In many health systems in European countries, SPA services are currently part of or a supplement to health care. Owing to their natural healing resources and long-standing traditions, the Czech ...Republic and Slovak Republic are important European SPA countries. In both countries, SPA tourism is also one of the most important types of tourism, and with regard to its evaluation according to the number of overnight stays and income, it constitutes a significant share of the structure of the tourism industry. One of the greatest challenges for SPA businesses was the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused travel restrictions, business closures, and a decrease in demand and revenue. The impact of the pandemic on SPA businesses in the studied countries has not yet been examined in detail. Accordingly, the aim of the present study is to evaluate the innovative activities of SPA companies in Slovakia and the Czech Republic in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research sample consists of 122 SPA enterprises from both republics. Based on the results of previous research, innovation is generally perceived as an important element in the development of society, crisis management, increasing competitiveness and commercial success. The main research method for identifying and classifying the types of innovations and innovation capabilities implemented in SPA enterprises was a questionnaire survey. The results of the conducted research revealed that the origin of SPA businesses does not affect the country or how people perceive trends. The connections between the types of introduced innovations and some benefits from the introduction of innovations as well as the barriers affecting the introduction of innovations were confirmed. It follows, for example, that companies that invest in innovation processes can improve their performance and the competitiveness of their team and reduce their costs for production or service provision. From the analysis of factors related to the introduction of innovations, it emerged that the most important factors are those that have a direct impact on economic results and the competitive advantage of businesses. On the other hand, those factors related to cultural, environmental or technical aspects of innovation are less important. Despite repeated calls, not all SPA companies operating in the SPA industry in the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic participated.
This study captures for 6 days in May and August 2022 (time interval 8:00 AM-8:00 PM) the atmospheric levels of positive and negative ions in the atmosphere of three balneoclimatic resorts in ...north-eastern Romania (Solca, Cacica and Gura Humorului), in correlation with the values of meteorological elements of those days. The concentration of aeroions was measured hourly, in 2+2 days, in a characteristic point of each resort and on September 15, 2022 in 3 points / levels of Cacica salt mine. With average values of aeroion levels above 1000 / cc (1054 / cc at Solca, 1069 / cc at Gura Humorului and 1468 / cc at Cacica) the atmosphere of these resorts can be therapeutically exploited by aeroionotherapy. In the Cacica salt mine the aeroelectric potential is very high, here the total aeroion load varied between 9,026.5 and 11,464.5 aeroions/cc. The unipolarity coefficient (k) had average values of 0.72 at Solca, 0.9 at Cacica and 0.97 at Gura Humorului, indicating in all three resorts a quality air with therapeutic properties. In the Cacica salt mine the average value of the unipolarity coefficient was 1.26, with slight variations from one room to another.
Due to increased life expectancy and the prevailing ideological elements of wellness and active ageing, wellness-related consumption has become a distinctive part of many retirees' lifestyles in ...affluent societies. This qualitative case study illustrates this trend by examining older adults' experiences of spa tourism in connection to their broader strategies for ageing well. The data consist of 18 interviews carried out in an Estonian spa destination among Finnish retirees regularly visiting spas in Estonia. Focusing on the perceived benefits, the study shows how spa vacation promotes participants' wellness very holistically and is therefore an essential part of their individual wellness routines. The study demonstrates how variety of aspects related to ageing and retirement are reflected in participants' experiences, motives and expectations of spa vacation. Thus the study suggests that the tourist's stage of life should be more widely taken into consideration in tourism experience research and the development and targeting of wellness services to different customer segments. Overall, regular spa tourism is a great example of retirement lifestyle tied to consumerism and wellness-based individualism that supports both individual and societal perceptions of good ageing.
