Bibliometrics and content analysis of digital marketing and neuromarketing studies in the health tourism sector

This study aims to examine the academic publications on digital marketing and neuromarketing within the context of the health tourism sector by using bibliometric and content analysis methods. The main objective is to evaluate how marketing strategies in digitized health services have evolved and to explore the role of neuromarketing techniques in shaping consumer behavior. Accordingly, relevant scholarly articles indexed in international databases were systematically reviewed. Bibliometric indicators such as publication trends by year, most productive authors, citation density, and keyword co-occurrence networks were analyzed. In addition, a thematic content analysis was conducted on selected studies, identifying recurring themes such as digital marketing channels, consumer engagement, data analytics, artificial intelligence applications, neuroscientific measurement tools (e.g., EEG, eye-tracking, fMRI), and patient experience. Findings indicate that digital marketing plays a vital role in the promotion of health tourism destinations, while neuromarketing enhances the effectiveness and targeting accuracy of these strategies. Particularly in the post-pandemic era, the growing reliance on digital platforms has further amplified the significance of both disciplines in health tourism. In conclusion, this research provides a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the intersection between digital marketing and neuromarketing, offering strategic insights for health tourism planning and management.