Revisiting medical tourism research: Critical reviews and implications for destination management and marketing

Abstract

In recent decades, hospitality and tourism scholars have shown increasing interest in medical tourism research. However, a comprehensive and systematic review of medical tourism research is lacking. To address this gap, this study undertook a review of 131 medical tourism studies published in the Social Sciences Citation Index-listed journals from 1987 to 2022. Their research designs, geographic foci, types of medical tourism, and applied theories were thoroughly described. Based on thematic analysis, critical reflections were conducted on five existing research streams, including the medical tourism economy, medical tourism destination management and marketing, medical tourism suppliers, medical tourists, and local community involvement. A conceptual framework was developed and visually presented. This study concludes by addressing the existing knowledge gaps and highlights several implications for future medical tourism research, including destination management and marketing, as well as conceptual and methodological aspects. These critical reviews and implications offer medical tourism scholars a wide range of research domains, research questions, theoretical frameworks, and methodological approaches for future inquiries.