Examining Effective Marketing Strategies to Enhance Medical Tourism in the Caribbean Through a Qualitative Approach

• Main Author: Oliver, Mark Houston
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01.01.2023
• Subjects: Business administration; Health care management; International Relations; Marketing; Recreation
• ISBN: 9798380849524

Medical tourism enables patients to satisfy their healthcare needs by traveling outside their country of residence. Traveling to various parts of the world seeking medical care is not a newly discovered concern to humankind. During the 19th century, the international healthcare marketplace became a focal point for patients from less-developed nations. Individuals began traveling to major medical centers in Europe and the United States for specialized medical treatments or wellness concerns unavailable in their home country or region. The two primary purposes for medical tourism were diagnostic evaluations and treatments inaccessible to traveling patients. Cost-effective, shorter waiting periods, quality healthcare, procedures availability, access to innovative technology, opportunities to discover new destinations, and vacations are additional reasons for medical tourism. However, from a partitioner’s point of view, effective medical tourism marketing is essential for entering and surviving this ever-growing industry. Understanding, implementing, or adapting appropriate marketing strategies that build or endorse a strategy to attract and keep medical tourists flowing is critical. The aim of this study was to conduct an in-depth exploration of marketing strategies used for medical tourism in Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands. The existing theories and concepts in medical tourism were reviewed and synthesized to lay the foundation for marketing managers to deploy 4Ps marketing mix strategies to attract and retain medical tourists to the islands. This case not only provides a background introduction to the growing importance of the medical tourism industry to the American territories in the Caribbean. Global healthcare service marketing is quite different from marketing other services and products. This study can be helpful for medical tourism marketers who want to enhance medical tourism marketing on behalf of developing markets to retain and attract medical tourists.