Factors influencing medical tourism destination choice: A study aimed at measuring Turkey's perception of foreign medical tourists

Medical tourism, which is an important sub-branch of health tourism, is considered an alternative tourism that contributes to the economy of counries as a high-value added strategic alternative tourism source in recent years. The aim of this research is to identify the reasons why foreign medical tourists prefer Turkey and to reveal the image of Turkey's medical tourism. Research was conducted by sending an online questionnaire to prospective medical tourists who are researching information about Turkey as a medical tourism destination and who are fluent in English. Within the scope of research, 317 potential medical tourism has been reached and the data obtained from these individuals was evaluated with the "SPSS 25 Package Program". As a result of the analyses made, potential medical tourists care about the most security issues when choosing a destination (mean=5.1183; sd=1.0020), then, respectively, to the medical care quality offered by the potential medical tourism destination (mean=4.9606; sd=1.0010), the availability of the desired medical treatment in the country (mean=4.8486; 1.4730), the hygiene level of the potential medical tourism destination (mean=4.8155; sd=1.1380), the saving potential provided by the potential medical tourism destination (mean=4.7603; sd=1.3670) and tourism opportunities provided by the potential medical tourism destinations (mean=4.7587; sd=1.0770). Participants with high internal health control focus have been found to have higher motivation in dealing with Turkey (r=0.113; 317; p=0.02). Medical tourists who do not think that the costs of medical care can be paid in their counries have been determined to have a higher motivation for Turkey (r=-0.227; n=317; p=0.00). It has been found that those who have been waiting for Access to health care services in their country and who have a negative attitude towards unnecessary administrative procedures have higher motivation to deal with Turkey (r=-0.168; n=317; p=0.01).