Innovative vision of health tourism from the design of public policies in Cuba

Abstract

Introduction: The increase in tourist flows to destinations offering improvements for the physical, mental and emotional health of tourists becomes a unique opportunity for territories that provide quality health services, which shows the need to design policies that contribute to their efficient and sustainable management.

Objective: To diagnose the gaps and challenges facing health tourism management from the design of public policies at the local level in Cuba.

Methods: A mixed methodology was used, with a predominance of the dialectical-materialist method. The theoretical methods used were analysis-synthesis, induction-deduction and literature review; while others of the empirical level such as document analysis, observation and in-depth interview were used. The expert method was used for the selection of the research team and Kendall’s method for the weighting of criteria. Group dynamics and methodological triangulation were used as techniques.

Results: The study diagnosed 15 gaps that were weighted by experts based on their impact on the management of health tourism from public policies at the local level; the main challenges this activity faces were identified, which were classified into six dimensions.

Conclusions: Health tourism is an international trend and its development in Cuba is supported by the policies designed by the government. However, the gaps and challenges that affect this practice undermine economic recovery and the solution of social problems associated with public health.