THE MEDICAL TOURIST PRODUCT OF THAILAND: KEY FACTORS AND PROMOTION ON RUSSIAN-SPEAKING MARKETS

Based on the results of analyze the Thai national medical tourism product’s positioning on Russia market to offer the principal guidelines for development the marketing strategy of Thai medical services at Russia markets. The article is based on the data of a Russian 2020 survey, at the same time, it tracks the dynamic trend of consumer preferences since 2017. Identified key principles of health tourism commercialization in Thailand under the conditions when this tourism sector needs to be reformatted due to post-Covid conditions, assessed the efficiency of Thai medical tourism promotion on Russian-speaking markets. Recommendations for the modernization of Thailand health tourism product in terms of its constituent services, marketing, infrastructure and investment support, pricing, promotion, taking into account current trends in the global and Russian tourism markets are given.

A Novel Approach to Medical Tourism Support System

A new model with decision support capabilities to assist medical tourism customers is to be develop. The analysis of popularity and quality of medical tourist applications are conducted. The information sources used to arrange medical tourism trips are given in the paper. The formation of the user's medical recommendations is based on the information about symptoms of the user, processing of this information, creation / search of the user medical card, search for the coincidence of the user's symptoms with the signs of illness, finding the best treatment option for the user. The system to support medical tourism consists of seven interdependence components: user interface, user profile analysis, definition of the user disease, selection of hospitals and doctors, communication with doctors and tour organization. The system to support medical tourism which provides the user with the all necessary information about the travel organization and medical support is described. Tasks that require further research are defined.

Strengthening the Quality of Service Oriented to Medical Tourists: A Strategy for The Sustainability of The Hotel Sector in Barraquilla

Medical tourism has shown a sustained increase in recent years in Colombia. As part of the DNA in the dynamics of the hotel sector, the quality of service is a fundamental aspect that determines how the medical tourist perceives his stay.

The Factor Structure of Medical Tourist Satisfaction: Exploring Key Drivers of Choice, Delight, and Frustration

The current study intends to contribute to a better understanding of the medical tourism experience. In particular, this study uses data from a survey-based study conducted on a sample of 1,209 medical tourists in Croatia. On the one hand, this study aims to explore and shed light on the decision-making process of medical tourists, and, on the other hand, to reveal which elements of both the medical institution and the destination where it is located, have largest potentials to drive medical tourist delight and/or frustration, in accordance with the three-factor theory of customer satisfaction.

DETERMINANTS OF OUTBOUND MEDICAL TOURISM: IMPLICATIONS FOR SERVICE MARKETING AND DEVELOPMENT

This study examined the demand factors responsible for outbound medical tourism to India, South-Africa and Germany. The demand factors included medical tourist attitude, medical destination competitiveness, medical service cost and medical service quality. Using snowball sampling, 138 medical tourists were surveyed with the aid of a self-administered 24-item 5-point scale questionnaire. The data obtained were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. The findings of the study were that tourist attitude has no significant influence on outbound medical tourism; Medical destination competitiveness significantly influences outbound medical tourism negatively; whereas, medical service cost and medical service quality significantly influence outbound medical tourism positively.

Theoretical and Legal Approaches on Determining the Content of the Notion of “Health Tourism”

The author has proved the prospects of medical tourism development in Ukraine. The analysis of the concepts of “tourism” and “health tourism” has been carried out; their features have been singled out. The expediency of distinguishing the concept of “health tourism” on “medical” and “health” has been proved. It has been offered to amend the Art. 1 of the Law of Ukraine “On Tourism” by defining the terms of “medical tourism” and “health tourism”. The content of the concept of “medical tourism” has been studied; its constituent elements have been singled out; the author’s definition of the concepts of “health tourism”, “medical tourism” has been formulated; the sphere of their law-enforcement has been defined. The author has developed propositions to improve the regulatory acts regulating the circulation of medical tourist services (health and medical) in Ukraine, namely: the Tax Code of Ukraine, the Law of Ukraine “On Public and Private Partnership”, the Law of Ukraine “On Licensing of Economic Activities”. The author has also offered to develop and approve the National Program for the Development of Medical Tourism in Ukraine.

Profiling Indonesian Medical Tourists: A Motivation-Based Segmentation Study

In the past few decades, the number of Indonesians who travel abroad for medical tourism has increased dramatically. A literature review has indicated that research investigating the underlying motivational factors for Indonesians to travel overseas for medical treatment is still a few. Therefore, this study aimed to segment the Indonesian medical tourists based on push and pull travel motivation constructs. Exploratory factor analysis and cluster analysis techniques were applied to analyze the data. A survey was completed to 192 Indonesians who have had a medical travel experience overseas. The results of this study revealed four push motivational factors and three pull motivational factors. Based on this push and pull factors, three different medical tourist segments were identified: trendy, prudent, and opportunistic segments. The emergence of these three segments would require different approach-es and strategies for tourism stakeholders to serve each segment better.

Abdominal Flap Necrosis and Wound Dehiscence following a Medical Tourist Tummy Tuck

Abdominoplasty is a major surgical procedure met with high rates of patient satisfaction and improved self-image. While many patients are lured abroad due to discounted prices for such highly requested procedures, unfortunately, there are also associated complications. A 47-year-old woman presented due to abdominal scar dehiscence due to skin necrosis secondary to a discounted abdominoplasty in Mexico. The patient had been turned away by several local surgical centers for treatment of the necrosis. The patient underwent incision, drainage, and two debridements before her abdominal wound was eventually closed. Patient recovered well postoperatively with improved aesthetic result. With the rise of social media advertisements, more patients elect to receive plastic surgery abroad. Unfortunately, many of these practices are not accurately vetted and this can complicate the postoperative care especially upon return to the United States.