Modeling the Determinants of Medical Tourist Attraction in the Iranian Health System

Introduction: Medical tourism, as a subcategory of the tourism industry and a significant potential economic driver, can play a substantial role in improving the economic conditions of countries. The aim of this study is to design a model of the factors influencing the attraction of medical tourists within Iran’s healthcare system.



Methods: In terms of purpose, this research is developmental and, through an inductive approach, takes on an exploratory–analytical nature in the form of a quantitative study. The research was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, the factors affecting the attraction of medical tourists in Iran’s healthcare system were identified using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis with the LISREL software. The statistical population in this stage consisted of graduate students in tourism management. In the second stage, in order to propose a model and categorize the influencing factors, the Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) method and expert opinions were employed.



Results: The attraction of medical tourists depends on a coordinated and integrated combination of specialized, economic, marketing, supportive, infrastructural, political, cultural, and human resource-related factors. Marketing and communication factors, supportive and developmental factors, and the provision of specialized services were identified as the most affected variables. In addition, political and social factors, economic factors, and cultural factors were recognized as the most influential variables.



Conclusion: Sustainable development of the medical industry in Iran is a multidimensional and coordinated requirement that requires attention to eight components including political and social factors, marketing and communication factors, support and development factors, infrastructure and management factors, provision of specialized services, human resources and experienced medical staff, economic factors, and cultural factors.