Abstract

The present research is an applied study which employed a descriptive-correlation method. After a review of the related literature and survey of opinions of health tourism industry experts, the considered criteria in evaluation and ranking health tourism barriers were determined. Subsequently, 4 criteria (price, quality, accessibility, and proper time) were selected as the most important criteria. Using purposeful sampling method, out of cities and regions with health tourism attraction, four cities were selected as the most important cities with health tourism attraction. Using Fuzzy VIKOR method, quality was found to be the highest importance and proper time was determined as the lowest important criterion. Among sub-indices, improper medical quality was found to have the highest importance (weight). Among the selected cities, Mazandaran was found to have the highest priority. Shiraz, Tabriz and Mashhad, then, had the highest importance, respectively, in terms of health tourism development barriers. 

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