Managing the Recognition of Bulgaria as a Spa and Wellness Destination (original) (raw)

Affective Image of Spa and Wellness Destination Bulgaria

3rd International Thematic Monograph - Thematic Proceedings: Modern Management Tools and Economy of Tourism Sector in Present Era, 2018

The aim of the study is to estimate affective image of SPA and wellness destination Bulgaria. To assess the affective image, four semantic differential scales proposed by Russel and Pratt and seven additional author's scales are used, by which foreign tourists define their attitude to Bulgaria as a SPA and wellness destination. The findings of the study have significant managerial implications for destination marketing managers in SPA and wellness tourism.

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.

Health and Beauty in Kłodzko Land – Branded Spa Tourism Product of the Region in Theory and Practce

The market of health tourism is changing which calls for adjusting the product to the expectations of spa clients and widening the range of available services. The Kłodzko Land is a well-known spa enclave. The Marketing Strategy of the Klodzko Land, Orlickie Mountains and Podorlicka Foothills has mapped out the directions of development of the tourist product. The changes can be observed in the policy of the spa enterprises as well as spa & wellness ventures. The main goal of the present article is to evaluate the present state and future perspectives of development of the Kłodzko Land health product. The authors analyze the changes which are taking place in the spa enterprises as well as their relations with the surroundings, including the spa & wellness ventures. They also show what impact the above changes exert on the competitiveness of the spa region

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.

Evaluation of the Potential of the Cross-Border Region Bulgaria-Serbia for the Development of Wellness, Medical Spa and Spa Tourism – Possibilities and Perspectives

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 ...

Competitiveness and tourism development: In search of positive image-representations of Bulgaria as a destination

Ekonomika, 2015

Choosing the holiday destination and formatting a preference for it is based on a recognizable image, a good reputation, awareness of the main competitive advantages of a destination, and hence-the importance of this image and reputation for the competitiveness of tourist destinations. The image is an important, significant part of the tourist destination, on how to present to an international audience, but also what influences consumer's preferences. Considering this, the study examines the concept of forming an image of Bulgaria as a holiday destination, in its social and psychological perspectives. And has the following objectives: (1) to propose the formation of a positive image of Bulgaria as a tourist destination, and (2) to put the focus on Thracians culture heritage. Built on the findings that regrettably, the positive initial image of Bulgaria as a tourist destination, differs from the actual experience of tourism services for consumers.

An evaluation of the potential of the cross-border region Bulgaria-Serbia for the development of wellness, medical spa and spa tourism – possibilities and perspectivеs

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

Evaluation of brand identity of Bulgaria as a tourist destination

2018

Th e article reveals in a critical way the current brand identity of tourist destination Bulgaria in terms of its multidimensional aspects. Th e relevant characteristics of the researched brand identity refl ect the compound infl uence of the destination soft power, destination image and destination brand image. For that reason the paper focuses on the theoretical clarifi cation of the meanings and interrelatedness of the above stated categories in connection with their subsequent empirical evaluations and following issues about the opportunities for enhancement of the brand position of destination Bulgaria on the world tourism market. In order to successfully accomplish this task the authors off er an empirical model through which to express and test their research concept.

EVALUATION OF THE POTENTIAL OF THE CROSS-BORDER REGION BULGARIA-SERBIA FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF WELLNESS, MEDICAL SPA AND SPA TOURISM – POSSIBILITIES AND PERSPECTIVES-PART II

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

COMPETITIVENESS AND TOURISM DEVELOPMENT - IN SEARCH OF POSITIVE IMAGE-REPRESENTATIONS OF DESTINATION BULGARIA

Abstract: Choosing a holiday destination and formatting a preference for it is based on a recognizable image, a good reputation, awareness of the main competitive advantages of a destination, and hence - the importance of this image and reputation for the competitiveness of tourist destinations. The image is an important, significant part of the tourist destination, for its representation to an international audience, moreover also influences consumer’s preferences. In that connection this study purposes are to examine the concept of forming positive image of tourist destination Bulgaria, in social and psychological perspectives influencing positively Bulgaria’s tourism competitiveness and development. Furthermore, the study has the following aims: (1) to propose the formation of a positive image of tourist destination Bulgaria, and (2) to focus on Thracians culture heritage as resource potential that can develop Bulgaria’s positive tourist destination image thus enhance its tourism competitiveness and development. This hypothesis is based on a survey results which established that the initial image of Bulgaria as a tourist destination differs from the actual experience of tourism services consumers. Keywords: tourism, destination, image, competitiveness, historical and cultural heritage