ABSTRACT
The discussion on the future of health tourism will first be set in the context of a brief review of the meaning of health and wellness in different geographical and cultural contexts, followed by a short analysis of historical traditions. However, the main focus of the chapter will be to assess contemporary trends in health and wellness destination development around the world and to identify some of the most significant initiatives or products. In doing so, this chapter provides an overview of some of the latest developments in health tourism from around the world. The chapter aims to be as comprehensive as possible encompassing all regions and providing brief examples of destinations which are seen to be especially representative of a particular region. Emphasis will be placed on the need for destinations to promote what is unique and indigenous rather than supplying standardised treatments or activities which are becoming ubiquitous. This line of argument is supported by data derived from two research projects. The first was a project undertaken with and on behalf of the Global Spa Summit (GSS) in 2011 about the role of spas in wellness and medical tourism, and the second was The Tourism Observatory for Health, Wellness and Spa’s (TOHWS 2012) research entitled 4WR: Wellness for Whom, Where and What? Wellness Tourism 2020, which was supported by Hungarian Tourism plc. A more detailed methodology will be provided later in the chapter, but both projects had global reach and provide a robust representation of all regions and many countries of the world.
