Explaining the market demand for medical tourism from Sistan and Baluchestan province to Pakistan

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Department of Geography and Tourism Planning, Faculty of Geography and Environmental Planning, University of Sistan and Baluchestan

Abstract

Context and purpose: This research was aimed at evaluating the amount of medical tourism from Sistan and Baluchestan to Pakistan and analyzing and explaining the causes, contexts and spatial distribution of medical tourists' travel.
Design/methodology/approach: This applied research was conducted with a descriptive-analytical method, and the data was collected with a simple random sampling method and a researcher-made questionnaire from 400 samples (in 14 County) and analyzed with Kruskal-Wallis, Kendall-Tao C, Lambda, and Chi-Two statistical inference models.
Findings: half of the households declared; One or more members of their family have made at least one medical tourism trip to Pakistan. The northern cities of the province have not had medical tourists to Pakistan. But about 20 to 80 percent of the families in the middle and southern cities of the province have gone to Pakistan for medical tourism.
Conclusion: The purpose of half of the tourists was only treatment and the other half was treatment, visiting relatives and tourism. Business people have gone to Pakistan for medical tourism more than Government employees. 42% of tourists considered cultural similarity, 44% ease of transportation, and 43% low cost of medical services as influencing their decision to travel.
Originality/value: it is focused on three areas: so far, the subject of medical tourism to Pakistan has not been studied, so far medical tourism has not been studied at the origin of the trip, so far the population of a province (as the target community) has not been considered.

