Annex 6 to OIC/COMCEC/36-20/REP
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3- POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE 15TH MEETING OF
THE COMCEC TOURISM WORKING GROUP
The COMCEC Tourism Working Group (TWG) has successfully held its 15th
Meeting on September 24 th -25 th , 2020 in Ankara, Turkey with the theme of “Developing
Medical Tourism in the OIC Member Countries.” During the Meeting, Tourism Working
Group, made deliberations on medical tourism in the OIC Member Countries.
Accordingly, the participants has come up with some policy recommendations.
Policy Advice 1. Encouraging marketing and branding activities in order to boost
the image of the destination country with a view to attract international patients.
Rationale:
Countries attract international patients with their capacity and capabilities in health
provision. However, they increase their chance to be preferred as a destination country
as much as their country image allows this position. In this sense, security and
trustworthiness step forward as factors which influence country’s brand image. When
country image is problematic as regards economic or other circumstances, it becomes
important to obtain an improved image in the first place. In order to convince international
communities towards a shift in their perception about the country, rebranding strategies
can be introduced. Rebranding helps spread the message that the destination country is safe
and trustworthy for all activities undertaken within its borders, including healthcare
provision as well. For instance, integration of insurance systems is defined as an effective
model for medical tourism activities regarding ease and secure payment procedures
available in different countries. Medical tourism is not solely about health provision and
medical services. Instead, second pillar of medical tourism consists of the tourism
component. As a supporting factor to medical tourism, other tourism facilities (i.e.
historical sites, cultural heritage etc.) can be promoted.
Policy advice 2. Using online platforms for customized marketing strategies towards
target groups
Rationale:
Online platforms, especially popular social media channels such as YouTube,
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. provide virtual environments to express
opinions and preferences. Although these platforms are not particularly designed for
marketing, advertisements are usually permitted. Data collection from the registered
accounts enables algorithms to suggest personalized advertisements in parallel to the
users’ activities. From the medical tourism perspective, such platforms can be used in
order to attain the target groups.