Management of Medical and Spa Tourism (in English)
- Credits: 3
- Ending: Examination
- Range: 2C
- Semester: summer
- Year: 1
- Faculty of Commerce
Teachers
Included in study programs
Teaching results
Knowledge
The student will acquire knowledge of the management of health tourism and spa tourism from the perspective of the specific connection between tourism and medical or therapeutic care through partnerships in the creation and implementation of offerings.
Knowledge
The student will be able to manage the cooperation of all stakeholders: healthcare facilities, spa facilities, insurance companies, and travel agencies, create package offers with specific content, and oversee sales processes, B2C communication, and B2B collaboration with international buyers.
Skills
The student will be able to manage health tourism facilities and spa tourism facilities, or operational units of selected tourism services (accommodation, catering). In the context of cooperation with international partners, they will be able to communicate without language barriers.
Indicative content
The course Management of Health and Medical Tourism provides students with knowledge about the historical development of health and medical tourism. The demand for health and spa tourism is shaped by its stakeholders. The student will gain insights into financial management of payments in health and medical tourism, client motivation when choosing a product, the creation of health and spa tourism products, catering services, products for accompanying persons, the environment, and the location prerequisites for health and spa tourism. The course will also cover trends in the development of health and spa tourism, with a specific example (excursion).
Support literature
1. DeMicco, F. J. (2017) Medical Tourism and Wellness: Hospitality Bridging Healthcare (H2H). Spojené štáty americké: Apple Academic Press.
2. Kerekeš, J. (2018). Kúpeľníctvo a jeho význam v turizme. Weltprint.
3. Osadchuk, M. A., Osadchuk, A. M., Solodenkova, K. S., & Trushin, M. V. (2020). Health medical tourism: The present and the future. Journal of Environmental Management & Tourism, 11(4 (44)), 809-818.
4. Puczkó, L., & Stackpole, I. (2021). Marketing Handbook for Health Tourism. Spojené štáty americké: Stackpole & Associates.
5. Puczkó, L., Smith, M. K., & Pollar, K. (2018). Exploring Health Tourism. Belgicko: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
6. Sarikamis, S. (2022). Medical Tourism in Turkey. World Books Store.
7. Schmerler, K. (2018). Medical Tourism in Germany: Determinants of International Patients‘ Destination Choice. Nemecko: Springer International Publishing.
8. Singh, M. a Subbaraman, K. (2020). Growth of the Medical Tourism Industry and Its Impact on Society: Emerging Research and Opportunities. (2020). Spojené štáty americké: IGI Global.
9. Sudip, P. a Kulshreshtha, S. K. (2019). Global Developments in Healthcare and Medical Tourism. Spojené štáty americké: IGI Global.
Syllabus
1. History of health tourism and core products offering medical procedures. 2. History of medical tourism and core products offering spa services. 3. Stakeholders in the creation of health tourism and medical tourism: prerequisites for partnership cooperation. 4. Financial management of payments in health and medical tourism. Multisource financing. Client's own resources. Opportunities for participation by health insurance companies. 5. Client motivation when choosing health tourism and meeting needs. Offering specific additional therapeutic and spa services as part of a package product. 6. Client motivation when choosing spa tourism and meeting needs. Offering specific additional therapeutic services as part of a package product. 7. Creation of health tourism package products for basic services – transportation, accommodation, catering. 8. Creation of spa tourism package products for basic services – transportation, accommodation, catering. 9. Creation of gastronomic offerings for clients of medical tourism. 10. Creation of gastronomic offerings for clients of spa tourism. 11. Part of the health and spa tourism offer – special package for accompanying persons. 12. Environment and location prerequisites for medical and spa tourism and opportunities for leisure activities aimed at hospitality and entertainment. 13. Trends in the development of medical and spa tourism based on a specific example of good practice in selected spas in Slovakia, through a professional excursion.
Requirements to complete the course
20 % continuous written work
20 % semester work
60 % exam
Student workload
Total workload: 78 hours
Attendance at seminars: 26 hours
Preparation for the semester project through a professional excursion to specific therapeutic spas: 16 hours
Processing of the semester project: 12 hours
Preparation for the exam: 24 hours
Language whose command is required to complete the course
English
Date of approval: 06.03.2024
Date of the latest change: 28.03.2025