Keywords

Main Subjects


Ahani, A., Nilashi, M., AbduZogaan, W., Samad, S., O.Aljehane, N., Mohd, S., Ahmadi, H., Sanzogni, L. (2021). Evaluating medical travelers’ satisfaction through online review analysis, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 48, Pages 519-537, https://doi/org/10/1016/j/jhtm/2021/08/005
Ahmad, A., Jamaludin, A., Mohd Zuraimi, N. S., Valeri, M. (2021), Visit intention and destination image in post-Covid-19 crisis recovery, Current Issues in Tourism, 24(17).   https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2020.1842342
Behmanesh, A. (1338), History of Ancient Greece, Volume One, Tehran University Press, Tehran
Büyüközkan, G., Mukul, E., Kongar, E. (2021). Health tourism strategy selection via SWOT analysis and integrated hesitant fuzzy linguistic AHP-MABAC approach, Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, 74, https://doi/org/10/1016/j/seps/2020/100929/
Cham, T-H., Lim, Y. M., Sia, B-C., Cheah, J-H., Ting, H. (2021). Medical Tourism Destination Image and its Relationship with the Intention to Revisit: A Study of Chinese Medical Tourists in Malaysia, Journal of China Tourism Research, 17(2), 
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339945008_
 Chuang, T. C., Liu, J. S., Lu, LY. Y., Lee, Y. (2014). The main paths of medical tourism: From transplantation to beautification, Tourism Management, 45, Pages 49-58, https://doi/org/10/1016/j/tourman/2014/03/016
Dabaghi, H., Saieda Ardakani, S. and Tabataba’i-Nasab, S.M. (2022), "Customer experience management in medical tourism (case study: Iranian hospital’s medical tourists)", Journal of Islamic Marketing,. 13 (1). pp. 198-226. https://doi/org/10/1108/JIMA-04-2020-0092 
Domazet, K., Banjšak, L., & Vodanović, M. (2022). Perception of dental medicine students on dental tourism. Journal of Stomatology, 75(2), 115-121. 
Dorazahi, A. (2007) Political history of Kalat government (from the beginning of its formation to the delimitation of Baluchistan), master's thesis, supervisor Abbas Serafrazi and Masoud Moradi, Department of History, Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences, University of Sistan and Baluchistan/
Faridi Masuleh, A. (2015). Evaluation of the country's provinces for medical tourism using Arc GIS software. Heritage and Tourism, 1(2), 79-91. SID. https://sid.ir/paper/257176/fa
Fatehi, A. Khushal Dastjardi, T.; Abolqasmi, Mohsen (2013) Comparison of "Esfandiar's physical appearance and vulnerable eye" in Middle Persian texts (Pahlavi) and Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, Modern Literary Essays, 45 (2), 59 – 25, DOI: 10.22067/jls.v45i2.18911
Ghasemi, M., Sahranavard, S. A., Uju Violet Alola, U. V., Hassanpoor, E.  (2022) Can Cost and Quality Management-Oriented Innovation Enhance Patient Satisfaction in Medical Tourist Destination? Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, DOI: 10/1080/1528008X/2022/2089438 
hani , AliA,  Nilashi, Mehrbakhsh, AbduZogaan, Waleed, Samad, Sarminah, Aljehane, Nojood O., Alhargan, Ashwaq, Ahmadi, Hossein, Mohdh, Saidatulakmal, Sanzognia, Louis (2021). Evaluating medical travelers’ satisfaction through online review analysis, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 48, Pages 519-537, https://doi/org/10/1016/j/jhtm/2021/08/005Get rights and content
Hasannia Kolaee, M., Mirzapour Al-e-Hashem, S. M. J. (2022). Stochastic medical tourism problem with variable residence time considering gravity function, , RAIRO Operations Research, 50, pages 1685- 1716, https://doi/org/10/1051/ro/2022082
He, M., Liu, B. and Li, Y. (2022), "Recovery experience of wellness tourism and place attachment: insights from feelings-as-information theory", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 34 (8), pp. 2934-2952.  https://doi/org/10/1108/IJCHM-10-2021-1237 
  Hoz-Correa, A. l., Muñoz-Leiva, Francisco, Bakucz, Márta (2017). Past themes and future trends in medical tourism research: A co-word analysis, Tourism Management, 65, , Pages 200-211, https://doi/org/10/1016/j/tourman/2017/10/001
Karadayi-Usta, S., & SerdarAsan, S. (2020). A conceptual model of medical tourism service supply chain. Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management, 13(2), 246-265. doi:http://dx/doi/org/10/3926/jiem/3008
Karroubi, M., Ahmadi, S. (2019). Strategic planning of medical tourism development using SWOT matrix and TOPSIS-fuzzy technique. Tourism Management Studies 5(51), 1-30, doi:10/22054/tms/2020/17137/1480, [in persiean]
Knani, M/, Echchakoui, S/, Ladhari, R/ (2022)/ Artificial intelligence in tourism and hospitality: Bibliometric analysis and research agenda, International Journal of Hospitality Management, 107, 103317, https://doi/org/10/1016/j/ijhm/2022/103317
Koc, B., Gürkan, K. G., Dimanche, E. (2022). How destructive are negative tourist-to-tourist interactions despite the mitigating effect of optimism? , Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 23, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2022.100693
