Document Type : Research Paper

Author

• Rahim Zare

Assistant Professor, Department of Tourism Management, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Since long ago, health tourism has been one of the most attractive and popular. Various causes and factors in creating and developing this type of tourism need to be investigated and verified. The current research has been conducted to analyze and evaluate the critical components in creating sustainable health tourism in Tehran, using the Padin Model to achieve the goal. The research method is a mix that has investigated the issue using the qualitative method of the expert panel and the quantitative survey method. The tools for collecting data and information in the qualitative method are semi-structured interviews and questionnaires in the quantitative stage. Statistical analysis of research data was done using SPSS-26 and Smart-PLS3 software. In the qualitative stage, 15 experts from related fields participated in the panel, and in the quantitative stage, using stratified sampling, 26 experts answered the questionnaire questions. According to the analysis and coding of semi-structured interviews, 71 basic themes, 24 organizing themes, and six global themes were extracted in the quantitative stage while confirming all the components. The values of the economic component were calculated higher than in other cases. According to the research results, health tourism can be among the reliable alternatives in different aspects. Also, it can be a factor in guiding related policies and politics for sustainable tourism development in the future.
 
Introduction
Today, people travel for health, fitness, and well-being, not relaxation. In response to this growing demand, countries, health and medical service providers, and hospitality and tourism organizations are adapting to offer a broader range of health, wellness, and medical tourism experiences. Among the factors that encourage health tourists to look for an alternative health tourism destination are the cost of the medical services provided, the medical staff, the medical center’s reputation, and their credibility. In addition, other factors that lead to increased demand for health tourism services are ease of access, travel affordability, and innovative health technologies.
Tehran is one of the most important cities in Iran in providing health and treatment services in the region, and it has the most facilities and places for accommodation treatment. It is the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran. For many years and in different governments, measures have been taken to create sustainable health tourism, but they still need to be managed and planned cohesively. Due to the existence of specialized and skilled treatment staff, the existence of up-to-date and even international facilities in hospitals and residential centers, and the low cost of treatment and leisure time, compared to other countries, this city is considered the primary option in providing health tourism services. Despite the efforts of various officials and stakeholders in this field, it is still observed that there are various challenges in creating sustainable health tourism in this city, which requires further investigation and deepening.
On the other hand, it is necessary to use the potential and actual capacities in this city so that in this research, it is possible to create a basis for effective measures to be taken to create sustainable health tourism. On the other hand, despite the importance of this issue and the existence of various research in the field of health tourism, it can be seen that comprehensive research that can analyze the critical components of creating sustainable health tourism in Tehran has not yet been carried out and needs to be done. It has more analysis and deepening. Therefore, investigating and analyzing critical components in health tourism development in Tehran are essential to show future research directions and enrich the health tourism literature. As a result, this study examines the critical components of sustainable health tourism while filling the theoretical gap in this field. It also examines the dynamics of this type of tourism more deeply.
Materials and Methods
Regarding practical purpose and methodology, this research is classified as mixed research. First, using the qualitative method of the panel of experts, the components and indicators related to the creation of sustainable health tourism in Tehran are counted and extracted; finally, using the quantitative survey method, each of the extracted items is tested. to comment on their authenticity and approval. The participants of the qualitative phase of the research, who were identified using purposeful sampling, are professors and executive and research specialists in the fields of tourism management, marketing management, urban and rural planning and management, medical service management, regional management, and development, development management, sociology, and management. Fifteen people participated in the panel. Moreover, in the quantitative phase, a questionnaire containing the above components and indicators was sent to experts and specialists in tourism - especially health tourism - to express their opinions regarding their proficiency and approval. The data collection tool is different in each phase. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted on tourism activities related to health, well-being, and well-being. With nature or environment" were organized in Tehran.
Discussion and Results
As we know, simply using and implementing a model cannot solve problems. For this reason, there is a need to create local and built models to be by with the spatial and temporal conditions and effectively achieve the goals. Therefore, referring to the items mentioned in the methodology section, using the expert panel method, the critical indicators of this area extracted from the perspective of tourism experts were examined and completed. It should be noted that the Padin Model’s components were considered the primary basis of these indicators and components. With semi-structured interviews of experts, 142 primary codes were extracted, which were categorized into three basic, organizing, and comprehensive themes using Attride-Stirling coding. By adopting the inductive approach, 71 basic themes, 24 organizing themes, and six global themes were extracted, placed in the three economic, social, and environmental dimensions of Padin’s model, and management and political, spatial, physical, and technological components were also added. In the quantitative part, the economic component has a higher rank and value among other components, which shows the importance and sensitivity of this category in the field of health tourism in Tehran.
Conclusions
The global prosperity in medical and health care has made tourist destinations and companies in health tourism an essential part of the tourism industry. This industry, a mixture of medical and health services, leisure, and entertainment, can be among the reliable economic, cultural, and social alternatives. From a theoretical and operational point of view, this study is expected to make a significant contribution to the field of health tourism, and the above findings can confirm this. According to the research findings, each of the themes extracted can be considered as strategies and policies that drive the development of health tourism in Tehran. The collaborative development of the public and private sectors is effective in this field, and the better development of academic cooperation and the health tourism industry can imply "sustainable health tourism" in the city of Tehran.

Keywords

• Tourism
• Health Tourism
• Medical Tourism
• Mixed Study
• Tehran

Main Subjects

• tourism management