In 2005, Serbia’s National Tourism Strategy identified spas as a key asset for tourism development, so the sector was given the same consideration as employment, education, trade and the environment
interest in Serbia’s spa sector as a critical economic and tourism asset. SEDP tourism advisor Ana Ilic, with
international consultant Sue Warren from London, identified that banjas should be a key element of Serbia’s tourism offer. Tey saw the potential to develop the banjas into wellness-focused destinations in line with contemporary trends for spa tourism. Tis
contrasted with the internal view that the institutions were primarily healthcare pro- viders for Serbia – and were treated as such by law – rather than as places to attract a new market of international medical and wellness tourists. Under an SEDP training programme,
more than 15 Serbian spa directors and professionals visited contemporary spa com- plexes in Slovenia and Italy. As a result, some directors changed their views to develop new wellness offers for healthy people to com- plement their traditional therapies for sick people, thus expanding new potentials for health and leisure tourism. At the same time, Serbia’s new National
Tourism Strategy also identified spas as a key asset for tourism development. Tis strategy, since passed into law, ensured that the spa sector’s requirements were given the same consideration as other areas of public inter- est such as employment and education, trade, investment, and environmental protection.
Sokobanja, in the east of the country, has springs ranging from 28 to 45.5˚C
28 to 45.5˚C, some of which are used the town’s 16th century Turkish baths or in treatments and the swimming pool at the Sokobanja Specialised Hospital. Te town also features a hospital which focuses on lung diseases on Ozren mountain. Details:
www.soko-banja.rs
SPA BUSINESS 3 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010 OPPORTUNITIES AHEAD
Today, about 37 per cent of all tourism in Serbia is spa-related, according to the Ser- bian Spa Association – the umbrella body for the industry which champions spa standards and development, and the sector’s profile abroad. Figures from the association and the National Tourism Organisation of Serbia, show that there are 64,000 beds dedicated to
To attract international tourists, many hospitals, such as Merkur Institute (above), are adding new wellness centres
spa tourism, with an extra 7,500 beds avail- able in the medical spa facilities. Domestic tourism is strong. In 2008, the
banjas attracted 366,000 national tour- ists, which represented 60 per cent of all overnight tourism stays in the country. By comparison, there were only 23,000 inter- national spa tourists. One key strategy to boost international
visitors is to attract medical tourists from abroad by taking advantage of Serbia’s abun- dant curative natural resources and its legacy of medical expertise and to integrate them with a contemporary spa offer, quality hotels and a range of fitness, beauty and relaxation services – all bundled up in the beautiful environment of the traditional banjas. An initial step towards this was first made
in 2008, when the government approved pri- vatisation of 13 of the country’s main banjas. Privatisation progress has been slow due to debates over property rights and the fact that the banjas straddle health, economic and tourism jurisdictions. However, with tour- ism a rising star for Serbia and international interest in investment in Serbia increasing, spa tourism is poised to relive and even sur- pass its former glory days. l
Additional guidance for this feature was pro- vided by Terry Stevens, managing director of spa, leisure and tourism consultancy firm Stevens & Associates.
Read Spa Business online
spabusiness.com / digital 69
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