Exploring the development of medical tourism industry in Southeast Asia region

Suseela Devi Chandran, Fadilah Puteh, Nur Alia Azmi and Norazah Mohd Suki
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Suseela Devi Chandran: Faculty of Administrative Science & Policy Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
Fadilah Puteh: Faculty of Administrative Science & Policy Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
Nur Alia Azmi: Faculty of Administrative Science & Policy Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
Norazah Mohd Suki: Othman Yeop Abdullah Graduate School of Business, Universiti Utara Malaysia, 06010, Kedah, Malaysia

International Journal of Business Ecosystem & Strategy (2687-2293), 2020, vol. 2, issue 3, 28-32

Abstract: Medical tourism is a global phenomenon in many parts of the world. It features an activity where individuals travel from home country to the host country to seek or receive medical healthcare. Being the third largest sector, medical tourism has a significant contribution towards economic development in the Southeast Asia (SEA) region. However, the literature review depicts a scarcity of research on niche areas among the top player in this region. This study aims to explore the development of the medical tourism industry in the SEA region. An in-depth interview with stakeholders and private hospitals were conducted and analyzed using thematic analysis coupled with document analysis from various secondary data. Four SEA regions were chosen namely Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore which offer specific niche markets to promote the medical tourism industry. Interestingly, these countries are complementing and not competing with each other in the same industry. This study is vital in enriching the literature in the field of medical tourism in showcasing the niche market of medical tourism in the SEA region. This study also contributes greatly to comparative analysis between these countries in the medical tourism sector.

Keywords: Healthcare services; medical tourism; medical tourists; Southeast Asia region (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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