Medical tourism involves travel for the purpose of receiving medical, dental, or surgical care (Medical Tourism Association), and represents a rapidly growing niche market within the healthcare, tourism, and hospitality industries. Medical travelers are motivated to seek care outside of their area of residence by many factors, including more advanced technology, quicker access, higher quality of care, or lower costs for care in the destination locality (Ehrbeck, Guevara, & Mango, 2008). Multiple factors contribute to the growth of the medical tourism industry and suggest a continuing trend toward growth in the future. This nascent industry represents a significant market opportunity to entrepreneurs and investors in the healthcare, tourism, and hospitality markets. Hospitality and tourism companies, as well as local governments and destination marketers, are positioning themselves to capture share in the medical tourism market worldwide. The purpose of this paper is to identify current trends and opportunities in the medical tourism industry, and to explore the critical success factors for medical tourism destinations and providers.
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Krista Wendt (2020) studied this question.