Health and Wellness Tourism


Product Description
Health and Wellness Tourism takes an innovative look at this rapidly growing sector of today �s thriving tourism industry. This book examines the range of motivations that drive this diverse sector of tourists, the products that are being developed to meet their needs and the management implications of these developments.A wide range of international case studies illustrate the multiple aspects of the industry and new and emerging trends including spas, medical wellness, life-coaching, meditation, festivals, pilgrimage and yoga retreats. The authors also evaluate marketing and promotional strategies and assess operational and management issues in the context of health and wellness tourism.
This text includes a number of features to reinforce theory for advanced students of hospitality, leisure and tourism and related disciplines.
Health and Wellness Tourism Review
The reason for my rating of only three stars was that I was looking for a book that delivered advanced market knowledge of the state of the market in medical tourism. I should have known better since the book was authored in 2007, published in 2008. The market has matured rapidly in that time span. Based on this purchase intention, I would have actually rated the book one star in 2013, because rather than covering real medical tourism business development in the universal sense, (hospitals, clinics, surgery, spa, sanatoria, etc.) the book reads like a compilation of post fam-tour reports of 17 health spa resorts in various destinations around the world.In hindsight, I take accountability for this buyers' remorse, however because I overlooked the statement that was right there in front of me: "This text includes a number of features to reinforce theory for advanced students of hospitality, leisure and tourism and related disciplines." It does read more like a textbook than a professional trade book that would be purchased by and relied upon by investors, market analysts, and industry professionals. Advanced students of hospitality and tourism have more choices now than they did when the book was first published in 2008. Not sure I would agree that the target read is the "advanced" student.
I felt that the chapter titles were also somewhat misleading, but reading a 6 year old book, in fairness, the market has come a long way from what the authors suggest in chapters 7-12, respectively: Demand, motivations and profiles, Planning and development, Managing destinations and sites, Reaching customers, Product Development, Conclusions: The future of health and wellness tourism.
For the reader who is actively involved in medical tourism in the post-graduate, professional role of professional healthcare facility administrator, marketing specialist, physician entrepreneur, and even a health resort, sanatoria or hotel with a spa, read some sample chapters first before making a purchase decision. For the professor, ask the publisher for a review copy before recommending or requiring this book in 2013 - as you could be teaching backwards and doing your students no favor or planting misconceptions and "old ideas" in their heads, and leave them unprepared for tomorrow's health tourism professional roles.
The book had some interesting data on hydrology and water and chemical properties of the various spas. These are data that an investor or entrepreneur would commission for each unique project, and be a part of an environmental impact analysis, market feasibility, and hydrology report. These tools are de minimus, part of typical market research work up for thermal spa development - you can't get them from a book like this and use them in place of the actual bespoke study. The book also lacks any accurate information on accreditation systems or readiness for a health facility, sanatoria, or health and wellness beauty and relaxation resort in a hotel setting.
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