The impact of digital marketing tools on medical tourists' destination choice: The case of Northern Iraq

Objective: Digital marketing tools are one of the important new methods in the marketing field of today's technology-based life. This new marketing approach is also used in medical tourism marketing, which has become an important sector in recent years. The purpose of this research is to examine the effects of digital marketing tools on the destination selection of medical tourists. Materials and Methods: This research was designed as a cross-sectional research type and causal research model. The research data were collected from 497 Iraqi medical tourists via face-to-face survey method. The survey form consisted of demographic questions and a 16-item five-dimensional scale of the use of digital marketing tools in medical tourism developed by the researchers. Binomial logistic regression analysis was performed with Jamovi version 2.4. Results: Logistic regression analysis model was found to be significant (R2=0.0553, p<0.001). Accordingly, E-mail SMS marketing tools (R2=0.1798, p>0.05) and social media marketing tools (R2=0.2031, p>0.05) sub-dimensions were not significant variables in destination choice, but search engine optimization (R2=0.2919, p<0.001), content marketing tools (R2=0.2601, p<0.05) and total scale (R2=0.2052, p<0.05) were found to be statistically significant. According to the model, a 1-unit increase in the search engine optimization score increases the probability of a potential medical tourist choosing the destination by 1.34 times, a 1-unit increase in the content marketing tools score increases the probability of a potential medical tourist choosing the destination by 1.30 times, and a 1-unit increase in the total scale score increases the probability of a potential medical tourist choosing the relevant destination by 1.21 times. Conclusion: Digital marketing tools have been seen as an important criterion in shaping the destination selection of medical tourists. It seems that medical tourism service providers' good use of digital media and seeing it as a marketing tool will increase their preferability.