Wellness Tourism and Medical Tourism: Where Do Spas Fit?
The Global Spa Summit (GSS) released key findings from its research
initiative “Wellness Tourism and Medical Tourism:
Where Do Spas Fit?” The most comprehensive investigation of the wellness tourism and medical tourism industries to date.
Key Findings:
• Governments should develop and promote medical tourism and wellness tourism separately.
• Wellness tourism represents by far the best “fit” for the spa industry, and already generates twice the global revenues of the more-established medical tourism market ($106 bil. vs. $50 bil. USD).*
• Persistent terminology confusion, combined with weak or generic promotion, is significantly holding back these emerging travel categories.
“This report should be read by every tourism board, spa and medical facility worldwide,” noted Susie Ellis, GSS Board Member.
“Medical tourists and wellness tourists spend 3 to 5 times more than the average tourist, and the financial opportunities within both these sectors are vast. This research will help public and private players establish smarter overall strategies, organizational structures and marketing campaigns to more powerfully position themselves within these lucrative markets.”
Clear, consistent definitions need to be established globally. Suggested “core” definitions: a “medical tourist” travels “because they’re generally ill, or seeking cosmetic/dental surgical procedures/enhancements,” while a “wellness tourist” travels because they’re “seeking integrated wellness/preventative approaches to improve their health/quality of life.”
Released at the GSS in Bali, Indonesia, the report was a collaborative effort of Katherine Johnson, research scientist, SRI International; Dr. Laszlo Puczko, head of the Tourism Division, Xellum Ltd. (Hungary); Melanie Smith, PhD, lecturer/researcher, Corvinus University (Budapest); and Susie Ellis, Global Spa Summit Board Member.
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