Care Tourism

Health tourism is generally broken down into two branches: medical tourism and wellness tourism. In either case, patients are traveling abroad for healthcare, generally for cost savings, shorter wait times, and expertise that they cannot receive at home. It is a rapidly growing industry that some have estimated to be worth $40 billion per year.

As such, “wellness spa tourism” is the common name for people who cross borders for preventive medicine and lifestyle improvement therapies.

Wellness spas are popular in many Asian health-tourism destinations and across Europe too, with the key component being the delivery of alternative treatments to achieve balance among mind, body, and spirit. The treatments found in wellness spas include things like therapeutic massage, detoxifying clay baths, Ayurvedic treatments, colonic cleansings, acupressure, yoga, reflexology, meditation, aromatherapy, and hydrotherapy.

Thailand has become a leading wellness spa destination, providing all these therapies and more, earning itself the unofficial title of Spa Capital of Asia because of the unique way in which the country is able to deliver a relaxing atmosphere, warm hospitality and service, and therapists with the soft touch and welcoming personalities necessary for a rejuvenating, health-renewing wellness-spa experience. This is why so many people are choosing Thailand for wellness-spa tourism.

Thai wellness specialties include an array of traditional treatments that make the spas there so special. Expert therapists have an innate understanding of the centuries-old techniques that they use, partly due to the overall connection to well-being that is part of Thai culture.

spa and wellness3The most well-known wellness-spa treatment is Traditional Thai Massage, a healing art that is thousands of years old and was once associated to spirituality in Buddhist temples. Another famous therapy that’s unique to Thailand involves the use fragrant therapeutic herbs wrapped in soft cotton, steamed, and then gently pressed on the body. It is commonly referred to as Thai Herbal Compress which, when applied to the body, transfers essential oils and heat for healing. Another time-honored Thai wellness spa therapy is Thai Foot Massage through which a heightened state of relaxation is achieved as varying amounts of pressure are applied not only to the feet, but also calves, thighs, and sometimes even the head and shoulders.

Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Koh Samui, and Phuket – major destinations for both health and leisure tourism – are all home to many wellness spas catering to Thais and travelers. One of the more famous in the capital is Samsara Wellness, an oasis in the city providing a calm & relaxed atmosphere aimed at total wellness. In Chiang Mai, The Ayurvedic Center has combined ancient Ayurvedic techniques with modern detoxification treatments in their pursuit of vitality for patients.

Phuket is home to world-class wellness spas like Rarin Jinda, whose concept is to offer clients wellness, good health, and pampering in a sanctuary that’s rooted in Thai massage and healing traditions, and also Sukko Cultural Spa and Wellness, which treats guests using ancient Thai medicine techniques such as traditional massages, heat therapies, and native to bring one’s body and spirit back to a state of harmony. And in Hua Hin, Aleenta’s “Wellness Retreat Package” rebalances the body’s energy by removing toxins through 3 days of wellness activities and detoxification therapies.

source: http://www.pattayamail.com / Pattaya Mail / Home> Travel & Tourism / by TAT / Wednesday – September 11th, 2013

Nicosia :

Sun, sea and hospitality are Cyprus’ strongest selling points, but there is still room to improve the promotion of its tourist destinations online, according to a recent study.
Carried out by the University of Nicosia and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the joint study looked into the portfolio of Cypriot tourism in an attempt to record opinions, views and messages from the two main factors that shape the tourist scene — the tourists and the local professionals.
More specifically, the food, accommodation and hospitality were listed as the island’s strong points where tourists seem to be especially satisfied. On the other hand, tourism-related websites are not frequently visited.
PwC thoroughly examined and evaluated specific forms of tourism, conducting targeted interviews with selected people from the tourist activity in Cyprus. They concluded that Health and Wellness tourism was a particularly pleasant surprise because of its popularity.
Specifically, it was found that one in three tourists visit Cyprus for health and wellness reasons, recording a significant increase in comparison to previous years.
The main advantages of the specific kind of tourism include the quality of services and facilities as well as the quality of added services.
Only one in two participants said the island’s cultural tourism was an important or very important criterion for choosing Cyprus, although they stated that they left with experiences of cultural tourism, according to the study.
Religious tourisms seems to be a rising power as the findings confirmed the increase in tourists from Russia and other Russian-speaking countries which has created a high demand for this type of travel.
Benefits include cleanliness and decency of religious spaces, tour guide services and accessibility. However, one in two participants stated that they would prefer churches to be open for tourists for longer.
The study also showed that the sun and sea are timeless and constant values and remain the most important criterion for tourists as they make their choices.
It is noted that 95.6% of visitors responded that the sun and sea are the main selection factors for their chosen tourist destination. Meanwhile, 84.8% of respondents said that Cyprus fulfilled those criteria.
Regarding the specific characteristics of the ‘sun and sea’ category, the main advantages listed include clean waters, clean beaches, accessibility, lifeguard equipment and the organisation of events on beaches.
Despite the fact that tourists were generally satisfied with the tourism infrastructure in Cyprus, only a small percentage of 6.3% said that they got their money’s worth while vacationing in Cyprus.

source: http://www.incyprus.com.cy / September 08th, 2013