one of the sectors with growth potential in health tourism with its strategic geographical location, health infrastructure, natural and cultural resources. The aim of this study is to examine the health tourism practices in the Thrace region. The literature review method was mainly used in the study.