WELLNESS PROGRAMS AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE TOURIST OFFER ON CRUISE SHIPS

Abstract

Cruise is a special type of tourist offer that includes a large market. Interests of guests - the structure of service users and their financial capabilities determine the content offered - entertainment, adventure, wellness or recreation, etc. One of the primary activities during long voyages are wellness procedures that are performed in order to preserve and improve the health of passengers. These procedures involve a multidisciplinary approach from several areas, of which tourism, medicine and physical culture stand out. The provision of services requires specific knowledge and skills, which have only recently taken their place in the nomenclature of јob titles, as well as a special direction of education. Successful effects require a proper hierarchy of treatment during procedures, but also a system of periodic evaluation. The paper presents a questionnaire with the results that was conducted on 102 guests on a cruise from Strasbourg to Köln, where passengers confirm the high quality and suitability of the program for users. The results especially emphasize the importance of the Wellness program for the quality and content of the trip itself. Training of personnel for these programs is possible and desirable in continental countries, whose graduates can find employment on one of the many cruises at sea, but also on larger passenger ships on continental navigation in the systems of rivers and canals of Europe.