Designing a Model of Managerial and Marketing Factors Affecting Medical Tourist Attraction and Loyalty: A Grounded Theory Study

This study aimed to develop and explain a model of managerial and marketing factors affecting the attraction and loyalty of medical tourists.
Methods: This applied study employed a qualitative approach based on systematic grounded theory. Participants included experts and professionals in the field of medical tourism, managers of International Patient Departments (IPDs), healthcare marketing specialists, medical tourism facilitators, and relevant faculty members. Participants were selected using purposive and snowball sampling. Data were collected through 18 in-depth, semi-structured interviews until theoretical saturation was reached. Data analysis was conducted using open, axial, and selective coding.
Results: “Medical tourist attraction and loyalty” was identified as the core phenomenon of the model. Healthcare quality and credibility, economic and time-related drivers, and marketing and awareness-building were identified as causal conditions; tourism and welfare infrastructure and the cultural and communication context as contextual conditions; and political and macro-level conditions and regulations and financial support as intervening conditions. Managerial and structural actions and marketing and communication techniques were identified as the main strategies. The behavioral outcomes of the model included satisfaction, trust, loyalty, intention to revisit, and positive recommendations, while the macro-level outcomes included foreign exchange earnings, economic development, enhancement of the medical tourism brand, and specialized employment.
Conclusion: Medical tourist attraction and loyalty result from the interaction of healthcare, economic, managerial, and marketing factors as well as destination characteristics. Therefore, the development of medical tourism requires an integrated approach to healthcare service quality, tourist experience management, destination infrastructure, and marketing strategies.