Determining destination competitiveness in medical tourism: A study based on AHP-QFD framework

Abstract

This study investigates the competitiveness of Alanya, a medical tourism destination in Türkiye, and determines appropriate strategies using the analytical hierarchy process and quality function deployment. Data were collected from medical tourism experts to gain managerial insights into the factors affecting the competitiveness of medical tourism. The findings show that medical tourists primarily focus on medical factors such as competence of doctor and quality of treatment. The main strategies to strengthen competitiveness are to create a healthcare-free zone, to increase the number of accredited health care providers, and to encourage the involvement of doctors in academic research and ongoing training. For researchers interested in assessing competitiveness in medical tourism destinations, the study presents general determinants that should be considered in each destination. In addition, the findings show that each medical tourism destination should focus on its own determinants of medical tourism competitiveness when developing its marketing strategies. Finally, it shows that the analytical hierarchy process and quality function deployment approaches can be successfully applied in achieving destination competitiveness and strategic planning, with content validity and importance performance analysis.