Book review: Health, Tourism and Hospitality: Spas, Wellness and Medical Travel

The second edition of “Health, Tourism and Hospitality: Spas, Wellness and Medical Travel” takes an in-depth and comprehensive look at the growing health, wellness and medical tourism sectors in a global context. The book analyses the history and development of the industries, the way in which they are managed and organised, the expanding range of new and innovative products and trends, and the marketing of destinations, products and services.

The second edition of “Health, Tourism and Hospitality: Spas, Wellness and Medical Travel” takes an in-depth and comprehensive look at the growing health, wellness and medical tourism sectors in a global context.

The book analyses the history and development of the industries, the way in which they are managed and organised, the expanding range of new and innovative products and trends, and the marketing of destinations, products and services.

The 2nd Edition has been updated to include:
• Expanded coverage of the hospitality sector with a focus on spa management.
• New content on medical tourism.
• Updated content to reflect recent issues and trends including: ageing population, governments encouraging preventative health, consumer use of contemporary and alternative therapies, self-help market, impacts of economic recession, spa management and customer loyalty.
• New case studies taken from a range of different countries and contexts, and focusing on established or new destinations, products and services such as: conventional medicine, complementary and alternative therapies, lifestyle-based wellness, beauty and cosmetics, healthy nutrition, longevity and anti –ageing.

Each chapter is written by one or a group of authors. Although some chapters began as academic papers they are all written in a user-friendly style, as the editors have been ruthless in cutting out jargon and academic speak.

At over 500 pages long it is an essential read and as it is readily available from Amazon and bookshops it should be on the bookshelves of anybody involved in medical, health or wellness tourism. It is written for the business by the business, so avoids the hype and simplification common to consumer guidebooks on the sector.

Health, Tourism and Hospitality- Spas, wellness and medical travel
Second edition
Paperback £ 34.99
Hardback £ 95
Routledge imprint of Taylor & Francis
Editors Melanie Smith and Laszlo Puczko
ISBN 978-0-415-63865-4