The Impact of Health Tourists’ Brand Perceptions Towards Private Hospitals on Health Tourism: The Case of Istanbul Province

The facilitation of free movement across countries has enabled significant convenience in various fields, notably in healthcare service acquisition. This international exchange in healthcare is recognized as medical tourism, defined as individuals traveling from their residence to another location to receive preventive, curative, or rehabilitative healthcare services aimed at maintaining or improving their current health status. Medical tourism is often motivated by the goal of reducing healthcare costs, among other reasons. This study examines health tourists' perceptions regarding the branding concept and the necessary conditions for healthcare institutions to achieve brand status. The findings indicate that health tourists predominantly access health-related information through internet news, Instagram, and Facebook. The primary factor influencing hospital choice among health tourists is the history of successful procedures performed. The reasons for selecting private hospitals include quick results, trust, affordable prices, information availability, recommendations, meeting expectations, quality, and good service. Brand image factors for health tourists are identified as hygiene, trust, network affiliation, satisfaction, recognition, competent doctors, positive reviews, and successful procedures.