Toward a typology of medical tourists: A case study of Thailand

This paper examines the motivations of medical tourists who sought treatment in Thailand. Previous research has tended to treat the medical tourist market as undifferentiated, with the decision to seek treatment made prior to departure. These assumptions may be incorrect, and a significant finding of this study was that medical tourists can be categorized into four different groups, each of which displays significant differences in the types of treatment sought, the motivations for visiting Thailand, the decision making process, and their travel characteristics. One contribution of this study is its indication that if destination managers understand the nature and characteristics of each type of medical tourist, they will be able develop and promote more appropriate and satisfactory medical tourism products and services for their visitors.

► The paper examines tourists who sought medical treatment in Thailand.
► Four discrete medial tourist segments were identified.
► The study challenges the belief that most medical tourists decide to seek treatment prior to leaving home.