Fashions and Trends in Wellness Tourism in Central Europe

Conscious or trendy? How do fashions and trends influence consumers’ selection criteria in health-related tourism?

Krisztina Priszinger - Katalin Formádi – Péter Mayer

TTRA European Chapter Conference 1-3 September, 2010

Wellness„good physical condition”

„wholeness in all spheres of life”

„active process”

„relative, subjective or perceptual”

Motivation of tourism

difference between CEE and US

Wellness

Methodology

Lifestyle –magazines

2008 issues147 articles

1. Identification of wellness-related issues

2. Discussion of emerging trends3. Confirming it with evidences

Questionnaire

330 spa visitors in ZalakarosMay, 2009

Balance

Work/life balance

Balance

Body in balance

Balance

Offers for couples

Balance

Masculine emantipation

Masculine emantipati

on

Men’s beauty

Masculine emantipati

on

Men’s health

Age equality

Age equal

ity

Children spa

Children’s spa

Age equal

ity

Children’s health

Age equal

ity

Third age

Demography of the interviewed spa-visitors

64% women, 36% menaverage age: 40 years55% secondary education, 41% degreefrom Budapest and from the area94% with family, 6% with friends50% had children under 6 years

Identified trends and metatrends among spa-goers

work/life balancebody in balancechildren’s spathird age

Wellness pool

Medical pool

Outside pool

Medical massage

Salt cave

Sauna

Pool for kids

Slides

0 50 100 150 200 250 300

Conclusions – media-driven wellness development

only a few trends and metatrends in presently spasphysical vs. spiritual aspects of wellnessrequired trend-related services:

good F&B services (=body in balance)more sport and fitness services (=work/life balance)baby & kid services (=children’s spa)

Further conclusion

Motivation of Hungarian spa-goers is different from US or Western-European visitorsTrends and metatrends of magazines are not commonplaces in HungaryTrends show the future in demand and supply side

Thank you for your attention!

priszinger@turizmus.uni-pannon.huformadi@turizmus.uni-pannon.humayer@turizmus.uni-pannon.hu