Assessing medical tourists' destination choice behavior: A conceptual perspective

Over the recent years, medical tourism has become one of the niche sectors that significantly contributed towards a country's economic development. The purpose of this paper is two-fold: firstly, it aims to assess medical tourists' attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control in affecting their intention towards adopting destination choice behavior. Secondly, it further attempts to determine potential significant linkages among the tourists' perceived destination image, perceived value and perceived behavioral control. Data collection procedures would involve initial focus group interview followed by survey questionnaire design and its subsequent distribution to 600 potential target respondents. The unit of analyses would be tapped on medical tourists visiting a progressively developing nation for the purpose of seeking medical services. Data would be analyzed for its reliability and validity prior subsequent testing of relationships using structural equation modelling statistical approach. Expected contributions of this study include an extended knowledge building on a new conceptual research framework of destination choice behavioral adoption within the medical tourism sector. It extends the application of theory of planned behavior by exploring its relationship with destination image and perceived value towards the provision of medical services. Subsequently, it is expected that there exists a potentially increased level of awareness amongst medical tourists' towards these services, and that more foreign medical tourists would identify Malaysia as a medical destination choice of theirs.