Destination image and customer loyalty in medical tourism

INTRODUCTION 1.1. MEDICAL TOURISM - AN INDIAN PERSPECTIVE Medical tourism (MT) is a rapidly growing sector, which involves traveling across international borders in order to obtain complete healthcare. India is recognized as a medical tourism destination hub that attracts, medical travelers /tourists mostly from other places. A few reasons for medical travel are world-class medical care at considerably low cost(based on 2002 data, an inpatient knee surgery would cost USD 10,000 in the USA and just USD 1,500 at hospitals in India), Mattoo & Rathindran (2006), the most modern technology, competent medical and related specialists. These are the most striking decisive factors of medical travelers. Table 1.1 shows the different factors influencing medical tourists in choosing a particular destination.