Recently, the health tourism industry has been steadily growing in Thailand, even competing with neighboring
countries such as Singapore and Malaysia4
. This is due to Thailand having the advantage of strength on the service
side of operations. For example, being gentle and mild with patients, this creates a good impression for those who
use the service2
. The target consumer of health tourism in Thailand is the Middle Eastern tourist market. They have
high purchasing power. Therefore, Thailand will be encouraging more and more Middle Eastern tourists to travel to
Thailand, therefore it is necessary to prepare the destinations for Middle Eastern tourists. Middle Eastern tourists
in Thailand equate to 3.02% 1 of the total number of tourists. A survey of needs of the Middle Eastern tourists found
that most Middle Eastern tourists need health services such as Thailand’s traditional health remedies, cosmetic
spas, and beauty therapy. These are the services that tourists arrange themselves, so lower prices and convenience
in accessing these services particularly traditional Thai massage which is well known throughout the World2
.
To recognize the importance of managed health tourism in Thailand for Middle Eastern tourists, the researchers
have studied guidelines on health tourism management for Middle Eastern tourists in Phuket province. This study
will approach the development of the tourism industry in Thailand and increase the competitiveness of the tourism
industry on the global market.