Medical Tourism: A comparison of Australian, French and South Korean medical and health tourists to Thailand

Authors

Kenneth E. Miller, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia
Uraiporn Kattiyapornpong, University of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

33485

Publication Details

Miller, K. E. & Kattiyapornpong, U. (2010). Medical Tourism: A comparison of Australian, French and South Korean medical and health tourists to Thailand. CAUTHE 2010: 20th Council for Australian University Tourism and Hospitality Education (pp. 1-7). Hobart, Tasmania: University of Tasmania.

Abstract

The high cost of surgery in Western countries has led to an increase in the demand for surgery in developing countries (York, 2008). The objective of this article is to examine the utilization and satisfaction with medical and health services purchased by Australian, French and South Korean visitors to Thailand. In late 2006 a face-to-face survey was conducted with 1,200 randomly selected tourists who had visited Thailand. Results show substantial usage of medical and health services. Satisfaction levels vary across type of service provided and by country of origin of tourist. Recommendations are provided to the national tourism authority. Future research directions are discussed.

Link to publisher version (URL)

Council for Australian University Tourism and Hospitality Education