Differences in patients motivating factors influence their attitudes towards the role and quality of tourism agents’ services. This paper identified three major components (treatment-related, economic and travel-related) that explain patients motivation to travel for treatment. The study can help medical tourism agents to refine their marketing strategies and suggest the proper incentives to encourage participation in medical tourism. The research was made on the basis of a critical analysis of scientific literature, surveys and analyses.
The aim of the paper is to identify trends in the development of health and active tourism. In order to meet the above mentioned objective, a method of critical analysis of desk research was implemented, mainly a synthetic analysis of relevant scientific publications and reports. Against the background of globalization, the development of tourism is determined by, among others, demographic, economic and technological factors. The microtrends referring to contemporary consumers are of the utmost importance. The lifestyle significantly reflects the need for pro-health services. Health and active tourism are an antidote against the worries of everyday life. That is why the tourism market needs a profiled product consisting of wellness, with particular emphasis on motor recreation, healthy food and the possibility of establishing/maintaining social and/or family relationships. Creating, refreshing or diversifying such a tourist product is not a simple task. It requires the use of expertise and experience of representatives of science and practitioners, taking into account the tourism potential of a given region/country.
Building a competitive offer is a process spread over many years, in which due to the complexity of market processes taking place both in the country and abroad, the interested entity should participate very actively. The world is changing and with it market conditions or external factors that determine the achievement of success. The efficiency and speed of operations, the flow of information between individual departments of the company, cooperation with regional offices and organizations to carry out joint campaigns or projects are becoming more and more important. However, all this without a permanent market research and observation of competitors’ actions, the company/clinic is getting harder to get or keep the level achieved for a moment. The article is an attempt to present important issues related to building an offer on the market of health and pro-health tourism in times of strong competition and an increasingly fierce fight for a potential client/patient.