Image of Poland as perceived by German and British medical tourists. Issue 4 (13th September 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dryglas, Diana; Lubowiecki-Vikuk, Adrian
• Is Part Of: Tourism review. Volume 74:Issue 4(2019)
• Page Start: 861
• Page End: 871
• Publication Date: 2019-09-13
• Subjects: Poland -- Destination image -- Medical tourism destination -- Britons -- Germans; Tourism -- Periodicals; 338.479105
• DOI: 10.1108/TR-07-2018-0105
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1660-5373

Abstract

Abstract : Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify Poland's image as a medical tourism destination (MTD). Design/methodology/approach: Survey data were collected from 282 German and British medical tourists, using a self-administered questionnaire. The Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing method was used to conduct the survey. Subsequently, the responses were analysed using advanced statistical tools (McNemar's exact test, Cochran's Q test and Chi-square test). Findings: Before visiting Poland, the respondents perceived the country through the prism of medical attributes, whereas after the visit, they perceived it through the prism of non-medical attributes. Research limitations/implications: Identification of a set of MTD image characteristics has important implications for scholars, allowing them to understand attributes which shape projected and perceived MTD image. Such construct can also be a useful tool for marketing planners, destination managers and marketers to create an effective marketing policy and projected image of MTDs based on these features. Originality/value: The study fills an important gap regarding the lack of conceptual and empirical content allowing for exploration of MTD image.