This opinion piece was inspired with how several authors, including those whose works were focused on historical perspective of spas and balneology, used the term spa without any definition and/or ...without any reference to this word's origin. Therefore, we have compiled the opinions of several authors that we have considered as the most relevant with regard to the etymology, definitions and positioning of the word, respectively the term "spa", as well as with regard to defining and positioning the related term "spa tourism" and some other related terms relevant to it (i.e. "health tourism", "medical tourism" and "wellness tourism"). Apart from selected academic authors, we have also considered the opinions of the most relevant umbrella organisations in spa tourism. The aim of this opinion piece is to contribute to an ongoing debate in tourism science related to the lack of consensus in defining the term "spa" and positioning spa tourism.
The authors intend to analyze the evolution of the balneary tourism in Romania over the last 10 years. The retrospective analysis of the evolution of this type of tourism highlights the sinuous ...aspect of the development. Understanding the complexity of the balneary tourism involves studying the field in relation to several factors, such as: the relationship of the balneary tourism with other forms of tourism, the specificity of the domain and the market, the importance of the balneary tourism in shaping the society, the implications on the environment and its sustainability. The importance of the health status of the population represents an extremely sensitive indicator of the quality of life and the level of development of the society. At present, the sphere of health tourism has expanded greatly adapting to the current needs of the population. Increasing globalization has made its mark on this form of tourism. The quantification of health tourism is increasingly difficult to make, but the branch of the balneary tourism can be measured and followed in evolution much more clearly, at least in the case of Romania.
People have traveled for a long time to various destinations to use medical services that in the period of health tourism were related to disease prevention, rehabilitation, but also treatment with ...the help of natural factors. In the second half of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century, health tourism went beyond the initial framework through a qualitative and quantitative change in the tourist offer. An important resource basis for health tourism is the spa places where appropriate health resorts have been built. The Republic of Serbia is known for its very rich and diverse offer of spa destinations. The study, without the intention to determine a standardized definition of the term, presents various aspects of health tourism and a brief analysis of the development of spa tourism in Serbia. The subject of this paper is the SWOT analysis of the health and tourism center Rajska Banja, with an emphasis on the possibilities of tourism development in the municipality of Zvecan. The aim of the paper is to point out through the valorization of the spa potential in Kosovo and Metohija that health tourism in this area needs a new development concept in accordance with modern trends in the tourist market, in the function of strengthening the tourist offer. The limitations of the research were presented and recommendations for improving the tourist offer of the north of Kosovo and Metohija were given.
The growing competitiveness and growth of the tourism industry have put tourism beneficiaries on the path of thinking and appropriate strategic and futuristic action to enhance the destination's ...competitiveness. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the impact of organizational capacity development components on the competitiveness of Sarein spa tourism destinations and, consequently, the research model is quantitative. The required initial data were collected based on a questionnaire tool and from a sample population of over 200 people in two chain methods (for experts of organizations and related services) and random (for tourists) in Sarein city. Findings indicated that from organizational capacity development, the components of leadership capacity, human resources and especially communication are weak. Also, from the viewpoint of competitiveness, apart from the appropriate conditions of the resource quality component, the other two components, namely destination management and the competitive performance component, are not suitable for promoting tourism development. Structural equation modelling demonstrated that the components of organizational capacity development have a positive and significant effect on the competitiveness of Sarein spa tourist destinations. Proving this effect can provide a new thematic context for the development of related literature to improve the competitiveness of the destination.IntroductionThe focus and purpose of the research is to analyze the impact of organizational capacity development components on the competitiveness of the spa tourism destination in Sarein. "Organizational capacity development" as an intermediate and important link of capacity system components (individual, organizational and systemic), organized application of leadership and management, organizational resources and culture and communication processes to improve the capabilities and functions of the organization over time and in a way which is considered stable (UNDP,2009; Aref,2011). Alongside the changes in travel patterns over the past few years, the new trends indicated the strengthening of the spa and medical tourism product (Csapó & Marton; 2017; 56) which, due to