This qualitative research employed semi-structured interviews to
examine the current marketing strategies of Thailand’s healthcare service providers. Interviews
took place with healthcare service providers (public hospitals, private hospitals, and clinics),
medical travel agents and related parties, at several popular tourism destinations of Thailand:
Bangkok, Phuket, and Pattaya. Respondents were selected through purposive sampling. In
addition, observation of stakeholders’ websites and online marketing of service providers of
competitors (Singapore, India, and Malaysia) took place. The paper identifies the strengths of
Thailand’s healthcare service providers and points at a number of problems that may reduce the
growth opportunity of this industry. These include lack of practical government policies with
regard to medical tourism and of other supporting regulations, lack of organization as a
cooperation centre aimed at promoting the medical tourism industry as a whole, remaining low
awareness of the opportunities presented by the industry among potential foreign patients, and
shortage of doctors and qualified medical staff. Measures for improvement are suggested.