The contribution of health tourism to economy: A research on Iğdır province

New diseases and new ways of treatment are found today. There may not be an appropriate treatment for every disease in the country or region lived in. Therefore, individuals go to different countries and regions with the aim of treatment. In addition to the regions where healthcare is cheap and of high quality individuals started to prefer the regions where they can also have a holiday. Briefly, when an individual travels to another country or region with the condition of accommodation and is involved in activities with the aim of treatment or protection of health, it is called health tourism. Regarding health tourism, the natural resources of our country have competitive capacity with its price advantage against other countries. The share of health tourism in economy is still very small. Therefore, studies should be conducted to develop health tourism and increase its economic return. Introductory studies in academic terms and promotional activities in various fields can be beneficial. Iğdır province is a very old settlement and climbing Ağrı Mountain, Turkey's highest mountain and an extinct volcano, is the most well-known tourism activity of the province. On the other hand, the Salt Cave therapy center, which can be used for health tourism is not very well known. The first studies regarding the availability of thermal sources in Iğdır province started in 2018. The aim of this study was to examine the present state in Iğdır province in terms of health tourism. Within this scope, the contribution of health tourism to the economy of Iğdır province will be determined by reviewing the documents and conducting a questionnaire designed in research scanning model. Keywords: Iğdır, Health Tourism, Salt Therapy Center, Tuzluca