HEALTH TOURISM IN CHINA: CONSUMER INSIGHTS AND MARKET POTENTIAL
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/JTHEM.1144009Keywords:
Chinese Health Tourism, Consumer Choice, Medical Institutions, Chinese EconomyAbstract
With the development of the global economy, improving living conditions, and the increasing focus on health, health tourism has been rapidly developed worldwide. China is no exception. As medical standards and living conditions improve, the Chinese health tourism market is gradually emerging. Due to people's emphasis on a healthy lifestyle, the "total health" industry is entering a new rapid growth phase. As an emerging field that combines tourism with the "comprehensive health" industry, health tourism has significant development potential and a favourable market environment. However, despite the growth of the tourism sector in China, there remains a gap in understanding the behaviour of local tourists regarding health tourism. Most existing literature focuses on factors influencing Western tourists to come and visit China for health tourism. At the same time, less research has emphasised understanding domestic tourist choices. Consumers' decisions undoubtedly have a substantial impact on the industry as health tourism evolves. This research uses the primary data method to investigate factors impacting consumer decisions about health tourism in China. A questionnaire was given online, and this study received 133 responses. A factor study demonstrated that comprehensive medical quality and cost-related aspects influence Chinese consumers' decisions about health tourism in China. The findings also indicated that they are optimistic about the growth of China's health tourism industry. This study contributes to the literature by identifying key determinants of consumer decision-making in health tourism and provides practical insights for industry practitioners.
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