A Review of Research on Health Tourism Policies

Yitong Lin

Academy of Health Management, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510000, China

Keywords: Health and Wellness Tourism Policies, Policy Practices, Aging Population, Sustainable Development.

Abstract: Against the backdrop of the worsening global aging trend and the expansion of sub-health populations, health

tourism, as a new way of combining health and tourism, has gradually become a hot topic of concern for

academia and policymakers. As the demand for health and wellness services grows globally, health tourism

has emerged as a promising sector that bridges medical care, wellness, and leisure activities. This article

systematically reviews the research of health and wellness tourism policies from 2000 to 2024, from a

multidimensional perspective, combined with domestic and foreign policy practice experience, it sorts out the

research status, evolution laws, and development trends of health and wellness tourism policies. By providing

both theoretical support and practical inspiration, this research aims to guide policymakers, industry

stakeholders, and researchers in advancing health tourism as a vital component of the global health and

economic landscape and promote the lasting growth of health tourism.

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Research Background

In this day and age, the global aging trend is

significant, as shown by the United Nations data. In

2022, there were 771 million people aged 65 years and

older globally, 3 times more than the size in 1980 (258

million). The older population is projected to reach

994 million by 2030 and 1.6 billion by 2050 (United

Nations, 2022). The aging process in China is

particularly rapid. According to data from the China

National Bureau of Statistics, the population aged 65

and above in China will be 216.16 million in 2023,

accounting for 15.4% of the total population (National

Bureau of Statistics, 2024). The aging population not

only brings enormous pressure to social elderly care,

medical security, etc., but also profoundly affects

various aspects such as economic structure, labor

market, and social consumption patterns.

In addition to the increase of the elderly population,

the number of sub-healthy people worldwide is also

constantly increasing. The demand for health

maintenance and improvement among sub-healthy

individuals is becoming increasingly urgent. Health

tourism, as a new way of combining health and

tourism, provides them with opportunities to relax and

recuperate.

To foster the sustainable progress of health tourism,

the exploration of relevant policy design and practice

is particularly important. The policy research on

health tourism can be traced back to the mid to late

20th century. With the deep integration of tourism and

the health industry, health tourism has gradually

expanded from a single function of health treatment to

a comprehensive industry covering multiple forms

such as medical, cultural, and ecological health.

Taking medical tourism as an example, Kim Kyung

Hee and Lee Yeon tae from South Korea pointed out

that medical tourism started with medical travel for

patients receiving treatment overseas, gradually

expanded through a combination of medical and

tourism medical tourism, and gradually expanded to

health tourism for consuming health services. Since

2010, medical services are transforming into health

tourism in the form of consuming medical services or

health management services (Kim et al., 2021).

Governments around the world attempt to tap into

the economic and social potential of this field through

policy frameworks. For example, The advancement of

the Healthy China initiative has propelled fresh

possibilities for the growth of health tourism and

contributed to its gradual maturation across the nation

(Wang et al., 2023). This indicates that the guiding

role of policies cannot be ignored in the development

of this field, and the advanced enhancement of the

health tourism sector is dependent on the backing and

support of relevant policies.

Lin, Y.

A Review of Research on Health Tourism Policies.

DOI: 10.5220/0014373600004859

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Politics, Law, and Social Science (ICPLSS 2025), pages 301-307

ISBN: 978-989-758-785-6

301

1.2 Research Topic

This review provides a systematic review and

exploration of the research on health and wellness

tourism policies, covering a time range from the early

21st century to 2024, with a geographical focus on

China and involving multiple regions around the

world. Focus on the research topic of health tourism

policies and search for a large amount of literature.

After sorting and analyzing the selected literature,

this thesis summarizes the current circumstance and

challenges of research on health tourism policies from

four specific issues: driving demand, integration of

rural revitalization, challenges in policy practice, and

future trends. Finally, the study has analyzed the

research perspectives and development trends of

health and wellness tourism policies, encompassing

both domestic and international contexts.

Through detailed literature analysis and case

studies, this review reveals the current development

status and future tendency of health tourism on a

global scale, in order to provide guideline and

inspiration for academic research and policy

formulation. At the same time, based on policy

practice experience in different regions, this article

proposes suggestions such as balancing economic

benefits with social equity, ecological protection,

emphasizing sustainable resource development, and

improving service model innovation, providing

theoretical support and practical inspiration for the

sustainable improvement of health tourism.

