Tourism Management Studies

Optimal health tourism mechanism with emphasis on retaining medical staff in Isfahan City

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Mahsa Rezaie 1
Zahed Shafiei 2
Mohammad Ali Rajaie Rizi 2

1 Department of Tourism Management, Art University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.

2 Department of Museum and Tourism, Faculty of Advanced Studies in Art and Entrepreneurship, Art University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22054/tms.2026.92577.3203
Abstract
This study addresses the instability of health tourism development when value-chain logic and human resource considerations are overlooked, as added pressure on medical staff can threaten service quality and continuity. The aim is to explain the optimal mechanism of health tourism emphasizing medical staff retention in Isfahan. Using a qualitative, exploratory thematic analysis, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 58 experts in health, tourism, and migration in Isfahan, selected via purposive sampling until theoretical saturation. Findings indicate that this optimal mechanism can be explained through five interconnected main themes operating within a two-layer dynamic system that interact bidirectionally to enhance the health services value chain. The resulting model positions health human capital not as a peripheral input but as a generative pillar of the health tourism value chain, providing a basis for policy-making and urban planning aimed at simultaneously developing health tourism and retaining healthcare professionals in Isfahan.

Keywords

Health tourism
Value chain
Medical Staff
Migration
Isfahan city
Subjects
Tourism Management Studies

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 03 August 2026

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