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An Exploratory Study on Medical Tourists' Perception of Psychic Distance: Focused on Japanese and Chinese Medical Tourists

  • Journal of Tourism Sciences
  • Abbr : JTS
  • 2013, 37(10), pp.183-203
  • Publisher : The Tourism Sciences Society Of Korea
  • Research Area : Social Science > Tourism

Yu Sook Hee 1 Kwon Yoo Hong 2

1(주)이부커스코리아 의료관광사업부
2한림국제대학원대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the study was to explore the perception of psychic distance of medical tourists towards medical tourism destinations. With this aim, focus group interviews were conducted with Japanese and Chinese medical tourists who experienced medical care in Korea. All interviews were recorded and transcribed, and data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Four themes emerged from the analysis: cultural differences, positive feelings about a host country, evaluation of the level of medical treatment, and geographical proximity to the medical tourism destination. Medical tourists perceive the lower psychic distance when they feel less cultural differences between home and a host country, when they have more positive feelings about a host country, when they trust the medical systems of a host country, and a host country is closer geographically to their home. The results of the study demonstrate that psychic distance is subjective and comparative feelings towards a destination; at the same time, each construal level can vary as psychic distance changes.

Citation status

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