Customer retention in the medical tourism industry: Impact of quality, satisfaction, trust, and price reasonableness

Abstract

Repeat business is critical to the success of medical clinics in the competitive medical tourism market. This study develops a model explaining international medical travelers' intention formation by considering the impact of quality, satisfaction, trust, and price reasonableness. A field survey was conducted at medical clinics. Findings from structural analysis indicate a good fit for the proposed model; perceived quality, satisfaction, and trust in the staff and clinic have significant associations affecting intentions to revisit clinics and the destination country; and satisfaction and trust acted as significant mediators. In general, support for the hypothesized moderating impact of price reasonableness in the proposed theoretical model was evident in the results of the metric-invariance test. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.