Abstract
Background. Artificial intelligence plays a crucial role in transforming business models, driving entrepreneurial innovations, and enhancing the branding of tourism destinations. This research aims to examine the impact of artificial intelligence on various dimensions of entrepreneurial innovation to enhance destination branding in Yazd’s health tourism sector.
Methods. This descriptive-survey study utilized a mixed-method approach. In the qualitative phase, purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 37 entrepreneurs and experts yielding the identification and validation of 15 key factors through qualitative content analysis and inter-coder agreement (Cohen’s kappa = 0.82). In the quantitative phase, fuzzy cognitive mapping, social network analysis, and scenario simulations were conducted using FCMapper and UCINET.
Results. The findings indicate that artificial intelligence influences entrepreneurship and branding through various mechanisms. Specifically, the implementation of combined recommendation systems has enabled the provision of personalized treatment and leisure packages, resulting in a new revenue model. A health tracking platform for travelers has significantly improved logistics management and post-treatment follow-up, thereby increasing tourist satisfaction and reinforcing brand loyalty to the destination. Moreover, augmented reality-based health tourism, which creates immersive and unique experiences (such as digital recreations of historical medical manuscripts), has been identified as the most crucial factor in attracting audiences and differentiating the Yazd brand. Scenario simulations revealed that the simultaneous activation of these three key factors produces synergistic effects, thereby enhancing overall performance.
Conclusion. The results indicate that leveraging AI can create structural innovations in business models, help address Yazd's specific regional challenges (such as resource management), and ultimately enhance the competitiveness and brand of the province's health tourism destination through unique value propositions.
Extended Abstract
Background
Health tourism is recognized a dynamic area of the global tourism industry and contributes to improving the quality of life and economic growth. High competition among health tourism destinations requires continuous innovation and the use of advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to deliver personalized experiences for tourists and optimize resource allocation. By analyzing patient data, demand patterns, and predicting risks, artificial intelligence can improve services and increase customer satisfaction. This technology also enables the creation of new digital platforms that allow service providers, hotels, and other entities to collaborate in an integrated ecosystem. However, challenges such as data privacy and algorithmic bias require new ethical and legal frameworks. This study aims to investigate the effects of artificial intelligence on entrepreneurial innovation in health tourism destination branding, particularly in Yazd Province.
Methods
This descriptive-survey study examines the effects of artificial intelligence on entrepreneurial innovations in health tourism destination branding in Yazd province and was conducted in four stages using a "mixed research" method. In the first stage, a conceptual framework was developed from library data, and interviews were conducted with a statistical sample of 37 health tourism entrepreneurs. In this stage, 18 influential factors were identified, and after review by experts, 15 final factors were confirmed. The factors included the development of integrated diagnosis systems, therapeutic climate forecasting, multilingual guide robots, and a hospital-handicrafts cooperation platform. In the second stage, the effects of artificial intelligence on innovation were scored, and a causal map for each expert was constructed using FCMapper software. At this stage, the experts’ personal characteristics and their effects on cognitive maps were examined. In the third stage, using the final defuzzy matrix and FCMapper and Ucinet software, an integrated map was drawn, and the necessary analyses were performed. The fourth stage also included assesing centrality and influence of factors and developing scenarios to enhance the impact of artificial intelligence. This research demonstrated high inter-coder reliability and can provide solutions to improve entrepreneurial innovation among health tourism brands in Yazd Province.
Results
Based on the findings of this study, statistical analyses including Spearman, Kruskal-Wallis, and Mann-Whitney tests showed that there was no significant relationship between the complexity indices of cognitive maps (number of relationships, density of relationships, and map density) and the domain index (total intensity of relationships) with the personal characteristics of the experts, including gender, age, work experience, and education level. Also, the results of the QAP correlation analysis and the distance ratio indicated that no significant structural difference was observed between the causal maps of the experts, so the integration of these maps into a single model was deemed unimpeded. After integrating the data in FCMapper software and forming a defuzzy matrix, 15 key factors of the impact of artificial intelligence on entrepreneurial innovations in the Yazd health tourism brand were identified and ranked based on the centrality index (sum of influence and influenceability), among which "health tourism based on augmented reality" with a centrality of 10.2 was the most influential factor, "hybrid recommender system" with a centrality of 9.2 and "traveler health tracking platform" with a centrality of 7.8 were ranked next. Results from scenario building based on simulations of three different situations showed that, in the base scenario (all factors were active), system performance was highest (0.59-0.99). In the second scenario, in which only the augmented reality factor was active, and the other two ranked factors were inactive, a significant performance decrease (up to 0.9 units) was observed in the hybrid recommender system and health tracking platform, In contrast, the improvement attributable to augmented reality activation was insignificant (0.006). In the third scenario, by deactivating augmented reality and activating two supporting factors, although the performance of these two systems improved, the 0.9-point decrease in the augmented reality factor had a significant negative impact on the attractiveness of the tourist experience.
Conclusion
The findings show that artificial intelligence is breaking through the traditional boundaries of this industry and transforming competitiveness by creating new value. Among them, “augmented reality-based health tourism”, with a centrality score of 10.2, was identified as the main driver, as it creates personalized and engaging experiences that help attract audiences and enhance Yazd’s brand image as a leader in health technologies. This technology, along with other critical systems such as the “Hybrid Recommender System” (centrality 9.2) and the “Traveler Health Tracking Platform” (centrality 7.8), which enable process optimization and increased patient satisfaction, respectively, demonstrates the capacity of AI to create structural innovations that impact the health tourism entrepreneurial ecosystem. This integration of technology provides an integrated infrastructure to enhance the province’s competitive position.
Practical Implications of the Research
This research can contribute to enhancing the health tourism experience by providing personalized services and analyzing consumer data. Furthermore, the application of such technology can promote the health tourism destination brand of Yazd Province by leveraging innovative solutions and optimizing entrepreneurial processes.