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Health services in the context of Third Age Tourism: Expectations and Service Satisfaction of Older Tourists

Erhan DAĞ

Objective: Third age tourism, a subset of health
tourism, is gaining importance with the rise of the
elderly population, which poses challenges in
healthcare provision. Countries offering affordable
treatment and care have facilitated the growth of this
tourism segment. This study aims to provide a
scientific basis for future research by examining
academic publications related to health services and
elderly tourist satisfaction within third age tourism
using bibliometric analysis.
Materials and Methods: A search was conducted in
the WOS database using keywords including “older
tourists,”
“health
“satisfaction,”
services,”
“expectations,”
“health tourism,” and “medical
tourism” for publications up to March 15, 2025. A
total of 125 interdisciplinary studies were identified
and analyzed using VOSviewer 1.6.18 and Microsoft
Excel. Analyses included publication year trends,
citation counts, countries of origin, institutions
involved, and major funding organizations. Findings:
The first relevant study was published in 2010. A
decline in publication numbers occurred after 2014,
2018, and 2022, with fluctuating annual output since

“Medical tourism” was the most frequent
keyword (f=156), and Malaysia led in publication
count (n=15). The most cited article was by Han and
Hyun (2015), with 362 citations. Fundação para a
Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) was the top funding
body, while University Sains Malaysia was the most
active and well-funded institution. Conclusion: Third
age tourism is increasingly significant due to the aging
population’s healthcare needs. The growing academic
interest reflects this trend. The findings offer valuable
insights for researchers aiming to explore elderly
satisfaction and healthcare services in this context.