WelDest Health and Well-Being in Tourism Destination

New ways of thinking: Innovation in health tourism education

FH JOANNEUM Bad Gleichenberg offers a part-time MBA program in International Hospitality and Spa Management as from March 2014, breaking new ground in the field of tourism education.

Info: www.fh-joanneum.at/hsm 

This innovative and unique MBA program is designed both for people presently working as managers in the hospitality and spa industry or in health tourism and for those planning to do so in the future. The part-time international master program is taught in English and is structured on a flexible, modular basis. It includes extensive e-learning components, which allow students to apply what they have learned directly in their professional practice.

 “There are many degree programs in the field of tourism, but our special focus is on the practical requirements at the interface between hotel and spa management. We place particular emphasis on market and employee-oriented management in this context. ” Eva Adamer-König, Head of the MBA program

The degree program has been developed by hotel and spa managers from Europe and Asia together with experts from European universities and the internationally renowned tourism and hospitality vocational schools of Bad Gleichenberg under the coordination of FH JOANNEUM Bad Gleichenberg.

"Today's hospitality industry leaders require a better understanding of the new competitive landscape, such as dealing with institutional owners, developing e-commerce strategies, revenue management, international law and strategic management, rather than just tactical operational issues. The newly established Master in International Hospitality and Spa Management covers exactly these and other important topics to ensure its students are well equipped with the latest industry knowledge to further enhance their career opportunities in the future. The combination of e-Learning and interactive participation at the campus builds an ideal learning environment which I can only highly recommend." Markus Platzer, Area General Manager InterContinental Bangkok and Holiday Inn Bangkok

Interface management in hospitality and spa business

The graduates have an integrative understanding of the diverse requirements and operative and strategic tasks in hospitality and spa management and continually expand this expertise through their professional activities.

The graduates work as managers at the interface between health and tourism, in jobs such as:

• Spa managers with interdisciplinary responsibilities ranging from finances and marketing to human resources management through to customer relationship management and day-to-day business, e.g. monitoring of technical equipment.
• Marketing and sales managers in hotels with/without health tourism facilities.
• Strategic corporate planning experts in companies operating health tourism facilities (spa chains, wellness hotels, destination spas, day spas, etc.)
• Coordinators of human resources development projects in hotels and spas
• Project managers responsible for budgeting, financing, personnel and  business planning in companies involved in the development of spa and hotel projects.
• Self-employed consultants in operative and strategic spa management.
• Operators/managers of hospitality businesses with a health tourism focus (e.g. wellness hotel) or (independent) managers of facilities in the spa industry (day spas, spas, etc.)

"Our graduates can manage a spa as a business unit or as an independent company, but they are also prepared to manage hotels and in that context to make spa-related business decisions." Daniel Binder, MBA program coordinator

People who are interested in the program will find more information here:

International Hospitality and Spa Management or here.

FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences

International Hospitality and Spa Management
Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Strasse 24
8344 Bad Gleichenberg, AUSTRIA
Program coordination and information
Mag.(FH) Daniel Binder
E-Mail: daniel.binder(at)fh-joanneum.at
Tel.: +43 (0)316 5453-6724
Fax: +43 (0)316 5453-9 6724