Canadian medical tourism companies that have exited the marketplace: Content analysis of websites used to market transnational medical travel

Leigh Turner

doi:10.1186/1744-8603-7-40

Abstract

BackgroundMedical tourism companies play an important role in promoting transnational medical travel for elective, out-of-pocket medical procedures. Though researchers are paying increasing attention to the global phenomenon of medical tourism, to date websites of medical tourism companies have received limited scrutiny. This article analyzes websites of Canadian medical tourism companies that advertised international healthcare but ultimately exited the marketplace. Using content analysis of company websites as an investigative tool, the article provides a detailed account of medical tourism companies that were based in Canada but no longer send clients to international health care facilities.MethodsInternet searches, Google Alerts, searches on Google News Canada and ProQuest Newsstand, and searches of an Industry Canada database were used to locate medical tourism companies located in Canada. Once medical tourism companies were identified, the social science research method of content analysis was used to extract relevant information from company websites. Company websites were analyzed to determine: 1) where these businesses were based; 2) the destination countries and medical facilities that they promoted; 3) the health services they advertised; 4) core marketing messages; and 5) whether businesses marketed air travel, hotel accommodations, and holiday excursions in addition to medical procedures.ResultsIn total, 25 medical tourism companies that were based in Canada are now defunct. Given that an estimated 18 medical tourism companies and 7 regional, cross-border medical travel facilitators now operate in Canada, it appears that approximately half of all identifiable medical tourism companies in Canada are no longer in business. 13 of the previously operational companies were based in Ontario, 7 were located in British Columbia, 4 were situated in Quebec, and 1 was based in Alberta. 14 companies marketed medical procedures within a single country, 9 businesses marketed health care at 2 or more destination nations, and 2 companies did not specify particular health care destinations. 22 companies operated as "generalist" businesses marketing many different types of medical procedures. 3 medical tourism companies marketed "specialist" services restricted to dental procedures or organ transplants. In general, medical tourism companies marketed health services on the basis of access to affordable, timely, and high-quality care. 16 businesses offered to make travel arrangements, 20 companies offered to book hotel reservations, and 17 medical tourism companies advertised holiday excursions.ConclusionsThis article provides a detailed empirical analysis of websites of medical tourism companies that were based in Canada but exited the marketplace and are now inoperative. The article identifies where these companies were located in Canada, what countries and health care facilities they selected as destination sites, the health services they advertised, how they marketed themselves in a competitive environment, and what travel-related services they promoted in addition to marketing health care. The paper reveals a fluid marketplace, with many medical tourism companies exiting this industry. In addition, by disclosing identities of companies, providing their websites, archiving these websites or print copies of websites for future studies, and analyzing content of medical tourism company websites, the article can serve as a useful resource for future studies. Citizens, health policy-makers, clinicians, and researchers can all benefit from increased insight into Canada's medical tourism industry.

Highlights

The phrase “medical tourism” is often used to describe individuals travelling for health care and paying out-ofpocket for elective medical procedures [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]
Correspondence: turne462@umn.edu Center for Bioethics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA (55419), USA. Their websites, archiving these websites or print copies of websites for future studies, and analyzing content of medical tourism company websites, the article can serve as a useful resource for future studies
Once a database of medical tourism companies was established, content analysis of company websites was used to: 1) identify and document where in Canada particular medical tourism companies are based; 2) identify and summarize the destination countries to which these businesses indicate they send clients; 3) identify and record medical procedures, tests, and treatments marketed by these businesses; 4) identify and summarize the core marketing message of each of these companies; and 5) address whether medical tourism companies are involved in booking flights, arranging accommodations at hotels and resorts, and offering holidays at resorts, side trips, holiday excursions, visits to local landmarks and other activities often associated with the word, “tourism”

Summary

Introduction

The phrase “medical tourism” is often used to describe individuals travelling for health care and paying out-ofpocket for elective medical procedures [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. Using content analysis of company websites as an investigative tool, the article provides a detailed account of medical tourism companies that were based in Canada but no longer send clients to international health care facilities. The text provides a detailed account of where defunct Canadian medical tourism companies were based, the destination sites they marketed to clients, the health services they promoted, and what they advertised in addition to medical procedures. This topic was addressed by compiling, between 2006 and 2011, a database of medical tourism companies based in Canada. This paper offers a more complicated account of the market for medical tourism by revealing that of all the medical tourism companies in Canada that could be identified over the last five years, approximately half of them are no longer in business

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion