Medical tourism,  a  concept  that  encompasses  both  medical  procedures  and  tourism activities under the umbrella of health tourism, is rapidly growing and gaining importance for developing country economies by combining the search for cross-border healthcare and travel.  Destinations  favored  for  this  type  of  tourism  are  intensifying  competition  in  the market  due  to  their  potential  to  not  only  enhance  financial  gains  but  also  foster  the development  of  the  tourism  and  healthcare  sectors.  This  study  aims  to  examine  the comprehensive  definition,  development,  global  and  Turkish  status,  tourist  profiles  of medical  tourism,  which  has  become  popular  nowadays,  and  to  highlight  the  effective activities and prominent aspects of competitive  countries. Among the  original  aspects of the study that contribute to the literature are the comparison of treatment types and price differences that emerged as a result of a comprehensive literature review, the identification of which competing players, including Turkey, are preferred by which medical tourists, and the descriptive presentation of medical tourist typology, a relatively new concept, and the motivational elements of these tourists.*Corresponding AuthorE-mail: ozgebuyuk@comu.edu.tr (Ö. Büyük)** Bu çalışma Öğr. Gör. Özge BÜYÜK tarafından, Doç. Dr. Gülşah AKKUŞ danışmanlığında, İzmir Katip Çelebi Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Turizm İşletmeciliği Anabilim Dalı’nda hazırladığı “The Role of Destination Image And Social Media Interaction on  Medical Tourists' Intention to Visit Turkey” isimli doktora tezinden üretilmiştir.