Health Tourism After the “Golden Rush”

Golden Rush Era in Health Tourism - Generated by Nano Banana Pro

Golden Rush

Medical tourism has experienced extraordinary growth in the last 10 years. As with any rapidly growing sector, a "golden rush" period emerged: those who entered the market early reaped significant profits during this growth phase.

During this phase, the market expands so rapidly that profitability is almost inevitable. However, this is also a period when many businesses fail to institutionalize, build brands, and experience structural problems in service quality. Aggressive growth temporarily masks these shortcomings.

However, the "golden rush" doesn't end when growth slows. On the contrary, a new phase begins where the number of companies increases faster than market growth. Competition intensifies, margins narrow, and the profit/loss balance begins to deteriorate.

There is no longer enough growth in the market to satisfy every player entering the sector. And it is precisely at this point that all the shortcomings that were postponed in the past become visible. Turkey is at exactly this stage in health tourism. Today, there are many clinics and intermediary organizations in the sector that are experiencing a decrease in patient numbers and narrowing profit margins despite government incentives. The common point of these companies is this:

They are forced to make improvements in a highly competitive environment that they wouldn't have made in a low-competition environment.

The problems encountered are quite varied:

1. Fragmented Digital Experience

In many settings, the patient journey, which should begin digitally, is fragmented by analog stages. Flight tickets, transfers, hotels, clinic processes, and reports are not integrated into a single digital experience.

2. Incompatibility Between Channels

There is no consistent quality standard among website, social media, PR, online meeting, and sales teams. In some cases, the color, typography, language—even the logo usage—is inconsistent.

3. Incorrect Positioning

In a sector where building trust is critical, doctors are turning to "Nusret-style" shows... and agencies are prioritizing ancillary services like hotels and transfers over clinical expertise...

4. Lack of Vertical Specialization

The "we can do anything" approach has transformed the sector into a cheap and crowded market. The race to grab a share of every branch is hindering genuine specialization.

5. The Measurability Problem

Interrupting the digital experience with analog steps makes measurement difficult, which in turn makes identifying weak links in the patient journey nearly impossible.

6. Expecting Miracles from Advertising

Opening the advertising valves without addressing the structural problems in the experience inflates CPL and CPS costs and reduces profitability. A significant portion of the advertising budget is wasted due to inefficiency.

7. Developing a Single Muscle

Gaining followers on Instagram can be important. But what converts that interest into sales is a holistic digital experience.

When the web interface is weak, the customer service representatives are untrained, and the appointment system is problematic, focusing solely on improving one channel is like a body with only one developed muscle. Perception evaluates the whole, not just the parts.

Conclusion

This whole set of problems is hindering the institutionalization of health tourism initiatives. Structures that cannot be institutionalized, in turn, cannot be branded.

Today, the real competition in health tourism is not among those who advertise more, but among those who can create more holistic, measurable, and trust-building experiences.