The Impact of Health Sector Development on Tourism Development

Background: One of the most common mistakes in tourism policy is to focus solely on the tourist attractions without considering the environmental conditions and facilities in the community. Access to quality health services in the destination country is one of the most important facilities for tourists. The present study investigated the effect of improving the health sector on attracting foreign tourists. Methods: The present study was a descriptive-analytical study. To conduct the study, the data of global development indicators (published by the World Bank) from 1996 to 2016 were used. The study sample included 82 developing and developed countries. In order to analyze the data, the test methods based on panel data and the generalized torque regression were applied using Stata 14 software. Results: Findings from the estimates of all 4 models show that development of health and treatment increased the amount of tourist attraction in the world. The 2 indices of health developer for both groups of countries had a significant positive effect on tourism development index (tourist attraction). The findings also showed that other independent variables of the model such as air transport development, poll tax income, improvement of information and communication technology, and business development had a positive and significant effect on attracting foreign tourists. Conclusion: On the one hand, provision of the necessary health facilities and improvement of the health indicators provide one of the most essential facilities needed by tourists. On the other hand, application of these facilities is the goal of tourism. From a social point of view, improving health indicators is a positive aspect for society. Therefore, development of health is one of the essentials of tourism development.