Health tourism; is the visit of people to another country in order to receive both therapeutic, rehabilitative and health-beneficial services regarding their health. A tourist traveling for health purposes is called a ‘health tourist’. Turkey; It is one of the unique countries that has the chance to provide services in all titles of health tourism, which is defined under 4 different headings as medical (medicine), thermal health, elderly and disabled.

• Medical Tourism: It is a type of tourism made to find medical services in its own country insufficient or to be treated in a hospital in a different country to have surgery.
• Thermal Tourism: It is a type of tourism made for the purpose of rehabilitation and rest in the thermal facilities serving in regions where thermal waters are known to be healing for years for physical health and spiritual rest.
• Tourism for the Elderly and Disabled: Tourism for the Elderly and Disabled; long-term stays with social activities; sightseeing tours and occupational therapy for the elderly; aged care services; rehabilitation services at the clinical hotel; It includes special care and sightseeing tours for the disabled people. The service location is generally clinical hotels, recreation areas, holiday resorts and nursing homes.

We can list the general reasons for patients to do health tourism as follows:

• Insufficient or lack of high-tech health services and professional human resources in their own country,
• Long waiting time,
• Health services being expensive in their own countries, being able to get the same service more affordable in other countries,
• Desire to receive quality health care,
• Doesn’t want his/her surgery to be known for any reason in his own country,
• Having problems with health insurance,
• The chronic , the elderly and the disabled patients want to be treated in a different environment,
• The desire of people with drugs and different addictions to be in different or more suitable environments,
• Desire to take a vacation with treatment,
• Desiring to benefit from the climatic and geographical characteristics of a country different from his/her country (such as seeing countries with forests, highlands, different history and culture),
• Desire to experience thermal waters in countries with thermal facilities.

Since tourists in health tourism have both treatment and holiday purposes, their expectations and the added value they create are also high. In our country, the first place in health tourism is dental, hair transplantation, esthetics and eye. Turkey’s share of health tourism is growing rapidly. According to Deloitte’s research report “Global in 2014: Flexibility and Rediscovery in a Changing Market”, Turkey has risen to the seventh rank in world health tourism. Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, Muğla, Antalya and Aydın are among the top ten cities visited for health tourism. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of tourists visiting Istanbul, Antalya and Ankara for hair transplantation and esthetics. 12 months of the year contribute to the continuation of tourism in countries with health tourism. In countries that attract tourists with health tourism, natural assets that do not normally have economic value but beneficial to health (such as forest, healing water, mountain) gain the quality of economic products and contribute to the income of the region. Expenditures made by tourists provide income increase. It contributes positively to the images of countries around the world. Turkey is a very convenient country in terms of health tourism with its geographical location, health institutions, educated manpower, spas and natural beauties.