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First part introduces typical tourist programs of health resorts in Slovenia, their competitive advantage and possible routes of development. In the second part certain elements of perceived quality of health resorts in Slovenia are presented, stemming from the national visitor survey. Third part is concerned with the empirical analysis of the profiles of tourists satisfaction with the elements of service quality in two health resorts in Slovenia, and of the correlation between the perceived service quality and tourists loyalty.

This paper aims to analyze the modern problems and the main trends of development of the health-improving tourism sector in the southern part of Russia and to identify significant factors in overcoming the complex challenges related to specific socio-economic conditions in the study area.

The material that served as the basis of the study comprises statistical data from the Southern Federal District and its subjects, as well as data about the development of tourism infrastructure on the official websites of governments, Ministry of Tourism and the population of the Southern Federal District. This information was systematized from a number of perspectives, including identification of the chronology of health-improving tourism infrastructure development in the chosen territory, as well as the advantages and disadvantages in this area. Based on the results of the study, the authors also developed some recommendations to overcome existing inactive trends in the field of health tourism.

This paper sheds light on the understanding of the challenges and changes that took place in the resort agglomerations of the south of Russia in terms of current issues and those that must be addressed in the coming years. It was concluded that health tourism in the south of Russia has old traditions based on the natural resource potential of territories that are included in the composition of the Southern Federal District. At the same time, the authors came to the conclusion that, unfortunately, not resort agglomerations are fully utilized. Furthermore, some historic resorts were not well maintained by local authorities and have suffered more recently because of lack of investment. At present, the financial results of health resorts and others related to health-improving tourism are precarious as most operations are unprofitable, and so complex decisions are needed to address the underlying problem of resource optimization because of the important social and economic role of the cities in this region. They have special natural and resource potential and preserve traditions related to health-improving tourism.

The paper provides a conceptual analysis based on limited empirical data combined with some directions for further research.

The paper attempts to reveal the impact of social, economic and geopolitical factors, both negative and positive, on the development of the health-improving tourism segment, restructuring of the Russian tourism market and the emergence of promising opportunities and new directions for development. The findings also provide insights for practitioners and researchers, and the tourism industry can draw on this analysis to guide the development of strategy, increase investment attractiveness, make more effective use of the natural resource potential and maintain pressure on government partners to provide support to tourism.

Health‐care tourism, once treated as a miscellaneous activity within a destination, is now a prominent activity in many European countries. The health services now provided throughout Europe include medical check‐ups, special diets, vitamin‐complex treatments, herbal remedies, hydrotherapy, balneotherapy and so on.

Bad Gögging is a health spa resort in Bavaria with a long tradition of sulfur springs. Due to reforms in the health care system, the destination has experienced a structural crisis, particularly noticeable in the 1980s. The establishment of new resorts under the corporate model in the 1990s led to a change in the destination’s life cycle. The case study of Bad Gögging illustrates challenges for the governance of a destination where both the community model and corporate model coexist at a local level. This historical health spa town displays characteristics of both models and typical diverging control mechanisms and interests of a small-scale destination. The case study also shows how both organizational and management approaches affect destination governance and stakeholder relations.

Wellness tourism is complex due to the varied expectations and perceptions of tourists. This study attempts to explore components that shape tourist expectations of health treatments and tourist attractions, which have not been deeply explored in the extant literature.

A scoping review of the literature published between 2000 and 2021 was conducted to reach the conclusions of this study. Out of 303 literature sources, a total of 105 literature sources were retained for the final analysis.

Findings show that tourists expect a mix of health treatments, such as conventional medical treatments and alternative health treatments and tourist attractions, as part of wellness tourism to improve their health and well-being (HWB). A favorable trade-off between tourist expectations and their perception of wellness tourism impacts tourist HWB and behavioral intention.

The proposed wellness tourism conceptual model and wellness tourism matrix may help wellness tourism service providers to understand tourist expectations for health treatments and tourist attractions in a recent context. Wellness tourism service providers may follow the guidelines outlined in this study to offer health treatments and tourist attractions according to tourist expectations, which may result in the favorable behavioral intentions of wellness tourists.

