Abstract
This paper analyzes the success factors of health tourism based on natural attractions in selected European spa and health destinations. The natural resources included in the offers, such as water, salt, and air, play a central role in this context, as their evidence-based effects have a high relevance for the health and wellbeing of tourists. Due to its specific geographical location and considering the threat of climate change, however, this offer is facing increasing challenges which make adaptation strategies necessary. In addition to a conceptional introduction to the topic, this paper contains a descriptive analysis of tourism statistics and the results from self-administered questionnaires with six selected representatives from alpine health destinations (DE, FR, IT, AT, CH, SI). The results show varying forms of health tourism based on natural attractions, which are also reflected in online marketing, with potential for optimization. The web research and the responses to the questionnaire revealed that evidence-based studies hardly play a role in promoting health touristic offers. Furthermore, climate change effects on natural attractions are considered extremely small and tend to prompt the development of new offers. Health destinations are advised to generate a clearer focus on the risks of climate change regarding natural resources.
Highlights
Recent years have seen a continuous increase in the significance and awareness of and regular preoccupation with personal health in business and society, in Western industrial nations [1,2,3]
The corresponding health tourism destinations face the core challenge of adapting their products, which were previously utilized by customers who were mainly financed by social insurance funds, to make them attractive to self-payers
The results of the study are presented in greater detail in three content blocks: (a) comparative analysis of the touristic indicators and their development; (b) internet research regarding marketing and the use of evidence-based studies for the promotion of health touristic offers in the destinations; (c) destination-specific evaluation of the expected risks to the natural attractions and health tourism products resulting from climate change
Summary
Recent years have seen a continuous increase in the significance and awareness of and regular preoccupation with personal health in business and society, in Western industrial nations [1,2,3]. Health care reforms in recent decades and in close connection with the global wave of deregulation and liberalization have led to a drastic reduction in the range of services provided by social insurance funds [6,7] This occurred alongside a broad decline in demand for many of Europe’s traditional spa and health resorts, which were largely unprepared for the structural transformations and continue to struggle with the consequences [8,9]. The corresponding health tourism destinations face the core challenge of adapting their products, which were previously utilized by customers who were mainly financed by social insurance funds, to make them attractive to self-payers These self-paying guests are increasingly health tourists who, in addition to the desire to improve their health, have other motives for traveling—in particular, relaxation and the promotion of their general wellbeing. Their economic importance, or the importance of health tourism, can be seen, among other
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