it’s not “all or nothing”
Konstantinos Konstantinidis, M.D., Ph.D.
Director - ExCtu - addressing the Health Tourism Sector "Builder Class" (a.k.a. the "growth makers" and “developers”) with originated T-shaped knowledge for thinking and doing.
…and the role of Medical Tourism “lite”
To illustrate this article, on the impactful role of hotels in Contemporary Health Tourism, I used the front cover of the book titled “An Introduction to Hotel Industry”, which one can buy through Amazon (? https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Industry-Praveen-Srivastava-Shandilya/dp/9384872369? ).
I have already written about the prominent role of the “Resort + Hotel” combo in Contemporary Health Tourism (a.k.a. – and symbolized as – ht8) – see:? https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/leading-players-konstantinos-konstantinidis-m-d-ph-d--jatyf/? .
The main purpose of this article is to make it known that “hotels”, as stand-alone entities, have also been inducted into the ht8 ecosystem, as equal status “supply side” (i.e., industry - sell side) stakeholders.
One other purpose of this article is to point out that “ht8” is not an “all or nothing” concept and practice – meaning that providers do not need to provide services in all of the 8 Segments in order to be part of the ht8 Ecosystem (ht8 Stakeholders are all those who “participate in, contribute to and benefit from” Contemporary Health Tourism and its “brand” – i.e., ht8).
Hotels have, “for ages”, been offering a limited range of services which are health-related – mainly, in the form of “spa” and “wellness”.
When it comes to Medical Tourism, Contemporary Health Tourism introduced what is known as Medical Tourism “lite” – which is about “office-based” Medical Treatments, Health Assessment and Check-Ups.
These are services which can easily be provided in a hotel setting.
See relevant LinkedIn article: Medical Tourism "lite" - inevitable consequence of the healthification of society and the repurposing of Medical Tourism - https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/medical-tourism-lite-constantine-constantinides-m-d-ph-d--1f/? .
And let us not forget Culinary Tourism – one of the 8 Health Tourism segments – all the better hotels pride themselves on the quality of their “cuisine”.
Essentially, Culinary Tourism is about “nutrition”. Nutrition is the process of providing or obtaining the food necessary for health (and growth).
Mark Hyman, M.D. (Chairman, Institute for Functional Medicine) says: “food is not like medicine, it is medicine”.
Furthermore, Hotels are becoming ever-more “accessible” – embracing the concept and practice of “inclusivity” – which brings us to Accessible Tourism (one of the other Health Tourism segments”).
As for “sports” (which are a lot about “physical activity”) – practically all hotels include a gym, a swimming pool and other “sports-related facilities” – catering to those who want “Sports Tourism” as part of their hotel stay.
And to top it all, we have the Residential Hotels, which offer extended-stay accommodation with the requisite amenities – making them suitable for the provision of Assisted Residential Tourism services.
The overall message is: hotels, welcome to the fold.
BTW, as part of my LinkedIn “policy and strategy” and “agenda”, related to Health Tourism, I systematically aim to connect with the leadership of hotels around the world.
the 8 health-related Segments – ht8
…which make Health Tourism “contemporary”
The 8 Segments are:
I refer to ht8 as the all-encompassing Strategy and Brand - owned by its Stakeholders.
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