Identification of Factors Affecting the Sustainable Development of Health Tourism in Iran

Akhavi, Amirali; Imeni Gheshlagh, Siavash; Goldasteh, Akbar

doi:10.22072/tmsse.2026.2085152.1140

Identification of Factors Affecting the Sustainable Development of Health Tourism in Iran

Articles in Press

Document Type : Articles extracted from dissertation

Authors

amirali akhavi ¹

siavash imeni gheshlagh ²

akbar goldasteh ³

¹ Tourism Development, Planning Faculty of Tourism, University of Science and Culture, Tehran, Iran

² Assistant Professor of the Tourism Entrepreneurship Management Department, Faculty of Tourism Sciences, University of Science and Culture, Tehran, Iran

³ Statistics Group, Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Science and Culture, Tehran, Iran

10.22072/tmsse.2026.2085152.1140

Abstract

The present study examines the key drivers and uncertainties affecting the development of future scenarios for Iran’s health tourism industry, with consideration of sustainable development. Data were collected using a qualitative method through semi structured interviews with 12 experts in the fields of tourism and healthcare, based on the principle of theoretical saturation, and were analyzed using the grounded theory approach (Strauss and Corbin) and three stage coding in MAXQDA software.The findings indicate that the sustainable development of health tourism in Iran is influenced by a set of interconnected factors, including environmental issues, political and managerial outcomes, technological factors, human resource training, economic conditions, infrastructural and facility related components, service quality, and international and regional competitiveness. These were organized into 18 axial categories and 9 main dimensions.The study underscores the need for coordinated action across all these dimensions and shows that single dimensional policies are insufficient. Ultimately, it emphasizes a systemic approach as the primary pathway for achieving sustainable development scenarios in the health tourism sector.

Keywords

Health Tourism

Sustainable Development

Futures Studies

Scenario Planning

Iran

Subjects