Livani, H., Farhadi M. A., Atofi, A. (1401). Key requirements affecting the implementation of medical tourism policies in Golestan province, Tourism Management Studies, 17(58), 199-233, doi: 10/22054/tms/2022/67209/2704, [in persiean]
Loh, C. P., Triplett, R. E. (2019). International accreditation, linguistic proximity and trade in medical services, Social Science & Medicine, 238, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.112403
Lovelock, B., Lovelock, K. (2018). We had a ball … as long as you kept taking your painkillers” just how much tourism is there in medical tourism? Experiences of the patient tourist, Tourism Management, 69, Pages 145-154, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.05.015
Majeed, S. and Gon Kim, W. (2023), "Emerging trends in wellness tourism: a scoping review", Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 6(2), pp. 853-873. https://doi/org/10/1108/JHTI-02-2022-0046 
Majeed, S. and Kim, W.G. (2023), "A reflection of greenwashing practices in the hospitality industry: a scoping review", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 35(3), pp. 1125-1146. https://doi/org/10/1108/IJCHM-04-2022-0495
Majeed, S., Kim, W. G., Ryu, K. (2022). Medical Tourism and Cognitive Dissonance: Exploring Tourist Choice Behavior, Post-Choice Pre-Outcome Regret, and Visit Intention, Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, Published online: 18 Oct 2022, https://doi/org/10/1080/1528008X/2022/2135058 
Majeed, S., Lu, C., Javed, T. (2017). The journey from an allopathic to natural treatment approach: A scoping review of medical tourism and health systems, European Journal of Integrative Medicine, 16, Pages 22-32, https://doi/org/10/1016/j/eujim/2017/10/001/
Mathijsen, Aneta (2019). Home, sweet home? Understanding diasporic medical tourism behavior. Exploratory research of Polish immigrants in Belgium, Tourism Management, 72, 2019, Pages 373-385, https://doi/org/10/1016/j/tourman/2018/12/009 
Momeni, K., Janati, A., Imani, A., Khodayari-Zarnaq, R. (2018). Barriers to the development of medical tourism in East Azerbaijan province, Iran: A qualitative study, Tourism Management, 69, Pages 307-316, https://doi/org/10/1016/j/tourman/2018/05/007
Mossadegh Rad, A. M., Sadeghi, M. (1400). Medical tourism: reasons for choosing Iran. Payesh, 20(2), 145-166, https://sid/ir/paper/386636/fa, [in persiean]
Naderi, N., Yazdani, R.; Behor, S. (1400). Analyzing the negative consequences of medical tourism for the sustainable development of this sector (case study: Kermanshah province). Tourism Management Studies, 16(54), 313-346. Doi: 10/22054/tms/2021/12795, [in persiean]
Nikraftar T, Hosseini, E, Moghadam, A. (2016), Identification of effective factors in attracting medical tourists in Iran, Health Management Quarterly. 1396, 20 (67):64-74, URL: http://jha/iums/ac/ir/article-1-2138-fa/html, [in persiean]
Nouri Khajovi, D., Jafari, A. (1400). Determining factors affecting the competitiveness of the sustainable supply chain of medical tourism. Tourism and Development, 10(2), 136-123 https://sid/ir/paper/1045816/fa, [in persiean]
Peng, Jiamin, Yang, Xiaoyun, Poon, Patrick, Xie, Lishan (2022). Enhancing users' well-being in virtual medical tourism communities: A configurational analysis of users’ interaction characteristics and social support, Technology in Society, 71, 102084, https://doi/org/10/1016/j/techsoc/2022/102084
Peng, P., Yang, X., Fu, S., Huan, T. C. (2023), Exploring the influence of tourists’ happiness on revisit intention in the context of Traditional Chinese Medicine cultural tourism, Tourism Management, 94, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2022.104647
Piri, Mohammad (2013). Stabilizing the borders and establishing Iran's sovereignty over Balochistan, during the era of Naser al-Din Shah (1264 to 1289 AH.1847 to 1872 AD). Historical Research, 6(1), 55-70.
Rahimi, M. K., Shafaqhat, T., Beiginia, A., Jafari, H. (2022), investigation of health tourism marketing status of selected public and private hospitals in Yazd city in 1400., Journal of health research in society, 8 (1), 68-60, 20.1001.1.24236772.1401.8.1.6.9  [in persiean]
Rezaei, M. R., Moradi Ramghani, R. (1401). Measuring the impact of the performance of the security components of tourist destinations on the satisfaction of foreign tourists in the direction of the sustainable development of the tourism industry of Kallanshahr, Shiraz. Geography and Environmental Sustainability, 12 (4), 22-1: DOI 10/22126/ges/2022/7606 /2515, [in persiean]
Saeed Bakhsh, S., Kazemi, A, Nemat Bakhsh, M. A., and Ranjbarian, Bahram. (2019). Designing an electronic marketing model for medical tourism in the Islamic Republic of Iran; with the approach of recommender systems. Modern Marketing Research, 10(2), 105-128. https://sid/ir/paper/385360/fa, [in persiean]
Sandberg, D. S. (2017). Medical tourism: An emerging global healthcare industry, International Journal of Healthcare Management, 10(4), Pages 281-288 https://doi/org/10/1080/20479700/2017/1296213 
Sandra K. Cesario, S. K. (2018). Implications of Medical Tourism, Nursing for Women's Health, 22(3), Pages 269-273,