WELLNESS TOURISM
SOPHIE BENGE, JOURNALIST, SPA BUSINESS
Natural elements – mud, sea air and water – are core to the wellness approach in this region
TIME TO SHINE With much recent interest in wellness tourism, now could be the time for eastern
and central Europe – which has placed wellness at the heart of tourism for more than 200 years – to take centre stage. Sophie Benge gives an overview of the market
L
ast year saw a growing excitement in the spa industry about the global increase in wellness tourism and speaking at the inaugural Global Wellness
Tourism Congress in New Delhi in October (see SB13/4 p70), Jean-Claude Baumgarten – former president of the World Trade & Tourism Council – said wellness tourism is “poised to reshape tourism as we know it,” while SRI International, which revealed its Global Wellness Tourism Economy report, expects wellness tourism to increase at an annual rate of 9.1 per cent up to 2017. “Millions more [people] every year [are] demanding destinations that deliver physical, emotional, spiritual and environmental health – along with enjoyment,” said Baumgarten.
200 YEAR OLD TRADITION Such demands are comprehensively met in central and eastern Europe, a region which has had wellness at the core of its tourism offering for nearly 200 years. It saw early bloom in Latvia and Estonia, where Tsar Nicholas I built a number of state bathing establishments so the gentry could bene- fi t from the natural environment and the fresh sea air along the Baltic coast.
In the 19th century, Czechoslovakia became
the gold standard for Europe’s nobility who spent weeks taking the waters in the spa towns of Marianbad and Carlsbad to counter the effects of their over-indulgent lifestyles. The sanatorium culture of the Soviet era of the 20th century was, it could be argued, ahead of its time, with state-funded programmes of rest and rejuvenation for everyone from party offi cials to the proletariat, including war veterans, sportspeople and astronauts. Now, more than 20 years after independ- ence, it’s time to put this fl ank of Europe – from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south – under the spotlight once again for meeting the needs of today’s wellness tourism sector. Many of the region’s health resorts are set up for dedicated, multi- week stays, offering a wide combination of authentic practices, doctor-led expertise and natural resources with a profound propensity for healing which have stood the test of time. Moreover, many wellness destinations in the territory are surrounded by beautiful natural environments offering wide-ranging outdoor sports and activities and fresh, local cuisine, which also makes the region a prime focus for contiguous sectors such as eco, culinary, sports and medical tourism.
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As central and eastern Europe continues to adjust to a free market economy the wellness offering is a transitory mix of old world glamour, under-funded state estab- lishments and those fi nding their feet under private ownership. Added to this is a slew of places under reconstruction, plus new-build properties beautifully designed and fi tted out with the latest equipment and technology. At this critical juncture, we take a look at some of the strengths and challenges of the distinct central and eastern European model.
STRENGTHS Expertise. Central and eastern Europe spa destinations are rooted in ‘heal stays’ and
‘cure programmes’ for chronic conditions which means that high levels of medi- cal expertise are available to the wellness guest. According to Slovakia’s Ministry of Health, the country is among the top three in Europe for medical education. Health Spa Pieštany, the Slovak destination by Danubius Hotels Group, has a generous number of 350 therapists and doctors for guests across the four-hotel, 1,112-bed resort. Therapist training across the region is
rigorous. In Hungary, massage therapists are called therapeutic masseurs/masseuses and
Spa Business 1 2014 ©Cybertrek 2014
PHOTOS BY CHRISTIAN BANFIELD AND ANDREW WOOD
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