Tourism management studies of the smart era

Tourism management studies of the smart era

Designing and Explaining a Health Tourism Development Model with an Emphasis on Digital Marketing

Document Type : Article extracted From phd Thesis

Authors
parisa Fazeli 1
Mahmoud Rezaeizadeh 2
Kiumars Arya 1
1 Department of Business Administration, Ro. C,. , Islamic Azad University, Roudehen,, Iran.
2 Associate Professor, Departmant of Bussines Mnagement, Azad University Central Branch ,Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran
10.22072/tmsse.2026.2077154.1092
Abstract
Given the increasing global competition among destinations in providing medical and wellness services, together with the growing importance of digital marketing in attracting health tourists, this study aimed to develop and validate a health tourism development model with an emphasis on digital marketing. This applied study adopted a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design. The qualitative phase consisted of a meta-synthesis of the literature and semi-structured interviews with 20 experts selected through purposive sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved. The quantitative phase employed a descriptive-correlational survey design. The study population comprised managers of tourism companies, from whom 202 participants were selected using multistage cluster random sampling. Data in the quantitative phase were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire. The validity and reliability of the research instruments were confirmed in both the qualitative and quantitative phases. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis, while quantitative data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and a one-sample t-test. The findings resulted in an indigenous model of health tourism development with an emphasis on digital marketing comprising six principal dimensions: the effectiveness of digital marketing activities, costs, policies and regulations, infrastructure, transparency, and culture. The results further indicated that these dimensions were perceived by the respondents to be at a desirable level. Overall, both the qualitative and quantitative findings supported the proposed health tourism development model, confirming its suitability as a comprehensive framework for strengthening digital marketing strategies and enhancing the attraction of health tourists.
Keywords
Health tourism
Online marketing
Culture
Subjects
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Tourism management studies of the smart era
Volume 3, Issue 1 - Serial Number 4
Spring
Winter 2026
Pages 112-132