2 RESEARCH METHODS AND

PROCESSES

The time span for the literature search in this study is

from 2000 to 2024, covering both Chinese and

English databases.

Using the CNKI database to collect Chinese

literature, limiting the core journals of "Peking

University Core" and "CSSCI", and using "health

tourism" and "health tourism" as keywords, 169

preliminary screened articles were obtained;

Narrowing down the scope and searching for 7

articles using the keyword 'health tourism policies'.

For each key literature, in the list of references,

search for literature that is highly relevant to your

research topic. Starting from known literature,

continuously discover new and valuable literature.

Through this snowball search method, gradually

expand the scope and depth of the literature search,

and discover the core literature and important

research achievements in the research field. Further

obtain 6 Chinese literature articles.

The concepts of "health tourism" and "wellness

tourism" are commonly used in foreign countries, and

it is generally believed that "health tourism" can be

categorized into two types: "wellness tourism" and

"medical tourism" (Mueller and Kaufmann, 2001;

Jonas-Berki et al., 2014).

Conduct a search using Google Scholar and Web

of Science English databases, with "wellness tourism

policy", "medical tourism policy", and "health

tourism policy" as the main keywords. Use advanced

search in Google Scholar to obtain 101 articles; 673

articles were obtained on Web of Science, and 528

articles were ultimately obtained through limited

screening of Database, Document Types, and

Research Areas.

In the process of literature search, strict screening

methods were adopted, as shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Criteria for screening literature

Research theme

Research

method

Literature type Literature sources

Inclusion

Criteria

Directly related to health

and wellness tourism

policies, focus on the

title and abstract,

including policy text

analysis, policy

influencing factors,

policy implementation

effects, and other aspects

Scientific and

reliable, such as

using

quantitative

analysis,

qualitative

research, case

analysis and

other methods

Academic

papers, research

reports, or

official

government

documents

A high-quality journal

recognized by the

academic community,

with a certain degree of

influence and

representativeness, and a

large number of citations

Exclusion

criteria

Literature unrelated to

health and wellness

The analysis

method is not

Nonacademic

literature, such

Unknown journal with

low citation count

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tourism policies, such as

literature that solely

studies tourism market

development and scenic

spot management

without involving policy

mechanisms

scientific, such

as incomplete

data collection,

which leads to

unreliable

results

as news reports,

commentary

articles, etc

Finally, 40 articles were selected, including 27

foreign articles and 13 Chinese articles.

3 RESEARCH RESULTS

3.1 Analysis of the Motivation and

Demand for Health and Wellness

Tourism

The analysis of the motivation and demand for health

tourism is the core link to understanding its rapid

development. By sorting out the driving factors of the

development of health tourism, not only can the deep

logic of the formation of health tourism demand be

revealed, but also theoretical support can be provided

for industry policy optimization and service design.

The driving factors of the demand for health

tourism present multidimensional and multi-level

complexity.

First, the aging population is a major factor

spurring the rise in demand for health and wellness

tourism. With the increasing proportion of the elderly

population worldwide, traditional medical and elderly

care models are facing severe challenges. Research

has found that the elderly population exhibits high

heterogeneity in their health needs, and they are more

inclined to choose tourism modes that can

comprehensively meet their needs for healthcare,

mental pleasure, and social interaction. The main

decision-making factors for elderly people to choose

health tourism services include functional

independence, availability of natural therapies,

geographical location, and climate conditions

(Tomasović Mrčela et al., 2015). Mireia Ferri Sanz et

al. use tourism as a social policy strategy to address

the aging process, providing better quality of life and

healthy aging for the elderly, reducing family burden,

and lowering the cost of an aging society (Sanz et al.,

2013).

Secondly, the integration of health and tourism

demand is a significant background for the rise of

health tourism. In recent years, people's pursuit of

"health" has extended from single disease treatment

to the maintenance and improvement of overall

physical and mental health. This shift in demand has

led to health tourism becoming the intersection of the

health and tourism industries. Alan Lukose et al.

pointed out that patients and consumers' expectations

for health services are shifting towards a more

preventive and experiential direction, which is

reflected in the demand for multiple service types in

wellness tourism, such as forest therapy, hot spring

therapy, and healthy diets (Lukose et al., 2024).

