Provide a model for the development of health tourism with futures studies approach in Tabriz metropolis

Nowadays, tourism, as one of the most dynamic industries in the world, it occupies an important part of the economic and productive activities of developed and developing countries. Therefore, strategic planning in order to form and develop tourism in its various types, has been proposed as a basic strategy in spatial planning projects of many countries. Given the importance of the issue, the aim of the present study is providing a model for the development of health tourism with futures studies approach in Tabriz metropolis. The research method in the present study is mixed and combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches with the nature of a futures studies, which has been used in order to collect information, from the Delphi technique of elites and city managers (20 experts in the field of tourism) and for the purpose of data analysis, cross-effects analysis technique in MICMAC software. The results indicate that the future development of health tourism in the Tabriz metropolis will be strongly influenced by the privatization of health tourism services; create harmony and integration between relevant agencies in health tourism; and evaluation of the current treatment status (potentials, facilities and shortcomings). Also, the results of stability/instability evaluation of the system and the drivers affecting the development of health tourism in Tabriz metropolis indicate that the system and drivers are invariable and stable and in most criteria need to be upgraded, and some criteria need to change procedure and strategic planning in various social dimensions, institutional-managerial capacity building, coherence of coherent laws and privatization of health tourism services are felt with the support and supervision of government agencies in order to achieve sustainable development of health tourism.