the growth of the global health tourism market, has made it necessary to be competitive in this field.The competitiveness of tourist destinations is one of the most important factors in the success of the destination (Paunovi'c et al., 2020). The argument is that competing tourist destinations seek to satisfy tourists and expand their share of the target market (Cronje & Plessis, 2020). In this regard, competitiveness can be considered the ability of the destination to optimize attractions (products and services) and sustainably create added value to maintain a competitive position of the destination and provide suitable conditions for the unique experience of visitors and better quality of residents' lives and care for local capital (natural and heritage) over time (Fernández et al., 2020).Materials and research methods The present study is based on quantitative research regarding applied purpose and research pattern. Based on the available literature, the conceptual research model is organized in the form of independent (organizational capacity development) and dependent (destination competitiveness) variables. The conceptual components of the proposed model in the field of organizational capacity development, leadership capacity (management), organizational capacity, resource capacity and communication have been determined. In destination competitiveness, three key components of resource and product quality, destination management and marketing factors, and Competitive destination performance are defined. Based on the available literature, 14 components and 80 variables have been used to design the questionnaire tool to implement the above concepts. Preliminary data were collected through surveying in the target statistical population and based on 200 sample populations of experts from executive organizations and activists of industry and related services in Sarein, and relationships were tested based on structural equation modelling (in Smart PLS software environment). The scale of the questionnaire items was the Likert five-choice range.Findings and discussionBased on descriptive findings, the average response rank of organizational capacity development items and destination competitiveness in Sarein city is lower than the average of 3 (from the fifth rank ceiling). It indicates a gap in the capacity of organizations for destination development and competitiveness. Based on the findings and within the framework of organizational capacity, the status of the human resources component had the best, and organizational communication had the worst mean response rank.ConclusionStructural equation modelling indicated that the designed structure and the causal relationships fit properly. As a result, the coefficients of the items and the path pattern of the relationships are significant. In other words, this hypothesis confirmed that the development of organizational capacity has a positive and significant effect on the competitiveness of the spa tourism destination in Sarein.
In recent years, there has been a growing global interest in spa tourism, as well as a significant increase in social awareness of the need to care for health, physical fitness and well-being. Apart ...from spa tourism, ‘spa & wellness’ tourism is also very popular. Kołobrzeg, in addition to being a town largely geared towards patients, also attracts tourists who take advantage of ‘spa & wellness’ treatments. The purpose of this article is to define the essence and characteristics of spa tourism based on the example of Kołobrzeg. Spa activities are carried out in health care entities operating in the zone of the spa, places where patients are undergoing treatment or rehabilitation. These benefit from the healing natural conditions of the areas in which they operate and their microclimates. The main part of the article presents the history of spa tourism in Kołobrzeg along with an analysis of its spa offer and therapeutic profile. In addition, the empirical part discusses the results of an analysis among patients using the survey method; a large proportion of respondents were over 65, mainly female. During the study, the respondents rated various aspects of their spa stay (on a scale from 1 to 5) at a level above 4.0, which indicates the healthy condition of the spa itself and general satisfaction among patients.
Development of Romanian Balneo Tourism Adriana Ștefan (Matei)
"Ovidius" University Annals. Economic Sciences Series (Online),
01/2019, Letnik:
XIX, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Romania is among the European countries with a remarkable spa fund what made the Romanian spa tourism have an old tradition and know a great deal development. Of all the tourism segments in Romania, ...the spa tourism is the only one form of tourism that is based on a permanent, highly complex, practical potential inexhaustible and independent of atmospheric conditions. In line with the increasing development of information technology, in parallel with the isolation of man of nature, it is increasingly evident from the point of view of the body-mind-spirit relationship the importance of tourism products, with an emphasis on health, meeting global needs, aggregates, by extending the concept of health to achieving well-being. Well-being, superior to happiness, means having a clear direction to be followed in life, a sense of belonging, a coherent and positive vision of life, and a sense of affiliation, and is more and more common in the literature, other needs on different stages of Maslow's pyramid. Considering the complexity of health tourism with its forms, it can be said that it has become a form of tourism "of the senses".
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