Specifically, consumers from different cultural

backgrounds and economies exhibit diversity in their

demands. For example, in East Asia, traditional

Chinese medicine health tourism and meditation

therapy are highly regarded as forms of health and

wellness; In Europe, the combination of hot springs

and natural environments has become the mainstream

way of recuperation. This phenomenon indicates that

the formation of demand for health tourism is not only

driven by health factors, but also deeply influenced

by cultural cognition and local resource endowments.

In addition, socio-economic changes are also an

important catalyst for the expansion of demand for

health tourism. With the rise of the global middle

class and consumption upgrading, more and more

consumers see health as an investment rather than a

simple consumption. Health tourism has received

particular attention due to its ability to provide

maintenance and appreciation of "health assets". For

example, Lukose et al. found that some consumers

choose health tourism not only to obtain medical or

health services, but also to improve their quality of

life, reduce occupational stress, and even delay aging

through this approach. This' internalized demand 'and

the growing health awareness of consumers have

formed a dual engine driving market expansion

(Lukose et al., 2024).

However, the formation of demand for health

tourism is also accompanied by certain barriers and

challenges. Psychological and cultural barriers are the

main reasons that hinder some consumers from

participating in health tourism. Older people may

have concerns about the safety of traveling, and

consumers from different cultural backgrounds have

varying levels of acceptance of wellness programs

(Tomasović Mrčela et al., 2015). In addition, the issue

of economic affordability still exists widely in some

A Review of Research on Health Tourism Policies

303

regions. Although health tourism has shown high

acceptance in developed markets, its high cost still

limits its popularity in developing and

underdeveloped regions, which directly affects the

cross-regional expansion ability of health tourism.

3.2 The Practice and Application of

China's Health and Wellness

Tourism Policy in Rural

Revitalization

The combination of health tourism and rural

revitalization is one of the important development

directions of China's health tourism policies in recent

years. In recent years, this country has a series of

supportive policies to promote the integration of

health tourism and rural revitalization, such as the

"Rural Revitalization Strategic Plan (2018-2022)",

which clearly proposes the integration of agriculture,

tourism, health and other industries to promote the

diversified progression of rural economy; The

"Healthy China 2030" planning outline positions

health tourism as an important means to improve the

overall health level of the population. These policies

provide institutional guarantees and development

guidance for the combination of health tourism and

rural revitalization.

The development model of health tourism centered

on rural areas usually relies on the natural ecology,

cultural resources, and spatial characteristics of rural

areas. Research has found that health tourism in rural

areas mainly focuses on four typical models: one is

the pastoral health tourism model developed based on

agricultural resources, which meets the health needs

of middle-aged and elderly tourists through

agricultural experiences, healthy food supply, and

other means; The second is a cultural health model

based on local characteristic cultural resources; The

third is a forest health model based on forest

resources, which achieves physical and mental

regulation through forest bathing, ecological therapy,

and other methods; The fourth is to combine medical

resources with a healthcare model that relies on

traditional Chinese medicine and other resources to

provide more specialized health services (Li and Tao,

2023; Zhang and Dong, 2022). These four models

have expanded the service scenarios and industrial

chain of health tourism, and provided new

development ideas and practical paths for rural

revitalization.

However, the practice of combining health tourism

with rural revitalization is not without challenges.

From an industrial perspective, the resource

development and service models of health tourism in

many rural areas are still extensive, with problems

such as homogeneous competition, insufficient

innovation capabilities, and low resource utilization

efficiency. In addition, health tourism requires

specialized talent support, but rural areas face

numerous difficulties in attracting and retaining

versatile professionals (Li and Tao, 2023). From a

social perspective, the large-scale development of

health tourism projects may lead to issues such as

land resource conflicts, ecological damage, and rural

cultural alienation. Especially in some health tourism

projects that focus on ecological resources, how to

balance the relationship between economic benefits

and ecological protection has become an important

issue.

3.3 Experience Reference: Challenges

in the Practice of Foreign Health

Tourism Policies

On a global scale, wellness tourism, as the

intersection of the health and tourism industries, has

attracted widespread policy attention. However,

policy practice in this field faces different challenges,

which arise from both the rationality of policy design

itself and the resource, cultural, and institutional

barriers encountered during implementation. The

practice and challenges of health tourism policies

exhibit diverse characteristics and complexities in

different regions and backgrounds.

Montalee Nooseisai et al. conducted research on

the health inequality issues in Thailand's medical

tourism industry, including talent loss from the public

division to the private division, rising prices of

medical products and services, and quality issues of

public health facilities. They proposed that the

government should take measures to reduce health

inequality while enjoying the benefits of medical

tourism, maintain the sustainable growth of

Thailand's medical tourism industry, and avoid

damaging people's healthcare (Nooseisai et al., 2017).