This study unravels the previously under-explored role of conventional medical treatments, which arguably fall under the category of allopathic medical treatment, in wellness tourism. Destination marketing organizations may focus on the wellness philosophies of health treatments and tourist attractions to meet the growing expectations of wellness tourists for HWB, as outlined in the literature review. This study provides insights into the different components of contemporary wellness tourism those impact wellness tourists' cognitive responses, HWB and behavioral intention.

The purpose of this paper is to explore how engagement with a healthy tourism “offer” could improve place perceptions through the development of collaborative strategies to promote a well-being destination.

This paper takes a constructivist grounded theory approach drawing on semi-structured interviews conducted with local members of the council from public health and tourism teams, in a seaside town in the South of England.

Study findings indicate that the historical roots of the town’s creation have a bearing on the current planning challenges and strategies. Findings confirm that collaborative strategies to engage with a healthy tourism “offer” will improve place perceptions and promote a well-being destination.

This paper concludes that strategies to engage with a healthy tourism offer include interventions to curb alcohol consumption, regenerate areas and promote eudaemonic well-being – which could ultimately improve place perceptions.

This paper proposes that the development of strategic alliances bridged through the construct of well-being could improve place perceptions and promote a well-being destination.

Examines the impact of genetic testing and therapy on health care in light of the development of the system in the USA since the turn of the twentieth century. Genetic testing and therapy have the potential to create a great advance in health care but also to become a business of multi‐billion dollar proportions. If present trends of investment and long‐range plans mature, health care will be adversely affected in terms of its distribution, access and economy. Developed and sold as commodities in a free‐market economy, genetic advances will economically stress health care and fail to meet the ethical and legal standards demanded by voluntary informed consent and counseling. Without abandonment of the marketplace approach to health care and thorough reform, many will find themselves excluded from the benefits and vulnerable to discrimination.

The development of the tourism and hospitality industry in Belarus has a long-term positive trend. This process is uneven and the growth rate is below the global average. To stimulate the development of the tourism and hospitality industry, measures are being taken in the form of creating visa-free zones, stimulating business activity, holding major sport events. The potential for growth in this industry has not yet been exhausted. The assessment of the competitiveness of Belarus in comparison with the neighboring countries showed that the development of the tourism and hospitality industry requires improvement of the business environment, increase of openness for tourists, strengthening of country marketing in the world tourism market.

The technical development in the field of electronic data processing (EDP), while opening a whole range of possibilities regarding the support and the rationalization of everyday business activities, can also lead to a number of problems and risks, if unproper decisions are made. These reasons have motivated our attempt to study the status quo of computor usage in travel and tourism.

The purpose of this study is to assess the level of adjustment of the activities of health tourism and hospitality enterprises to the sustainable development criteria developed by the global sustainable tourism council.

The main research method used in this study was a diagnostic survey – an in-depth interview. This research was conducted among managers of 18 of the largest enterprises that conduct tourism and wellness activities in Polish health resorts.

The analysis of the research results indicated that only every other surveyed health resort entity implemented a sustainable development system or program. Most health resort entities undertook initiatives to support the local community in the field of education, health, sanitary safety and mitigating the negative effects of climate change. The respondents also unequivocally stated that they used good practices in promoting cultural heritage among health resort guests. Almost all of the analyzed enterprises applied solutions aimed at saving natural resources, i.e. reducing unnecessary purchases and saving electricity and water. Participation in programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and means of transport usage was very rarely declared.

It is recommended to include environmental issues in the business models of health tourism entities, e.g. by including them in the strategy, including mission, communicating pro-environmental goals and actions to stakeholders, and applying environmental management systems and concepts.

The research problem is a strong point of the work, as the issue of sustainable development of tourist organizations has rarely been discussed so far. Health resorts were also not considered the subject of research in this area. In this research, the authors assessed the degree of compliance of health tourism enterprises with the requirements of sustainable development, which is a contribution to the science system.