WelDest eHandbook now available online

The WelDest Project team is very pleased to announce that our project has come to a successful completion and the results are now freely available to the public.

WelDest – Health and Well-being in Tourism Destination – was a project funded with support by the European Commission, and which saw the collaboration of five higher education institutes from Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany and the United Kingdom. The aim of the project was to create a framework and toolkit for destination management organisations, public bodies and private companies in destinations looking to develop or strengthen themselves as health and well-being destinations.

The main outputs of the project is the e-handbook, Developing a Competitive Health and Well-being Destination, which brings together theory on the major concepts related to health and well-being tourism, along with practical suggestions for the industry and case studies illustrating best practices.

The companion to the e-handbook is the self-assessment and development tool, designed for destinations looking to assess their potential as health well-being destinations and identify their strengths and weaknesses or gaps in the development process. Academic institutions or organizations from the industry can also take advantage of the course design that accompanies these outputs, and which can be used to guide courses or training on the topic of health and well-being destination development. Both the self-assessment tool and the course can be accessed through the links on p.2 of the e-handbook.

We are delighted to be able to share these results with the public, and hope that whether you are in academia or in the private or the public sector, you will find them both useful and beneficial.

Welcome to the Malverns

WELCOME TO THE MALVERNS – Take in the Air

Although the Malverns is an all year round tourism destination offering breath-taking scenery and wonderful air, it is the autumn and winter when the true essence of the land comes in to its own. Take long walks in crisp clean air over the Malvern Hills that divide the Counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire, and discover the fortifications of Iron Age encampments still visable on the landscape.

100 years ago Malvern was a key destination for watercure. Although you no longer need to take cold baths and run up the Malvern Hills before breakfast to experience wellness. You can still experience the quality that Malvern has always been famous for in its visitor accommodation such as the Malvern Spa Hotel and the Elms Spa Centre Hotel in nearby Abberley.

http://www.theelmshotel.co.uk/spa-hotels/ 

Malvern also has a growing community of wellness practicioners offering a wide range of natural holistic treatments.
http://malvernhillistic.co.uk/index.php

The Malvern Spa Hotel has a wide range of experiences including Britains first Kelo aromatic Wood Sauna.
 http://www.themalvernspa.com/christmas


The town and surrounding area is now becoming a key destination for those who enjoy quality wellness and relaxation all year round. www.visitthemalverns.org   

Wellness at World Travel Market in London

I have been attending World Travel Market (WTM) in London for many years and have seen the changes in business trends, the development of niche markets and the emergence of new destinations.

In November 2014, it was both fascinating and encouraging to see Wellness Tourism being promoted and discussed by the global travel industry.

The exhibition stands of such countries as Germany, Austria, Iceland, Hungary and the Czech Republic presented a colourful range of images and information relating to wellness whilst other destinations such as India and Thailand offered complimentary massages to weary visitors.

For all of us who are directly involved in Health and Well-Being in tourism destinations, we could rightly say that wellness tourism has existed for hundreds of years but for many exhibitors and delegates attending WTM, there was a sense of revelation about the size, scope and potential of this sector.

In particular, there was an interesting programme of seminars dedicated to wellness tourism which involved an impressive selection of experts and practitioners. The seminars were entitled:

·         What exactly is Wellness Tourism? Why is it growing twice as fast as tourism in general? How can the travel industry benefit? 

·         How is Wellness Tourism being newly integrated into both country and businesses’ market positioning? 

·         Defining the difference between Medical Tourism and Wellness Tourism? 

Each seminar was well attended and stimulated a lot of questions and debate. The overriding conclusion was that Wellness Tourism will grow for the foreseeable future.

In order to make the most of these opportunities, there was however a strong message that the industry, whether it be well-being destinations, spas or individual businesses, needed to demonstrate quality, authenticity and professionalism.

I came away from World Travel Market with the positive feeling that ‘we are in the right place at the right time’.

Global Spa & Wellness Economy Monitor report now available

The new Global Wellness Institute, the parent organization of the Global Spa & Wellness Summit and the Global Wellness Tourism Congress, has just released its' latest  Global Spa & Wellness Economy Report at GSWS website

According to the report Wellness industry is a $3,4 trillion mega-industry. Today's people are seeking for healty, disease free life-styles and the wellness economy encompasses many industries that enable consumers to incorporate wellness into their lives.

 

 

 

Significant growth in spa industry

The spa industry has been growing by 7.7%

annually, from $60 billion in 2007 to $94 billion in 2013. According to GWI (2014,iii) spa industry is comprised of five interdependent segments. Spa facilities represent the largest segment, estimated at $74 billion in 2013 which means a 7,9% annual increase since 2007. Spa media, associations, events, education, consulting, and capital investments together add another $20 billion to the cluster.