Jason Behrmann and Elise Smith from Canada

studied the relationship between medical tourism and

Canadian health policies, revealing current

challenges and proposing future research directions.

They found that the growing heterogeneity in the

medical tourism industry, such as issues of organ

transplantation and abortion, poses significant ethical

and policy challenges (Jason and Elise, 2010). To this

end, they proposed key research topics for the future

development of medical tourism: examining the

availability of emerging biomedical technologies and

human tissues, determining the association between

the medical tourism industry and population

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vulnerability, and exploring how broad social factors

force certain individuals to seek healthcare abroad.

These studies provide a basis for policymakers to

promote the sustainable development of the medical

tourism industry.

Elham Rafighi et al. found that laws in the UK that

limit healthcare access depending on immigration

status may further endanger the well-being of

disadvantaged people in the country (Rafighi et al.,

2016). Iva Bulatovic and Katia Iankova found that the

main obstacles to the development of medical tourism

in the United Arab Emirates are high service costs,

insufficient marketing initiatives and limited

collaboration between healthcare providers and

tourism services. The UAE government should

establish a more effective healthcare supply network,

tourism suppliers, and intermediaries (Bulatovic and

Iankova, 2021).

The case studies of foreign health tourism policy

practices indicate that policy design and

implementation need to comprehensively consider

diverse factors such as social equity, resource

allocation, and market mechanisms to ensure the

processive development of the health tourism

industry. These experiences provide valuable

references for China's health and wellness tourism

policies. When formulating and implementing health

and wellness tourism policies, China should avoid

exacerbating resource allocation inequality and social

inequality due to policy implementation. At the same

time, policy coordination and cross-departmental

cooperation should be strengthened to ensure the

healthy development of the health tourism industry.

In addition, China should actively explore

international cooperation models, draw on advanced

policy concepts and management experience from

abroad, formulate more scientific and reasonable

policies based on its own actual situation, and

enhance its competitiveness in the international

health and wellness tourism market.

3.4 Future Trends in Research on

Health and Wellness Tourism

Policies

Altaf Virani et al. found that the proportion of policy

issues focused on in medical tourism research is

comparatively low, and there are regional and

disciplinary differences, mostly concentrated in

specific areas, neglecting comprehensive governance

and health systems. Therefore, it is called for policy

scholars to participate more in medical tourism

research, and health researchers should consider more

clearly their understanding and solutions to the

challenges of medical tourism policies in their

research (Virani et al., 2020).

Alan Lukose et al. indicated that the future of

health tourism research should focus on addressing

the global health crisis and promoting sustainable

development. It is necessary to establish unified

industry standards and explore new trends such as

personalized and digital health services through

comprehensive and sustainable methods, contributing

to global health and well-being (Lukose et al., 2024).

4 DISCUSSION

4.1 Research Summary

According to the research results, there is relatively

little research on health and wellness tourism policies

in China, which is in its infancy or development stage,

while foreign research on health and wellness tourism

policies is more mature and in-depth.

4.2 Research on Health Tourism

Policies Presents Different

Perspectives

Some studies emphasize the leading role of the

government in health and wellness tourism, believing

that policies are the core tool to guide industry

development. Sang Yoon Kim compared the health

tourism policies of South Korea and Japan, and

pointed out that the government led model in South

Korea performs better in institutionalized

management, but has weaker flexibility; Japan, on the

other hand, integrates resources through non-

governmental organizations (NPOs), demonstrating

high policy flexibility and local governance

capabilities (Kim, 2021). Similarly, Guo Qiang et al.

proposed in their exploration of ocean health tourism

that the government can compensate for market

failures by promoting resource integration and

infrastructure construction through policy guidance,

and unlocking market potential (Guo et al., 2023).

Another type of research tends to lean towards a

market-driven perspective, emphasizing the

optimization of resource allocation through market

mechanisms. Research has found that under a market-

oriented model, the role of policies is mainly reflected

in subsidies, efficient resource allocation, and tourism

brand building. For example, Li Qiao and Tao Li

explored the activation effect of market capitalization

on rural resources when studying the rural health and

wellness industry in China. They believed that the

A Review of Research on Health Tourism Policies

305

two-way flow of urban and rural resources can

facilitate the sustainable development of the rural

health and wellness industry (Li and Tao, 2023).

