Belgrade Tourism Conference 2015

1. Spa Tourism
Dr Melanie Smith, BKF University of Applied Sciences,
Budapest, Hungary
Email: msmith@bkf.hu

2. FancyaSpaHoliday?

3. Relaxation?
Fun?

4. Spiritual
Development?
Stress Management?

5. Beauty?
Healing?

6. Everyday Wellbeing?
Living in?

7. Where in the World is this.....?

8. Global and Placeless
or Local and Specific?
Global
• Facilities such as spas and wellness
hotels
• Rituals such as saunas and massage
• Beauty treatments
• Surgical medical tourism
• Outdoor recreation, sports and
fitness
• (Most) spa cuisine
Local
• Unique resources (e.g. Dead Sea,
Blue Lagoon)
• Regional initiatives (e.g. Alpine
wellness, Nordic Wellbeing,
Baltic Health Tourism)
• Signature treatments using local
indigenous traditions and
ingredients (e.g. local herbs,
rituals)
• Authentic ‘home’ of globalising
practices (e.g. Thai massage,
Ayurveda, yoga)

10. InSerbia....?

11. Brief Overview of Spas in Serbia
• 250 natural springs and 100
wells with thermal water are
situated in the territory of
Serbia, along with natural
mineral gases and medicinal
mud.
• There are over fifty thermal
resorts in Serbia.
• Spa therapies include
consuming medical water or
taking medical, therapeutic
baths.
(Source of map: Milivojevic, Krunic &.
Martinovic, 2005)

12. Spa Trends in Hungary
• 2010 was the first year when the
number of wellness guests was
significantly higher than the number
of traditional spa hotel guests
• 6-8 more new indoor spas were
finished in 2010
• In January 2011 the Szechenyi
Development Plan, was launched. The
first priority of this plan is developing
the spa and wellness industry
focusing on effectiveness,
modernization, innovation and
complexity.
• Vinotherapy (or wine therapy)
starts to develop in spas
• Cultural nights in spas are
becoming more popular
• Parties in spas for young people

13. Spa Trends in Slovenia (Lebe, 2013)
• Slovenia has 20 thermal sources that are
commercially used by thermal spas. Until
1990, 80% of guests were coming
automatically as direct referrals (insurance
company contact). After that, thermal spas
had to find the major part of their business
on the free market.
• Between 1995 and 2010 all Slovenian spas
added wellness programmes to their
classical health spa (and thus medicine
based) offer. Consequently new segments
of guests joined the traditional
convalescent ones. BUT they did not mix
well!
• Today all Slovenian thermal spas have a
segmented offer. The vast majority of
guests (60 up to 100 %) are wellness
guests.
• Example: Olimia Thermal Spa has
established a spatially separated
offer for youth, young families and
sport teams: a popular aqua-park,
placed far enough from the core
spa facilities not to interfere
acoustically with guests who wish
to relax in peace and quiet.

15. Characteristics of Gen Y
• Age range is somewhere between 1979
and 1994.
• Unique in their approach to using digital
media.
• Prefer to spend rather than save money.
• Emotional and novelty value important
combined with brand value.
• Highly socially-oriented, word-of-mouth
marketing is valued over that of
advertisers.
• The night-time economy and ‘open all
hours’ culture are important
• Hedonistic and live for the moment,
always looking for the ‘next big thing’ in
terms of experiences.

16. The Experience Economy
• Customers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and
discerning. They look for products and services which
involve their senses and grant holistic, unique and
memorable experiences (Schmitt, 1999; Ferrari, 2006).
• Spas ideally need to be unique, authentic, multi-
sensory, theatrical, even spectacular in order to truly
engage the increasingly sophisticated spa consumer.
• The physical environment determines the construction
of ‘atmospherics’ (Kotler, 1973) that immerse the
consumer in experiences (Shostack, 1977; Firat et al.,
1995).
• In spas, this can include design, use of light, colour,
smells and music (Marguiles, 2013).
• Unique architecture, amazing views, unusual
experiences, rituals, stories, special events.
• Spas can be places of fantasy, fun, healing, relaxation
and recuperation.

17. Beauty
(fish
manicure)
Medicine
(derma-
tology)

18. Snake
massage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK3sVw3dsL4&feature=relat
ed
Northern Israel
Relaxing massage
Cure various
diseases
Stifness, fatigue,
cramp
Non-venomous
snakes

20. Balkan Wellbeing Project
• Funded by the Hungarian government for two years
• Outcomes include primary data collection, several Workshops
and 16 publications
• 11 countries from the Balkan region:
– Albania, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece,
Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey
• Research so far includes:
– Secondary data collection including academic sources and
QoL, Life Satisfaction, Happiness and Wellbeing Reports
– Primary data in the form of a Delphi Study
– Primary data in the form of a questionnaire (11,000
respondents)

21. Statement Agree Disagree Un-decided
The Balkans provide mainly sun, sea and sand
tourism. There is not much potential for health and
wellbeing tourism development.
2 20
The Balkans mainly offer good opportunities for
spa and wellness tourism for leisure tourists.
15 2 3
The Balkans mainly specialise in thermal medical
spas and rehabilitation for social tourists (e.g.
government-funded).
12 4 5
The Balkans has good potential for health, wellness
and spa tourism but the infrastructure and services
need some development and improvements.
27 2

22. Top 5 Unique Selling Propositions
Landscapes/nature
Good climate and sun
Natural and herbal remedies
Thermal baths/balneology
Mountains and forests
Healthy food and wine

23. Possible New Products
• Medical
• RehabilitationSpas
• Forest therapy / 'hammam'
• Mountain resorts
• Eco-villages
• Outdoor recreation
Nature-based
• Mountain retreats
• MonasteriesSpiritual
• Healthy food
• Detox programmesNutrition
• 4 Elements and 5 Senses
• Medical mud
• Local fruits
Treatments

24. Suggested Main Focus of Future
Product Development
Local fruit-based treatments
4 elements & 5 senses
Medical spas
Forest therapy/hammams
Healthy food
Outdoor recreation
Eco-villages

25. 0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
90.0%
100.0%
Using natural healing
resources/learned
Using natural healing
resources/done
Using spas/steam/hammam
/learned
Using spas/steam/hammam
/done

26. 0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
80.00%
90.00%
100.00%
15-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60-99
Total

27. How to Project a ‘Young’
Image of Spas?

28. Some Final Thoughts....
• Spas of the future may be
more and more about
wellness (prevention not
cure)
• Spas should be segmented
to cater for different user
groups (and ideally
separated)
• Creating new and unusual
spa experiences is essential
• Spas for young people are
more about leisure and fun
than health
• Maybe young people are
not that interested in spas
now (but what about
later...??)

29.  Copyright Global Spa Summit 2011