Strategic Planning of Medical Tourism with an Emphasis on Religious Tourism in Mashhad City

Medical tourism is a branch of health tourism that has grown considerably in many parts of the world now days. Mashhad city with regard to the Holy Shrine, More than 300 thousand foreign tourists per year, more than 31 public and private hospitals and specialties of cardiology, ophthalmology, pediatrics and ...,which is one of the centers of attracting tourists and religious - health tourism in Iran. cost of medical services in these hospitals are 75% less than those of European and American hospitals in terms of the quality of similar services they offer and this could be a big advantage for developing such activities in the region. The research methodology has been a descriptive-analytical one which employs a SWOT analysis model in exploring the strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats which are considered as internal and external factors critical for treatment tourism in this city. This paper Prepared by using the library documents and the field study and interviews with experts, has been considered as descriptive - analytical. The results show that infrastructure and expertise in Mashhad by the Holy Shrine are the main strengths of this research. And the other hand non-governmental organizations, investment and support and develop the bilateral relations between the Middle East countries are the main opportunities in this research. In conclusion the strengths and opportunities for developing such activities outweigh the weaknesses and threats.