A nexus between foreign students, foreign medical students, international tourism and health tourism- global trends and the case of Turkey

Abstract

This study investigates the interrelations within the international tourism field related to education and medical sectors by analysing the connections between foreign students, foreign medical students, international tourism and international health tourism, globally and in the case of Turkey. Descriptive and comparative analyses show that these tourism niches grow internationally based on the significant role of globalization and technological development. In Turkey, the numbers of foreign students and foreign medical students are on a highly increasing trend followed by the increasing size of health tourism. Moreover, the analysis of official statistics data for all 81 provinces of Turkey during the period 2013-2021 indicates that foreign students may have a great impact on international tourism. These findings offer new perspectives on developing upcoming strategies for tourism niches, such as educational and health tourism internationally.