Determinant factors on choosing Thailand medical tourism by Myanmar medical tourists.

Abstract

Medical Tourism has become one of the latest trends in the tourism industry and has the potential to continue growing exponentially. Many outbound Myanmar medical travelers are seeking healthcare overseas every year. Thailand is thought to be the preferred choice for Myanmar’s people due to the high experienced doctors with international experience and advanced technology and treatments, etc. This research is to study the determinant factors on choosing Thailand medical tourism by Myanmar Medical Tourists. Aim of this research is to identify the factors influencing in choosing Thailand as a medical tourism destination by Myanmar medical tourists and to understand the relationship between factors influencing in choosing Thailand as a medical tourism destination and satisfaction on decision making from Myanmar medical tourists’ perspectives. For the purpose of this research, the scope includes past or current Myanmar medical tourists who traveled to Bangkok for medical purposes. The research was conducted using quantitative methods. The data was collected using electronic-based questionnaires with a convenience sampling method. The electronic-based questionnaires were sent to emails of patients or via social media. Total 200 questionnaires were responded and all the samples were eligible for the analysis. Mean and multiple regressions were applied to analyze the data. The result of this study revealed that information from friends or relatives (word of mouth) is the most decisive factor for Myanmar medical tourists followed by quality of care and services, professionalism (doctors or physicians), affordability and destination factors for Thailand Medical tourism by Myanmar medical tourists. These factors can give the solutions or ideas for providers of health-related services, and medical tourism organizations in both local and destination country. They could apply the knowledge in their business operations in order to be more successful companies. Moreover, the findings of this study can be able to provide a foundation for further academic studies and market researches more specifically on outbound Myanmar medical tourists.