A Comparative Analysis of Spa Tourism in Japan and Hungary (original) (raw)
Related papers
SPA TOURISM IN JAPAN AND HUNGARY: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTIONS AND POTENTIAL
AGRICULTURAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM, 2011
Health is an ancient travel and leisure motivation that has inspired people for thousands of years to leave their permanent residence and visit far-away destinations. Although globalization trends in supply and demand also affect spa and health tourism which leads to the introduction of novel and exotic treatments and services, health-oriented leisure and tourism behaviour is still considerably culture-dependent. As a consequence of its richness in geothermal resource, both Japan and Hungary have developed significant spa tourism industries, but the leisure and tourist supply and demand are highly different in the two countries, due to each country’s unique cultural, economic and natural background. Taking a qualitative approach, the paper analyses the similarities and differences between health tourism development in Japan and Hungary. Based on secondary literature research, personal observation at Japanese hot springs destinations and customer attitude analysis based on a mail survey carried out among 150 international visitors to Japanese spas, questions to be discussed also include health tourism marketing issues, and perceptions and attitudes of foreign and domestic visitors. In addition, the paper aims to identify the specific factors in Japanese and Hungarian spa tourism that may prove to be attractive for visitor segments in the respective countries.
KEY SUCCESS FACTOR OF SPAS – INTERVIEWS WITH LEADERS IN THREE SPA TOWNS IN HUNGARY
The objective of the present research was to identify the role of health tourism in the competitiveness of three Hungarian counties (Baranya, Somogy and Zala) of the Croatian-Hungarian border area. The key factors of success and criteria for sustainability were to be found in order to help the local decision-makers in their attempts to create a strategy for the development of health tourism. As a part of a large research project the current paper describes the results of a qualitative surveyof 21 interviews with mayors, spa managers, and hotel managers, to represent general tourism supply to identify the impacts of health tourism developments on the settlement, the economic and social effects on the local population. The selection of interviewees was done to ensure, that successful, average, and not really successful spa towns were represented among the locations. Among the possible locations in counties Zala, Somogy and Baranya the interviews were finally conducted in Hévíz, Zalaszentgrót, Nagyatád, Marcali, Harkány and Szigetvár, and, to include a location where planned spa development was not implemented, in the village Somogysámson. Besides, the president of the Hungarian Baths’ Association was interviewed, who used to be the director of the Szent András Rheumatic Hospital in Hévíz for a long time. Due to some of the interviewees’ nonavailability two additional locations, Letenye and Kehidakustány, were also included to complete the list of interviews. An interview was conducted with the mayor of Somogysámson about an unimplemented spa development plan. The main findings of the research underlined that the number of domestic tourists, and within this wellness tourists, is very low compared to the opportunities. For this reason the further development of domestic tourism is of crucial importance. The reasons for that are partly the prevailing habits, the lack of tourism culture, the lack of recreation culture, and financial difficulties.
Present and perspectives for health tourism - spa services in Romania
The current paper aims at assessing the extent to which spa tourism developed in Romania after the fall of the communism, and to investigate the typology of Romanian spas in order to identify the drawbacks and opportunities of this sector from the supply perspective. The wellness offer (day spas, destination spas, medical spas, mineral spring spas and hotel spas) and the territorial distribution of spa centres within the country are analysed. The current trend is to diversify the offer, with numerous projects for day spas and destination spas within towns, and even resorts offering accommodation, sport and entertainment facilities, as well as spa facilities and programmes. Most of the spas in Romania are focusing only on wellness, less than 10% of them offering advice regarding nutrition, and only few meditation. The balneary spas, capitalizing the mineral and thermal spings, have failed to meet the demands and standards of the international market, thus loosing the fame they enjoyed before 1990.
Spa and wellness tourism as a spatially determined product of health resorts in Poland
This article describes spa and wellness tourism as an example of a tourist product in the spatial formulation of health resorts in Poland. Health resorts are described as a specific local product that could be the object of territorial marketing. The factor conception of a general tourist product that was developed by V. T. C. Middleton, which refers to building the tourist product of a health resort, is thoroughly analysed. The difference between the tourist product of a health resort and a health resort tourist product is highlighted, as well as themultifunctional character of health resorts. There is no agreement on the definition of a spa in specialist literature. There is a difference between the notion of spa in Europe and in the U.S. This difference was observed by analysing the definitions of a spa as set forth by the European Spas Association (ESPA) and the International Spa Association (ISPA).
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
Sector Policy for Health and Medical Spa Tourism in Republic of Bulgaria
Business Management and Strategy, 2013
The present study examines the specifics of the Health and Medical Spa tourism and the opportunities for its priority development according to the European and global trends, strategic development and the mechanisms of the regional sector policy. It is analyzed the tourist supply, the tourists profile as well as the characteristics of the specialized health and medical Spa programmes. It is accomplished critical analysis of the basic world and European priorities and perspectives, based on macro economical factors and premises. The organizational and managerial stresses of the sector policy for priority development of the Health and Medical Spa tourism in Bulgaria in the frames of “the Strategy – Bulgaria 2010”, based on researches of world organizations, statistical data and analyses of information, gathered by authors of specialized researches at international forums and meetings, and the underlying conclusions and recommendations are summarized.
2020
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 ...
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
MARKETING RESEARCH OF POTENTIALS OF SPA TOURISM IN SERBIA
International Journal of Economics and Law, 2018
In modern conditions of business tourism is an extremely important economic activity, as it has numerous positive effects on national economies. It affirms the development of regions and localities , and what is particularly important, in the conditions of the global problems of most countries with a large number of unemployed, is employed by the local population, mainly young and educated people. Tourism of the Republic of Serbia has great potential, given the natural resources and geopo-litical position of the state. The paper presents the marketing research of the spa tourism potential of the Republic of Serbia, as well as the possibilities of its regional and global (re) positioning. Within the conducted research, the needs, wishes and opinions of two groups of foreign tourists-respondents: Russian-160 and German-240, were analysed in the period from 20 March 2016 to April 15, 2017, which were beneficiaries of spa tourism services of the Republic of Serbia. The results of the conducted research provided information of significance for the development of both the spa and the entire tourism of the Republic of Serbia. Foreign users of Serbian spa services: mostly older people (although there are not a small number of young people) with some type of illness (most cardiovascular and spondylo-sis); Numerous additional spa and out-of-premises facilities are expected; They want a healthy nature and a peaceful environment; The best source of information about a particular tourist destination for them is its personal stay and recommendations from friends; There are Serbian spas with which they are more, less or even at least familiar; The main reason for the arrival of foreign tourists are high quality of thermal water, prices of spa services and healthy climate; And all of these things should be a significant guide in the design and implementation of the policy of further development of Serbian spas, and the creation of a competitive marketing strategy.