The medical tourism industry, particularly in the field of fertility treatments, heavily relies on maintaining customer loyalty for long-term sustainability. Revisit intention is a key metric for measuring this loyalty. Malaysia has emerged as a leading destination for Chinese fertility tourists due to its high-quality medical services, cultural and linguistic compatibility, and advanced reproductive technologies, which complement the gaps in assisted reproductive technology (ART) services available domestically in China. However, existing research on revisit intention in this context tends to focus on “traditional satisfaction” as the core mediating variable, often neglecting the role of service quality as an “objective vehicle” linking cultural factors with behavioral intentions. This conceptual paper examines the interaction between cultural proximity, service quality (using the SERVQUAL dimensions), and repeat visit intention among Chinese medical tourists seeking fertility treatments in Malaysia. By positioning service quality as the core mediating variable, this paper aims to explore how cultural proximity translates into repeat visit intentions through specific service quality dimensions. This study seeks to fill the research gap in the fertility tourism sector regarding this mechanism and provide insights for enhancing patient loyalty within the industry.
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Share and Cite
Du, Y., Abu Talib, A. A. (2025) Cultural Proximity and Service Quality in Medical Tourism: Predicting Revisit Intentions of Chinese Fertility Tourists in Malaysia. Journal of Disease and Public Health, 1(3), 35-40. https://doi.org/10.71052/jdph/YYJT2332