Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Public Health 2251-6085 53 4 2024 04 08 924 933 Leila Torkzadeh 1. Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran 2. Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Management and Medical Informatics Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran Habib Jalilian Department of Health Services Management, School of Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran Hojjat Rahmani Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Milad Bakhshi Department of Business Management, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Saeed Hashemzadeh The Chief Executive Officer at Mostafa Hospital, Tehran, Iran Mohammad Faryabi Department of Management, Faculty of Economics, Management, and Business, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran Rahim Khodayari-Zarnaq 1. Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Management and Medical Informatics Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran 2. Tabriz Health Services Management Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran 2022 11 19 2023 04 07 Abstract Background: Identifying different groups of customers and their preferences and needs enable countries to gain a competitive advantage in the medical tourism market. We aimed to segment medical tourists from West Asian countries seeking medical services in Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 596 medical tourists who sought medical services in Iran in 2021. Data were collected using a valid questionnaire. Segmentation was performed based on medical tourism attributes (medical, destination, and tourism attributes), using cluster analysis methods; wards, and K means. The segments ' evaluation and profiling were conducted using discriminant analysis, chi-square, and one-way ANOVA tests. Results: Our study divided the market into five segments: health seekers (3.8%), health and destination seekers (8.9%), tourism seekers (17.8%), infrastructure seekers (10.23%), and perfectionism (59.45%). In all segments, the health attributes were of high importance. The perfectionism segment registered the highest score in all three attributes (more than 5 of 6). Conclusion: Improving health attributes and offering luxurious medical services can be the main strategy for Iran to attract the most medical tourists and achieve a good position in this marketplace. The implication of this study is policymaking for targeting the most profitable segment of this marketplace. https://ijph.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijph/article/view/30435 https://ijph.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijph/article/download/30435/8221