Diagnosing the Implementation of Health Tourism Policy in Iran: a Conceptual Framework

Background: Globalization of health services has led to the emergence of a new segment of tourism called Health Tourism. The link between the health and tourism industry due to the benefits of trading, economics and the development of health systems in many countries, is considered as one of the priorities in health and tourism development. But making this link and development of health tourism has a complex and distinct nature, poses challenges for policy implementation in this area. The main objective of this paper is to identify the most important challenges and factors associated with the implementation of health tourism policy in Iran. Methods: In this study, a qualitative-exploratory research methodology has been used because the nature of the problem is complex and the goal of this study is deep understanding of the problems and issues related to the implementation of health tourism policy. The purposeful sampling method is used among competent authorities of this area (Health Tourism Board of Iran) and the Charmaz Grounded Theory strategy (2006) is used to analyze and develop the theoretical framework of the research. Results: Management instability, the challenge of the macroeconomic environment and entrepreneurship, coherent policy and integrity of governance, budget and financial support, the challenges of the international environment, coordination and inter-organizational agreements are the most important causative factors affecting the implementation of tourism policy in Iran. Conclusion: This paper, through the development of a conceptual framework that will strengthen the theoretical background of health tourism policy in developing and Asian countries, can solve the challenges of the Iranian health tourism policy and provides a valuable contribution to strengthening the concepts and frameworks in this regard.