Health, Wellness and Tourism: healthy tourists, hea lthy business? Proceedings of the Travel and Tourism Research Asso ciation Europe 2010 Annual Conference 1-3 September, Budapest, Hungary Puczkó, L. (Ed) (2010). Health, Wellness and Tourism: healthy tourists, hea lthy business? Proceedings of the Travel and Tourism Research Asso ciation Europe 2010 Annual Conference Dalarna, Sweden: Travel and Tourism Research Associ ation Europe. ISBN: 978-91-633-4666-8 The Travel and Tourism Research Association (www.ttra.com) is an international network of travel and tourism research and marketing profes sionals from a wide variety of backgrounds. The Association provides a forum where you may benefit from meeting other people with similar interests. It was founded in 19 70 in the USA. Since 1997, the European Chapter of the TTRA (www.ttra-europe.org) has been active in extending its activities in Europe and beyond, especially with its annual confe rence ( www.ttra-europeconference .com). The Chair of the Conference and the Organising Comm itee: László Puczkó (PhD CMC MA MSc) is a managing director and head of tourism section at 2q Tourist Research Partnership and Xellum management consulting company; and Acting Head of t he Tourism Competence Centre at Corvinus University Budapest (Hungary). He has been a lectur er at several colleges and universities. He is a co -
author of professional books on health and wellness tourism, the impacts of tourism, visitor management and tourism management in historic citie s. He is member of the TTRA European Chapter Board and President of the Hungarian Association of Tourism Consultants. Short Introduction to the Conference Although travel has always contributed to health an d wellbeing, it has often been in indirect or passive ways (e.g. relaxation and escapism). How ever, many tourists are increasingly choosing to go on trips which have the direct aim o f improving their sense of wellness. On the other hand, some destinations are now positioning t hemselves as market leaders in health/medical tourism. The effects can even be lon g-lasting for tourists (and destinations) and not just confined to the duration of the holida y. This can include spa tourism, which can be medical or leisure-based; social tourism, where medical treatments are state-funded; sports and adventure tourism, which increase physical heal th and fitness; occupational wellness trips, which address work-related issues such as st ress-management; and holistic or spiritual retreats, which can balance body, mind and soul. Many of these forms of tourism are based on changin g leisure and lifestyle trends, such as healthier nutrition, fitness regimes, or the quest for alternative spirituality. There are also shifts in many societies from curative to preventat ive healthcare, which requires greater knowledge and self-responsibility. The mainstream t ourism industry is also investing heavily in wellness products – for example the cruise indus try – possibly to give a healthy ‘feel’ to a product traditionally associated with eating too mu ch. How can these contrasting aims be integrated? The tourism industry is consequently re sponding to society’s need for holidays, which enhance quality of life and fulfil all domain s of wellness (e.g. physical, emotional, spiritual, psychological and intellectual). Furthermore, the link between leisure and tourism s eems to be getting stronger, since wellness and healthy/healthier lifestyle oriented customers tend to go on health(ier) trips, too. The conference explored the relationship between he alth, wellness and tourism: • Changing activities in leisure, lifestyle and trave l which improve wellness and quality of life • Developments in medical tourism and the shift from traditional curative towards complementary and preventative activities, or even hedonistic aspirations • The role of well-established forms of tourism (e.g. spa, sports, social, cruise) and newer forms of tourism (e.g. holistic, occupational , adventure) in the development of health and wellness • The special characteristics of investment and retur n in health and wellness tourism • The special characteristics of planning, management and marketing of health and wellness tourism Acknowledgements TTRA Europe would like to extend their sincere appr eciation to the conference organizers, conference chairs and keynote speakers, the dinner speaker, and the panel members and their facilitator: Conference Organizers: László Puczkó, 2q Tourist Research Partnership & Conference Secretariat Weco Travel Ltd- Chemol Trav el Conference Chair: László Puczkó, 2q Tourist Research Partnership Dinner Speaker : Dee Ann McKinney TTRA Europe gratefully acknowledges the support of the conference : GOLD SPONSOR: www.hungary.com SILVER SPONSORS: www.kjf.hu www.budapestinfo.hu BRONZE SPONSORS: www.spasbudapest.com www.danubiushotels.com www.kastelyszanatorium.hu www.omorovicza.com www.raczhotel.com www.thermarium.com www.xellum.hu MEDIA SPONSORS: www.turizmus.com www.eumta.org TTRA Europe is also indebted to the members of the Scientific Committee , who reviewed 121 contributions that were submitted for participa tion at the conference: Anja Touhino, Project manager, ITÄHYVÄ, Finland Aurkene Arzua, Director, CIC tourGune, Spain Babu George, Assistant Professor of Tourism, Univer sity of Southern Mississippi, USA C Michael Hall, Professor, Department of Management , College of Business & Economics, University of Canterbury, New Zealand Edward Huijbens, Docent, Icelandic Tourism Research Centre, Iceland Frederic Dimanche, Director, Center for Tourism Man agement, SKEMA, Business School Nice - Sophia Antipolis, France Ian Henderson, Managing Partner, TTC International Ltd, U K Isabelle Frochot, Lecturer, CEMAGREF Grenoble & Uni versité de Savoie Jana Kucerova, Department of Tourism and Hospitalit y, Matej Bel University in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia Jennifer Laing, Lecturer, Tourism Research Unit, Mo nash University, Australia Joseph Sirgy, Professor, Virginia Politechnic Insti tute &State University, USA
