Medical tourists from low-trust countries and South Korean medical tourism: the case of Kazakhstan
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There are many people who travel abroad to receive medical care or wellness services globally, and this travel at times happens from countries where trust in local medical services is low to countries with more trusted medical industry. This paper is part of the ongoing research project that aim to investigate the concept of trust in medical tourism for tourists from low-trust countries, particularly focusing on the case of Kazakh medical tourism to South Korea. As the research progressed, it has become evident that there is a general lack of knowledge on South Korea as a medical tourism destination that does not concentrate on medical tourists from neighbouring countries coming to Korea for aesthetic purposes, but explores outside of East Asia for the potential markets that choose South Korea as a destination for medical procedures. Thus this paper investigates what prospective medical tourists from Kazakhstan think of South Korean medical systems, and what attributes are important to them. The preliminary study was conducted at the "Kazakhstan International Travel Fair, international exhibition held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on April 17-19, 2019. The final data 58 out of 62 were collected from visitors who came and showed their interest to South Korea medical tourism booth. The survey has demonstrated that the effectiveness of the communication for Kazakhs was word-of-mouth from their family and friends and the user content on SNS. These potential tourists already have good impression of the staff, the facilities and equipment, as well as with the service quality in South Korean medical organizations. However, they are some doubts whether South Korean medical professionals have the knowledge and understanding of the culture and specific needs of Central Asian medical tourists, who are Muslim and their specific requirements. Therefore, it is advisable to invest more into understanding those potential consumers and adapting communication to feel more them included and catered, providing same-gender facilities and staff, providing Halal meals, praying room, adapted bathrooms etc.. in order to attract medical tourists from Central Asian market.
Abstract
There are many people who travel abroad to receive medical care or wellness services globally, and this travel at times happens from countries where trust in local medical services is low to countries with more trusted medical industry. This paper is part of the ongoing research project that aim to investigate the concept of trust in medical tourism for tourists from low-trust countries, particularly focusing on the case of Kazakh medical tourism to South Korea. As the research progressed, it has become evident that there is a general lack of knowledge on South Korea as a medical tourism destination that does not concentrate on medical tourists from neighbouring countries coming to Korea for aesthetic purposes, but explores outside of East Asia for the potential markets that choose South Korea as a destination for medical procedures. Thus this paper investigates what prospective medical tourists from Kazakhstan think of South Korean medical systems, and what attributes are important to them. The preliminary study was conducted at the "Kazakhstan International Travel Fair, international exhibition held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on April 17-19, 2019. The final data 58 out of 62 were collected from visitors who came and showed their interest to South Korea medical tourism booth. The survey has demonstrated that the effectiveness of the communication for Kazakhs was word-of-mouth from their family and friends and the user content on SNS. These potential tourists already have good impression of the staff, the facilities and equipment, as well as with the service quality in South Korean medical organizations. However, they are some doubts whether South Korean medical professionals have the knowledge and understanding of the culture and specific needs of Central Asian medical tourists, who are Muslim and their specific requirements. Therefore, it is advisable to invest more into understanding those potential consumers and adapting communication to feel more them included and catered, providing same-gender facilities and staff, providing Halal meals, praying room, adapted bathrooms etc.. in order to attract medical tourists from Central Asian market.
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