Abstract:

Demands on tourism, which are constantly changing and seeking new experiences, have emanated as an outcome of globalization, which brings along the ease of transportation, the development of technology and an increase in the awareness of a high quality life with it. Accordingly, the touristic products adjusting these alterations are gradually gaining importance for the destinations which want to get a share from this sector. The competitive capacity of destinations is based on some factors such as the products they have, the performance of the existing businesses and their capacity to make innovations and the ensuring of collaboration among stakeholders. Accordingly, the destinations are required to determine some competitive strategies by analyzing their competitors and themselves. In the field, there exist a lot of competitive strategies and one of strategies is called the clustering approach. This paper investigates the applicability of medical tourism cluster theory. Thus, it evaluates the receptiveness of local industry to medical tourism cluster development. In the study, focus group discussions have been performed with the stakeholder representatives working in the sector presently and the representatives who might take place in a probable medical tourism clustering. Based on the findings, conclusion and suggestions have been presented. Keywords: Destination, Competitive Capacity Strategies, Clustering, Health Tourism, Medical Tourism.

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