Elizaveta Vachkova - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Tourism, SPA, Wellness by Elizaveta Vachkova

Treatment and prophylaxis using mineral water have a long history dating back to the Roman Empire... more Treatment and prophylaxis using mineral water have a long history dating back to the Roman Empire in the cross-border regions (CBR). The objective of the study is to evaluate the potential of CBR Bulgaria-Serbia for the development of medical spa and wellness tourism using hydrogeological, medico-biological and medico-social assessments of tourism resources. More than 30 mineral springs and 21 touristic objects have been studied. There are good hydrogeological conditions for the development of intensive medical spa, wellness and spa tourism in the area of investigation. The combination of free-flowing springs and specific climate conditions is a great advantage for the development of highly specialized tourism such as medical spas.
The main wellness principles for creating holistic effects of treatment are described, and on the basis of an assessment of the medical spa and spa network and the market for these services in the CBR, a new management concept is presented. The core of the model is finding a good balance between the unique environment, highly qualified personnel, quality of services and innovative products such as Geomedical tourism, which will contribute to wellness and spa tourism and become a successful business. The necessity for certifying medical spa and spa services and introducing a quality management system (QMS) and a health risk assessment system (HSE) is outlined with the view to promoting a specialized tourism product on the international market

The aim of this study is to analyze the potential of the Bulgaria- Serbia cross-border region for... more The aim of this study is to analyze the potential of the Bulgaria- Serbia cross-border region for the development of balanced Wellness and SPA tourism concerning the medico-biological and medico-social assessment of tourism resources and professional competencies of the employees.
More than 30 mineral springs and 21 tourist sites have been studied. There are good medico-biological conditions for the development of intensive medical SPA, Wellness and SPA Tourism. The combination of free spring flow and specific climate conditions is a big advantage for the development of highly specialized tourism as the medical SPA. On the other hand, the lack of a working model to control health risk, environmental and safe working conditions in SPAs is one of the obstacles for the development of this kind of tourism. The obtained results show the need to develop specific skills and professional competencies of the personnel.
A new model for management of Wellness and SPA Tourism, based on competency modeling is presented.
The core idea of this model is to find a good balance between indoor and outdoor environment, highly qualified personnel and quality services. The necessity of establishing a competency framework and certifying the medical SPA and SPA services, implementing the quality management system (QMS) and health risk assessment system (HSE) is outlined with the view of promoting the specialized tourism product on the international market.
KEYWORDS: Wellness, Medical SPA Tourism, competency model, cross-border region Bulgaria- Serbia, HSE standards

Papers by Elizaveta Vachkova

The aim of this study is to analyze the potential of the BulgariaSerbia cross-border region for t... more The aim of this study is to analyze the potential of the BulgariaSerbia cross-border region for the development of balanced Wellness and SPA tourism concerning the medico-biological and medico-social assessment of tourism resources and professional competencies of the employees. More than 30 mineral springs and 21 tourist sites have been studied. There are good medicobiological conditions for the development of intensive medical SPA, Wellness and SPA Tourism. The combination of free spring flow and specific climate conditions is a big advantage for the development of highly specialized tourism as the medical SPA. On the other hand, the lack of a working model to control health risk, environmental and safe working conditions in SPAs is one of the obstacles for the development of this kind of tourism. The obtained results show the need to develop specific skills and professional competencies of the personnel. A new model for management of Wellness and SPA Tourism, based on competency ...