The Impact of International Sanctions on Development of Health Tourism in Iran

Health tourism, as a subset of Tourism, is composed of separate sections. This industry is currently one of the most leading and lucrative industries in the World. Different countries benefit from this industry according to their abilities, capabilities and the amount of attention they pay to it. But Iran is not able properly to exploit these sections due to its capabilities. One of the main obstacles to the development of Health tourism are international sanctions. This study aims to answer the following Question: How international sanctions effect on development of Health tourism in Iran? According to the descriptive- analytical method from the statistics and data of reputable international and domestic organizations and through the following hypothesis supposes that international sanctions, directly and indirectly, hinder the development of Health tourism. The results demonstrate that international sanctions directly prevent the sale of aircraft and its parts, bank transactions and etc. and indirectly, by prohibiting the export of oil, petrochemical products, minerals and crude metals, cause the government a lack of access to foreign currency, thereupon creating the budget deficit and ultimately postponing the development of infrastructure as a base for development of health tourism, therefore, it has a negative impact and reduces the growth rate of its development.