Health tourism in Hungary : future challenges for thermal spas

Abstract

PURPOSE : This article identifies some of the challenges facing health tourism development in Hungary and uses research with expert respondents to make recommendations for the sector. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH : A combination of literature review, recent statistics and Delphi study data involving health tourism experts is used to identify challenges in product and service development which affect customer satisfaction. FINDINGS : Spas need to concentrate on improving their infrastructure where funding allows and to create better quality products and services that are tailored and marketed to specific segments. Investment may also be needed in staff recruitment and training to overcome shortages. ORIGINALITY/VALUE : New insights are provided into the current situation in Hungarian health tourism using a comparative study of V4 countries. This helped to identify common challenges and solutions.