 

Global Wellness Institute, Global Spa & Wellness Economy

Monitor, September 2014.

 

 

 

Read more from the report

 

 

 

 

 

WelDest at the IHM Conference in Prague

The Institute of Hospitality Management in Prague held its annual Conference on Hospitality, Tourism and Education this week and celebrated its 15th anniversary with an outstanding day of presentations, debates and discussions followed by a banquet for all the attendees, which went well into the evening. This is the 6th year in a row that the conference has been held, with interest increasing so much this year that registration had to be cut off when the conference reached its capacity weeks ahead of the event.



The WelDest Project was presented during the plenary session by Donna Dvorak, who explained the aims of the research and explained how it had been conducted. She then discussed the framework model and explained its significance for health and well-being destination development. The audience also got a sneak peek at the other main outputs of the project - the upcoming publication, "Developing a Competitive Health and Well-being Destination," containing the self-assessment and development tool for health and well-being destinations in addition to individual sections containing theory, research results, case studies and practical suggestions for those in the industry or academia.


The conference included representatives from both the private and public sectors, including CzechTourism, the Ministry of Regional Development, hospitality and tourism businesses, associations and organizations, and of course students and teachers both from IHM and various other schools around the Czech Republic. After the plenary session, the afternoon was filled with talks in workshops focusing on tourism, hospitality management and gastronomy, along with marketing and management.

With an excellent turnout, a full programme of interesting and thought-provoking presentations and talks, this year's conference was a huge success. Register early next year; demand is growing!

Photos: Kristýna Brožová 

Example of destination marketing

The Styrian castle route

"A number of impressive fortifications and castles can be found along this themed route. Many of these architecural masterpieces are open to the public, some of them are still inhabited. Their facades and gardens are a feast for the eyes and alwys wordth a visit." (Source: www.thermenland.at).

The Styrian castle route describes a route connected via different roads and it is more a "tourism destination" then a theme road in common sense. The Styrian castle route is well known amongst tourists visiting the Eastern part of Styria, Austria. On its website www.schloesserstrasse.com you'll find all castles belonging to the brand. Many of these castles offer accommodation or nice restaurants or are home of exhibitions and festivals.

"A good example of how to market cultural heritage. In most cases castles offer wide area of gardens or forrests, have nice parks and lakes. Perfect for relaxation and health tourists", knows Daniel Binder (FH JOANNEUM).

View from the Genusshotel Riegersburg to Castle Riegersburg (Source: http://www.hotel-riegersburg.at).

Health and Well-being goes Urban

A traditional view of the health and well- being tourism market by most people are , weeks away in  locations such as remote countryside retreats, desert hideaways or tropical islands reached by seaplane. Whilst the allure of detoxing for two weeks in the Maldives isn't going anywhere, the growing trend for 2014/2015 is the urbanisation of the health and well- being industry according to the Spafinder 2014 Global Spa and Wellness Trends Report.

This growing trend within the industry has emerged due to the unprecedented urbanization of the world's population, as more and more people gravitate to cities, for the purpose of employment, education and entertainment as well as these people being increasingly vacation-time-deprived and are therefore opting for shorter vacations closer to home. This wider trend has been dubbed "Near-Away" travel in the Hotel Business' (UK) 2014 travel trends report, as the industry see both major brand spas and smaller wellness day spas appear in the world’s major cities such as London, Paris, New York and Shanghai. Top health and well- being brands such as COMO Shambhala, Six Senses and Mandarin Oriental have now established a number of spa hotels in these metropolises. COMO Shambhala has extended their brand range with the introduction of the Urban Escape, which focuses on the best possible therapies for body and face within peaceful sanctuary for those looking to escape the pressures of city life. A prime example of this Urban Escape  is COMO Shambhala Urban Escape at Metropolitan London, located in Park Lane. According to Spafinder, 215 health & well- being locations have opened in the Greater London area. Meanwhile, Six Senses Spa has opened an award winning day spa at Rue de Castiglione in Paris and Mandarin Oriental has also opened urban spa hotels in a number of cities around the world, including London, Prague, New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

The health and well- being industry have concluded that their main challenge was to devise ways to keep guests "closer" after their one-two week stays in integrated spa resorts, to prevent them from falling from "detox back to re-tox.", by returning to previous bad habits upon their return. Arguing that their guests need not have to fly abroad for a holistic spa experience and these urbanised "Near-Away" wellness treats helps people maintain their healthy lifestyle.

For further details on the growing trend of urban health and well- being retreats or hotels mentioned in this article, visit http://www.spafinder.co.uk/ .