Journal of Improvement Management

Journal of Improvement Management

Determination of the health tourism development strategies with a focus on the factors inhibiting and promoting the hospital branding

Document Type : Research Article (Original Article)

Authors
Meshkat Vaezi Jazehei 1
Leila Andervazh 2
Ebrahim Albonaiemi 3
1 Department of Business Management,Ro.c, Islamic Azad University,roudehen,Iran.
2 Associate Prof., Department of Business Management, Arv.c, Islamic Azad University, Abadan, Iran.
3 Associate Prof., Department of Management Accounting,so.c, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/jmi.2025.509067.3186
Abstract
Developing health tourism requires understanding current conditions and the availability of strategies for both health tourism and hospital branding. This study aims to identify health tourism development strategies by focusing on factors that promote or inhibit the hospital brand. The study used a qualitative approach. Data were collected via snowball sampling and semi-structured interviews with 35 participants, including travel agents, medical staff, hoteliers, and patients. Data were coded and analyzed using content analysis and the Force Field Analysis framework (promoting and inhibiting factors). The promoting and inhibiting factors were categorized into a number of components and sub-components. Six components (with 16 subcomponents) were identified as promoting factors, five components (with 12 subcomponents) as inhibiting factors, and seven macro strategies were identified. The most important driving factors include "Iran's geographical and climatic location in the region", "the existence of appropriate and developed medical and treatment infrastructure", and "capable human resources in the medical staff"; and the most important inhibiting factors include "challenges of the political environment", "weakness in planning and monitoring for the development of health tourism" and "problems related to the economic environment". In this study, inhibiting factors prevail over activating factors (DF < RF). The strategy of "health tourism leadership by establishing and building the capacity of the National Health Tourism Committee" was identified as the initial strategy and the strategy of "desirable design and management of a hospital brand based on medical poles" was identified as the focus of other strategies.
Keywords
Iranian Health Tourism
Strategy Formulation
Health Tourism Vision
Branding
Subjects
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  • Receive Date 26 February 2025
  • Revise Date 26 May 2025
  • Accept Date 12 June 2025