Magdi Ayoub

Abstract

Several developed and developing countries recognize medical tourism as a lucrative opportunity to generate national income and boost up the economy, which contribute to the overall development strategy. Although Egypt is well-positioned as tourism destination, medical tourism is lagging when compared to regional and global competitors. This thesis describes the status quo of Egypt’s medical tourism, analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of medical tourism industry in Egypt, and define the required policies, entities and strategic plans needed to realize the goal of having a strong and competitive medical tourism industry. The study utilizes qualitative research methods using semi-structured interviews with several stakeholders in the medical tourism industry in Egypt including those in the Ministry of Health, Egyptian Tourism Authority, healthcare providers and medical tourism facilitators as a primary source for data related to medical tourism sector in Egypt, as well as several secondary data in published literature about this topic. The study analyzed Egypt’s competitive advantage of its medical tourism industry using the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis tool, based on the integrated model of medical tourism. Findings demonstrate that Egypt’s medical tourism industry has a number of strengths like the existing and well developed tourism infrastructure, abundance of healthcare professionals, and the great geographical location. On the other hand weaknesses are mainly related to the absence of medical tourism governance, poor marketing, low quality of healthcare, and the non-availability of educational programs that enhance the capacity of service providers to handle this type of tourists. A set of policy recommendations had been suggested, that aim to define a comprehensive development strategy for the sector and eventually will enhance the competitive advantage of medical tourism in Egypt.

Department

Public Policy & Administration Department

Degree Name

MA in Public Administration

Graduation Date

2-1-2018

Submission Date

February 2018

First Advisor

Bhuiyan, Shahjahan

Committee Member 1

Ali, Hamed

Committee Member 2

Abel Halim, Khaled

Extent

81 p.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Rights

The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Approval has been obtained for this item

Comments

I extend my deep gratitude to my lovely wife for her encouraging words, and bearing the full responsibility for three adorable kids in order to spare me time for finishing this research. Thank you dear. Also, I want to extend my deep appreciation and gratefulness to my thesis advisor Dr. Shahjahan Bhuiyan for his guidance and relentless support. Dr. Shahjahan meticulousness, attention to details and constructive comments turned the work on this research from a mere study to a learning journey. Likewise, I want to deeply thank my readers Dr.Hamid Ali and Dr. Khaled AbdelHalim for their feedback, assistance and support

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