Vol. 20 No. 1 (2026), Туризм: российский и международный опыт
Vol. 20 No. 1 (2026)

Medical tourism: concept, classification, scale, driving forces and market segments

Туризм: российский и международный опыт
Published 2026-02-28
V.M. Kitsis
Мордовский государственный университет им. Н. П. Огарева (Саранск, Республика Мордовия, Россия)
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Keywords

tourism, medical tourism, medical services, driving forces, market, segmentation, structure

How to Cite

Kitsis, V. (2026). Medical tourism: concept, classification, scale, driving forces and market segments. Russian State University of Tourism and Service, 20(1), 54-68. https://doi.org/10.22412/1995-042X-2026-20-1-54-68
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Abstract

Currently, one of the leading and fastest growing sectors of the international tourism market is medical tourism. The object of the study is medical tourism, the subject is the analysis of the scale and structure of the global medical tourism market. The purpose of the article is to study the size, directions and features of medical tourism. The article shows the reasons for the growth of medical tourism in the world, among which the foreground includes savings on receiving medical services, access to high-quality medical services and medical care, the ability to combine treatment with rest and vacation, and others. Medical tourism is classified by travel destination, purpose of medical trips and types. Despite the high importance of this sector of the global tourism market, the scale of medical tourism cannot be accurately assessed due to the lack of data for a number of countries, the use of different methods for assessment by different organizations, confidentiality of information, etc. The structure of the medical tourism market is divided into segments based on criteria such as medical procedures (type of treatment), geography (direction of travel), age and gender. In the sector by type of treatment, attention is paid to cosmetic (plastic) surgery, dental procedures, infertility treatment, orthopedic operations. In terms of medical travel destinations, North America, the Asia-­Pacific region, and European countries stand out. The article notes that the majority of medical tourists are people aged 40 to 60 years, and in terms of gender, 3/5 of medical tourists are women traveling for cosmetic procedures.

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18. Patterson, I., Balderas-­Cejudo, A. (2022). Baby boomers and their growing interest in spa and wellness tourism. International Journal of Spa and Wellness, 5(3), 237–249. DOI: 10.1080/24721735.2022.2107801.

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