Healt tourism economy and evaluation of Diyarbakır province in terms of healt tourism

Tourism is defined as individuals traveling to a region other than where they live for various reasons. Health tourism is travel for medical care. This type of travel is divided into subcategories such as medical tourism, thermal/spa tourism, elderly tourism and disability-free tourism. Medical tourism is also divided into branches such as dental, aesthetic, fertility, bariatrics, transplantation, stem cell therapy and euthanasia tourism. Health tourism is a dynamic sector with a wide range of activities and contributes greatly to a country's economic development, employment and investment opportunities. This market, which operates on the basis of liberal economic principles, has a strong supply and demand balance. Individuals who care about their health create demand, while investments and service production determine supply. Appropriate pricing, quality service delivery and effective marketing strategies provide a competitive advantage by increasing the number of health tourists. Turkey has an important position in the world health tourism market. The main reasons for this are the high quality of health services in Turkey, more affordable prices compared to other countries, ease of transportation and the presence of rich thermal facilities in the country. Diyarbakır is a city located in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey and is advantageous in terms of transportation. It has been an important crossroads throughout history and attracts many tourists thanks to its rich historical and cultural heritage. In addition, Diyarbakır, which has developed accommodation facilities, has a great potential for health tourism. In the first part of this study, the concept of tourism, definition, types, characteristics and historical development of health tourism are analyzed. In the second part, health tourism in Turkey and its economic effects are discussed. In the third part, the geographical location, economic characteristics, tourism in Diyarbakır and health tourism in Diyarbakır are discussed. As a result of the study, it was determined that Diyarbakır is a suitable city for health tourism with its geographical location, transportation facilities and metropolitan status and that its opportunities in this field should be improved. It is predicted that this development will make significant contributions to both the city and the national economy.