Health tourism is a generic term for travel that focuses on health services or medical treatment. The aim of such stays is to maintain, stabilize or restore one's health.

Health tourism can be further divided into several segments: Medical tourism, medical wellness, spa and rehabilitation tourism, wellness and fitness tourism, and health-oriented vacations. The terms differ mainly in the scope and intensity of the treatment procedures, ranging from wellness to preventive health care to surgical procedures. The distinction between the various terms and the definition of health tourism itself is not clear-cut, and it is not possible to make a clear-cut distinction - but a health-related stay is clearly the basis.

Reasons for medical travel

The interplay of many factors, such as increasing health awareness, demographic change with new target groups, open market structures and innovations in medicine, is promoting the willingness to travel for medical reasons. The reasons vary as well: the higher quality of medical services abroad, the availability of certain services not available at home, a better price-performance ratio and shorter waiting times make procedures abroad particularly attractive.
Combined with favorable tourist conditions, such as a health-promoting climate and balanced cuisine, this results in holistic health offerings that are used by patients worldwide. Basically, the motives for health tourism can be grouped into three categories:

• get healthy
• stay healthy
• Enjoy.
  
  

Combining various medical services with wellness and subsequent rehabilitation promises better results and faster healing.

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Top Destinations for Health Travelers

According to internationally recognized sources, India, Brazil, Malaysia, Thailand and Turkey are considered the top 5 destinations for health travelers, while within Europe they are France, Sweden, Poland, Germany and Italy. The most commonly performed procedures are plastic or cosmetic surgery, followed by artificial insemination, cardiac surgery, dental procedures and oncology therapies. Specialization in certain medical fields combined with tourist structures and attractive landscapes make these destinations particularly desirable.

In Europe, Germany is considered a pioneer in this field. In addition to patients from neighboring countries and those on waiting lists, the majority of patients come from countries such as the USA, Russia and the Gulf States, where medical treatment is either expensive or inadequate. This is targeted medical tourism: the focus is clearly on an invasive medical procedure as well as conventional medical applications performed in the destination country. Such trips are lucrative not only for the facility itself, but also for the place of stay and accommodation of the patient.

Health tourism in the Alps: Healing Instead of Surgery

While the destinations mentioned above are increasingly specializing in medical tourism, the Alpine region is focusing primarily on holistic health tourism and medical wellness. Increasing urbanization, the associated loss of natural habitats, and the rise of civilization-related diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and allergies are leading to a growing demand for health-related vacations, making the Alpine region a particularly desirable destination. This region has a variety of natural, regionally located healing resources, a health-promoting natural environment and a favorable climate for such stays.

Transnational projects such as the EU Interreg project Trail Health for Nord are developing new health tourism concepts for the Alpine region. The defined target group of such projects and studies, such as Jungbrunnen BERG, is above all older people: Due to increasing life expectancy, there is a particularly high demand for health-promoting and, above all, health-maintaining stays in this age group. Not only do the climatic conditions and the range of leisure activities meet the needs of this target group, but the older clientele also tends to remain loyal to the destinations they have chosen, and the high level of guest loyalty means that they represent a sustainable mainstay of health tourism.

Medical Wellness Companies as Pioneers of Health Tourism in South Tyrol

South Tyrol (Italy) is also experiencing a trend towards medical wellness. Known as the "green lung of Europe," the region's moderate altitude and low particulate matter levels make it an ideal destination for health tourism. Its location on the southern side of the Alps provides a particularly favorable climate for numerous outdoor activities. Due to the reduced growth of certain plant species above a certain altitude, various pollutants are no longer present, which primarily results in an improvement of asthma and allergy-related complaints. The clean air at high altitudes and the wide range of sporting activities on offer create ideal conditions for health tourism.

The first pioneering companies are already adding medical treatments to their pure wellness offerings, creating relevant destinations for health tourists. Specialized teams of doctors, medical professionals, innovative equipment combined with individual attention and luxurious structures allow guests to enjoy treatments and procedures in a pleasant environment. Exercise in the mountains, wellness and a healthy and balanced cuisine support the healing process and/or the maintenance of health.

Here, too, efforts are being made to promote the European region of Trentino-South Tyrol/Tyrol as a health and medical destination and to position it as such through cross-border solutions. Projects such as WinHealth examine health tourism as a strategic success factor in Alpine winter tourism. Based on studies such as the Austrian Moderate Altitude Study 2000, which proves that a one-week winter stay at moderate altitudes has a positive effect on fat and sugar metabolism, improves sleep quality and lowers blood pressure, the winter months in particular should be promoted for stays with health benefits.

On the one hand, because South Tyrol offers numerous opportunities for winter sports, and on the other hand, because it has been proven that people tend to be more passive in the winter, which can be counteracted with an active winter vacation. Especially "Best Agers", i.e. people over 50, would benefit from a winter vacation in South Tyrol. A clear development towards health promotion instead of pure wellness tourism can therefore be observed here as well.

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