Cross-Border Collaborations in Spas and Wellness:

Opportunities and Challenges

Dr Melanie Smith (PhD)Lecturer, Researcher and Consultant

BKF University of Applied SciencesHungary

Email: Melanie.Smith@bkf.hu

The Challenges of Collaborations

‘Birds of a feather

flock together’

‘Too many cooks

spoil the broth’

Cultural Differences…..

Finnish in the Sauna British in the Spa Tearoom

The Usefulness of Collaborations for Health and Wellness Projects

Management of common resources (e.g. rivers, lakes, mountains)

Sharing of good practice (e.g. creating innovative spa experiences)

Developing and differentiating products and creating USPs (e.g. establishing complementary not competitive facilities)

Developing quality systems and brands

Examples:Alpine Wellness – quality

trademark and brandNordic Wellbeing – managing

and promoting similar resources

Increasing Clusters in Health and Wellness

Clusters often start national or local and go cross-border Good opportunities for increased productivity, innovations and new business

formations (Weiermair and Steinhaus, 2003) Europe, especially new Member States in 2004 could not afford to lag behind the

rest of the world in clustering for the sake of their innovation and productivity (Ketels and Sölvell, 2006)

History of mistrust in Central and Eastern Europe - destination management, clustering, etc very new

Medical Tourism Clusters growing worldwide, especially at national level and cross-border medical tourism

„A wellness cluster - is natural resources of a geographical location, its services and infrastructure, the integrated activity of wellness and health service providers and administrative institutions in creating wellness products and services meeting the needs of customers” (Hopeniene and Bagdoniene, 2011)

Wellness clusters help to build trustworthy and strong brands and quality criteria (Steinhauser and Jochum, 2006)

However, brands of wellness cluster are relatively weakly anchored in people's minds – only around 50% and younger consumers (Bertsch & Ostermann, 2011)

The Baltic Health Tourism ClusterBaltic Health Tourism Cluster

established between Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia in October 2013

Similar traditions including sanatorium treatments, rehabilitation, medical spas, sea bathing

Similar resources including mineral water, sea water, remedial mud, peat, climate

Gastronomy and cusine based on healthy foods such as fish, berries, mushrooms, herbs

The main purpose is to increase the global competitiveness of the region in health tourism as well as enhancing trust and co-opetition; improving quality and joint marketing

A Balkan Wellbeing ProjectHow is wellbeing understood in this

region? Lifestyle patterns?Similar traditions including

sanatorium treatments, rehabilitation, medical spas, sea bathing, balneology, etc

Similar resources including mineral water, sea water, mountains, climate

Gastronomy and cusine based on similar foods?

Wellbeing traditions and therapies relating to herbs, oils, muds, etc?

Product and service quality? Image, marketing, branding?

Some Exisiting Spa and Wellness Collaborations in the Balkans

Existing Collaborations

Coastal tourism in Slovenia/Croatia

Bulgaria / Serbia Wellspring Project

Western Serbia & Eastern Bosnia Spa &

Health tourism

Balkan Spa Summit

Dental tourism in Turkey / Greece

Cross-border spa projects (Hungary /

Slovenia)

Spa therapist education (Serbia /

Montenegro)

Turkey / Bulgaria HR exchange

MSPAA of Serbia &

MSPA of Montenegro

Spa labour force in Bulgaria / Romania

(POSDRU)

SPA project (Bulgaria / Macedonia/ Romania)

The Politics of Collaboration in the Balkans

„cross-border cooperation is seen by the national leaders as very important , as the existence of these projects is understood to show the pro-European stance of the country, to facilitate benefiting from various European and international funds, and of course to promote local economic development”

(Tamminen , 2010: 413)

„Cross-border cooperation projects can also be seen as part of

a larger-scale programme of identity politics. Integrated into European

institutional agendas for a regional approach to the Balkans, these projects can be viewed as a technique for promoting a ‘European identity’, understood as an institutionalizsed way of perceiving and organising political space based on the values of interethnic cooperation, local governance and the dismantling of national borders.”

(Tamminen, 2010:415)

Balkan Wellbeing Project Delphi Study undertaken between

13th November 2013 and 3rd April 2014

In the first round there were 31 respondents from 17 countries and 22 respondents from 11 countries in the second

Respondents were sent 10 questions in the first round relating to definitions, image, associations, products, collaborations and marketing

Second round respondents were asked to comment on first round data in a questionnaire consisting of 12 questions

Landscapes/nature

Good climate and sun

Natural and herbal remedies

Thermal baths/balneology

Mountains and forests

Healthy food and wine

Top 5 Unique Selling Propositions

Local fruit-based treatments

4 elements & 5 senses

Medical spas

Forest therapy/hammams

Healthy food

Outdoor recreation

Eco-villages

Suggested Focus of Product Development

Potential Areas for Future Collaboration•

Wellbeing trails (e.g. landscapes, spas)

• Two centre holidays enjoying different cultures and cuisine

• Greek and Turkish islands

• Medical spas in Serbia and Bulgaria

Cross-border•

Network of thermal spas

• Thalassotherapy network

• Thematic routes (e.g historic connections)

Networks

• Joint marketing

• Research (e.g. collecting wellness data)

• Exchange of ideas, knowledge and best practice

• Education and training

Activities

• Geo-medicine - Bio electromagnetic field

• Gastro-heritology

• Medical plants and herbs

• Local ingredients and treatments

Products

• