NOVEL CONCEPTS IN THE HEALTH TOURISM INDUSTRY
NOVEL CONCEPTS IN THE HEALTH TOURISM INDUSTRY

Summary/Abstract: As of today, there is a growing demand for health tourism services in the tourism industry; and according to the forecasts, the cooperation between high quality health service providers and international tourism has a huge potential. The trends within health tourism are affected not only by the quality of the services, but also by the increase of health awareness. Due to the different development paths within the health tourism system, a wide variety of services and destinations is available for consumers. In the past decades, specialisation has been the most important feature of health tourism development; and as a result, there are significant differences in the services, venues and destinations offered by tourism businesses. While the health tourism industry in Asia mainly focuses on high-profit surgery services, the industry within the European Union offers services that are based on the traditions and the history of the region. Health tourism has become one of the most versatile industries, and with the results of the digital revolution, we can predict the emergence of further new and innovative solutions. E-Health and other digital services are opening new horizons for the industry; and there is also a huge potential in re-thinking the exploitation of the already existing resources. Creativity and innovation are just as important in health tourism as in any other industry. In the digital era, there is a huge opportunity in combining the fragments of already existing solutions, and create novel products in order to maximise their benefits.

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