Document Type : Original Article
Author
Assistant Professor, Department of Business Management, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, IrAN
Abstract
Medical tourism facilitators play a crucial role in delivering high-quality services to medical tourists. They are responsible for coordinating medical treatments, post-treatment care, and tourism-related services. Although a strong digital presence is essential for their survival and long-term competitiveness, these facilitators have only partially implemented multi-sided platform business models. The present study aims to examine the challenges and barriers to implementing multi-sided platform business models in this industry. To achieve this, interviews were conducted with 17 experts. The findings indicate that the barriers to implementing such models among medical tourism facilitators can be classified into three main categories — managerial perceptual-cognitive barriers, industry structure, and infrastructural challenges — and nine subcategories: limited managerial cognition, low digital acceptance, supply-side gaps, immature digital demand, fragmented value chains, unfair competition, hardware constraints, software deficiencies, and weak governance. The findings of this study are significant as they provide a foundation for policymaking and decision-making at various levels of the medical tourism industry. The results clarify the pathway toward developing digital business models and help managers design more effective strategies for transitioning to multisided platforms through a better understanding of existing barriers.
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