Development of medical tourism in Turkey and its comparison with other countries

Today tourism has become one of the fastest growing sectors with increasing importance for economic and social aspects in the world. Previously, individuals had only perceived tourism for holidays, entertainment and travelling, whereas now they strive to use travel for receiving treatment for their health problems, namely for medical tourism. That is why the purpose of this study is to make suggestions towards medical tourism in Turkey in order to provide a structure which can compete with leading countries in the field of medical tourism considering the present medical tourism implementations in the world and in Turkey. In analyzing data, SWOT analysis developed by Albert S. Humphrey was used for the assessment of the present condition of medical tourism in Turkey. The findings from the SWOT analysis show that although one of the strongest points of medical tourism in Turkey is that Turkey is accepted amongst the developed countries in terms of medical tourism, one of the weaknesses is that there are only a small number of workers who speak a foreign language in public hospitals. The significant opportunities within Turkish medical tourism are easy transportation through Turkey and a higher risk of epidemic illness in Southeast Asia compared with Turkey. Threatening factors against the development of Turkish medical tourism can be political instability in neighbouring countries and its possible reflections on Turkey. Research shows India offers significant price advantage compared with other countries. The English language used in the country was an attractive element for medical tourists. Contrarily, healthcare standards of a substantial proportion of the private hospital in Turkey are approved by international organisations. As a result, introducing/advertising strong points of Turkey using media tools will contribute to medical tourism in Turkey. The findings of the study conclude, although there are scientific studies in the field of tourism in many countries, the academic studies in Turkey and the work done in this area are not relevant enough to be familiar with medical tourism; however, if the required measures are taken, becoming a brand taking precedence over countries such as India, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand is a possibility.