From a global perspective, health tourism policies

also involve enhancing competitiveness in the

international market. OECD Tourism Papers

emphasize that grasping a nation's tourism

competitiveness is crucial for policymakers and poses

a significant challenge for professionals to supply

evidence-based decision-making (Dupeyras and N,

2013). Emphasizing that policy formulation can, to

some extent, affect a country's competitiveness in

related industries. Research cases from Busan, the

United Arab Emirates, and other regions have shown

that by implementing refined policies such as visa

facilitation, cross-border insurance cooperation, and

cultural promotion, it is possible to attract

international tourists and enhance the global

competitiveness of the destination (Bulatovic and

Iankova, 2021; Kim and Seo, 2023).

4.3 The Research on Health and

Wellness Tourism Policies Shows a

Gradually Evolving Trend with

Changes in the Socio-Economic

Background

With the deepening of research on health tourism,

policy goals have gradually shifted from a single

focus on health improvement to a diversified

integration of ecological protection, cultural heritage,

and economic development. Zhang Guanghai et al.

found through analysis of policy texts that in recent

years, China's health tourism policies have begun to

integrate with ecological protection and rural

revitalization strategies. Tourism styles focusing on

health maintenance, including medical tourism,

traditional Chinese medicine tourism, forest health,

and hot spring health, are becoming more diverse

(Zhang and Dong, 2022).

The evolution of policies is also reflected in the

shift from macro frameworks to specific measures.

Zhang Guanghai and Dong Yuelei pointed out

through text quantification analysis that in recent

years, policy goals have become clearer and measures

have become more diverse (Zhang and Dong, 2022).

Ran Wang and Songtao Geng suggest that the

government develop policies to encourage healthcare

institutions to adopt proactive privacy protection

strategies, strengthen privacy protection in medical

tourism, and promote development of the industry

(Wang and Geng, 2024). Iranian scholars Farzaneh

Nattagh et al. proposed a set of procedures for

developing health tourism by constructing a four-

layer model with policy objectives as the core,

guiding the development of medical tourism

decisions in Iran, and providing specific

recommendations based on each dimension (Nattagh

et al., 2019).

4.4 Main Contributions of Existing

Research

This review systematically reviews the current

research status of health and wellness tourism

policies, covering policy evolution from the mid to

late 20th century to the present day. It deeply analyzes

the multidimensional perspectives of health and

wellness tourism policies, including the comparison

between government-led and market-driven

approaches, and how policies promote the integration

of health and tourism industries.

Through a detailed review of the development

process and specific practices of China's health and

wellness tourism policies, especially in conjunction

with the rural revitalization strategy, this article

provides empirical evidence for understanding how

policies can promote industrial development at the

local level.

In addition, the summary of foreign health tourism

policy practices, such as case studies in Thailand,

Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab

Emirates, provides valuable reference experience for

China and contributes to the development of the

industry in health tourism.

4.5 Main Shortcomings of Existing

Research

Although this article has made important

contributions to the research of health and wellness

tourism policies, there are still some shortcomings.

When analyzing various types of literature, some

analyses lack in-depth exploration and critical

thinking. For example, in the analysis of the

motivations and demands for health tourism policies,

multiple driving factors are listed, but there is a lack

of in-depth analysis of the interrelationships and

relative importance between these factors.

In addition, the richness and representativeness of

overall data and cases are insufficient, especially

when analyzing the practice and challenges of health

tourism policies. The number of cases is relatively

small and concentrated in the field of medical

tourism, making it difficult to fully reflect the

diversity and complexity of health tourism policy

practices.

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5 CONCLUSION

This article provides an organized review of the

research status and development trends of health and

wellness tourism policies, not only for the academic

community, but also for policymakers and industry

practitioners to point out the future development

direction. In the context of the overlapping

development of global health needs and tourism

economy, the scientific design and effective

implementation of health tourism policies will

become an important guarantee for promoting

sustainable socio-economic development.

The research on health tourism policies is crucial

for fostering the long-term growth of the industry.

Future research should further expand

interdisciplinary perspectives, strengthen cross-

border comparisons and micro mechanism

exploration, and provide more comprehensive

theoretical support and data basis for policy

optimization. At the policy implementation level, it is

necessary to explore specific paths for technological

empowerment, regional collaboration, and social

participation to advance the sustainable growth of

health tourism.

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