Medikal Turizm Verileri ve İstatistikleri: Gelişmekte Olan Ülkelerin Yükselişi ve Türkiye (Medical Tourism Data and Statistics: The Rise of Developing Countries and Turkey)

Abstract

Medical tourism, a concept that encompasses both medical procedures and tourism activities under the umbrella of health tourism, is rapidly growing and gaining importance for developing country economies by combining the search for cross-border healthcare and travel. Destinations favored for this type of tourism are intensifying competition in the market due to their potential to not only enhance financial gains but also foster the development of the tourism and healthcare sectors. This study aims to examine the comprehensive definition, development, global and Turkish status, tourist profiles of medical tourism, which has become popular nowadays, and to highlight the effective activities and prominent aspects of competitive countries. Among the original aspects of the study that contribute to the literature are the comparison of treatment types and price differences that emerged as a result of a comprehensive literature review, the identification of which competing players, including Turkey, are preferred by which medical tourists, and the descriptive presentation of medical tourist typology, a relatively new concept, and the motivational elements of these tourists.