A Retrospective Examination of the Relationship Between Health Tourism Indicators and Health Expenditures in Türkiye

Aim: This study aims to examine, through a retrospective secondary data approach, the relationship between changes in health expenditures in Türkiye between 2017 and 2023 and key health tourism indicators. Methods: Secondary data were retrospectively analyzed to examine trends in health expenditures, health tourist numbers, and health tourism revenues. Pearson and multiple correlation analyses were used to assess relationships between health tourism indicators and selected macroeconomic variables. Results: Total and per capita health expenditures, as well as health tourist numbers and health tourism revenues, showed a clear upward trend over the study period. Strong and statistically significant correlations were found between health expenditures and health tourism revenues, between health expenditures and health tourist numbers (r = .896), and between health tourist numbers and health tourism revenues (r = .905). Health tourism was strongly integrated with overall service exports (r > .90) and demonstrated greater resilience than general tourism during the COVID-19 period, as revenues declined less sharply in 2020. Conclusion: These results indicate that investments in health infrastructure enhance service quality and strengthen Türkiye’s international competitiveness in health tourism. The study highlights that increasing health expenditures strategically support both national healthcare capacity and the economic potential of the health tourism sector.