Health tourism destinations in Hungary – Examples

Aubert et al. (2012) describes specialities of DM organisatons in health tourism destinations, in Mezőkövesd, Hajdúszoboszló, Bük, Egerszalók, Gyula, Hévíz and Harkány. Most of the analysed local DM systems cover only one settlement, because the health tourism centres could attract large numbers of visitors to be entitled on their own to receive public project-based funding. The independence makes foundation and management of a DM organisation much easier, not having to cooperate with other settlements.

These analysed destinations well represent the experiences of health tourism destination management in Hungary. Table 3. 2 lists their date of foundation and their legal form of operation.

Table 3.2. Destination management organisations in health tourism destinations in Hungary

Name of DM organisation (legal form) Location Year of

foundation Matyóföldi Idegenforgalmi Egyesület (association) Mezőkövesd 1999 Hajdúszoboszlói Turisztikai Közhasznú Nonprofit Kft (nonprofit

limited company).

Hajdúszoboszló 2009 Bük, Bükfürdő Közhasznú Turisztikai Egyesület (association) Bük 2009 Gyógyvizek Völgye Egerszalók-Demjén-Egerszólát TDM Egyesület

(association)

Egerszalók, Demjén, Egerszólát

2009 Gyulai Turisztikai Nonprofit Kft (nonprofit limited company). Gyula 2011 Hévíz Turisztikai Desztinációs Menedzsment Egyesület (association) Hévíz 2006

Harkányi Turisztikai Egyesület (association) Harkány 2005

Móra-Tourist Nonprofit Kft. (nonprofit limited company) Mórahalom 2009

Source: Aubert et al. (2012)

As Table 3.2 indicates, there are DM organisations of health tourism profiles in every tourism region of Hungary. The most significant usually employ 4 to 5 workers in the DM organisation.

The legal form of the DM organisatons vary – really four options were found during the research (limited company, non-profit limited company, association, consortium), but the most frequently used forms are the association and the non-profit limited company. Health tourism centres usually apply the form of association.

Among the members of the DM organisations the number of accommodation providers is the highest, while the number of other tourism stakeholders is usually low. With the only exception of Hévíz, the proportion of accommodation providers is higher than 50%. The managers of sights and entertainments, however, are often completely missing from the organisations, suggesting the relative simplicity of tourism supply.

The most popular service provided by DM organisations is the joint marketing services, the second is marketing communications (online promotion, online website presence, participation in fairs and exhibitions). Other important services are on-line booking of accommodation, transferring or guiding visitors to service providers, sharing the findings of community surveys or statistical assessments. DM activities in health destinations rarely include the integration of services from different service providers. Important exceptions are the development of an information system and maintenance of a tourist information office, the development of the destination image, starting new services, a fitness park, children’s playground, sports animation, bike rental, or a tourism card offering discount on services of several providers.

The issue of financing is a constant problem of running a DM system everywhere.

Health tourism destinations, similarly to others, consider that the provision of at least 20 % of the collected tourist tax (IPA), and related state support are the long-term guarantee of feasibility. Another general problem is the underdeveloped environment, and the insufficient transport network for many health tourism destinations, especially in smaller towns and villages (Aubert et al., 2012).

A questionnaire-based survey in 2010 in Harkány, Nagyatád and Hévíz identified the typical visitor to a health tourism destination (Kovács et al., 2011). The visitor profile for these three destinations is shown in Table 3.3.

Table 3.3. The profile of the typical spa visitor in three spa towns

Motivation Medical treatment Medical treatment Leisure

Knowledge about healing character of the water

Knows well Knows well Mostly knows

Background for the travel decision

Personal experience Personal experience Personal experience and travel agent

Length of stay (nights-days) 11-12 12-13 4-8

Returning visitor? Yes Yes Yes

Type of travel, decision maker Individual traveller by own decision or Size of travelling company 1-2 persons 1-2 persons 7 (or 1-2) persons

Mode of travel Car Car Coach or car

(Very) satisfied (Very) satisfied (Very) satisfied Satisfaction with spa services Satisfied with bathing

and treatments, less

Daily spending (HUF/day) 2830 HUF/person 3220 HUF/person 1890 HUF/person Price of accommodation day 9200 HUF/person 2200 HUF/person 3300 HUF/person Image of the spa town by

The typical visitor in Hévíz is elderly, of about the pensioner age, and stays for nearly two weeks for a medical treatment, paying a high price for the accommodation, and is not completely satisfied with the services offered by the spa and by the town. The typical visitor in Harkány is rather similar, but spends much less on accommodation.

The visitor in Nagyatád, at the same time, is 3-4 years younger, spends little, often comes with an organised tour, stays about half as long as the visitors of the other two spas, but is completely satisfied with the services of the spa and the town. Those visiting Nagyatád, have already been to several other spas, being experienced spa visitors. Nagyatád has difficulties in converting the favourable opinions into revenues, the visitors stay only for a short time, and spend very little, and the town is obviously

capable to attract much less tourists than the other two – regionally or internationally renowned – spa resorts. The example of Nagyatád, with its annual 100 thousand visitors shows, that a small spa may be financially viable, if the capacities are well designed and the construction responds to the services demanded.

An adequate spa town image would definitely be needed for the further development of spas. This refers to the architecture and the traffic and transport system, the infrastructure adequate for the services, and the positive attitude of the local community towards tourist. Other important requirements are the certified quality of the healing water, and the qualifications of the staff. Spas situated in small settlements do not possess financial resources, nor creative trained staff for financing and implementing serious marketing actions. It would be very important to convince tourism stakeholders in the area to cooperate for carrying out the necessary strategic developments (Kovács et al., 2011)