Medical tourism destination comparison of public-private management: Bursa the destination

Conjunction with developments of technology, communication and transportation facilities, getting health service by people from a country other than their home country to maintain or improve their existing health lead to be formed health tourism as a kind of alternative tourism. Because of its high income, surgical and medical tourism requiring specialization applications is developing rapidly. Developing countries started to compete each other to get a market share of fast moving medical tourism. Countries give weight to promotion and marketing activities to catch foreign patient's attention and go into the effort of turning into medical tourism destinations. In this study, the position of Turkey and Bursa in the medical tourism market and their current situation as a medical tourism destination was searched. The information about the medical tourism market potential of Turkey was presented. Process of international patient cycle and medical tourism stakeholders involved in this process and stakeholders' management, the role of public sector in the medical tourism process has been explained. Especially, SWOT analyze of the current potential of Bursa to be a destination for medical tourism and the studies for efficient use and development of this potential were examined. The information is given on what should Bursa and Turkey do to be a medical tourism destination.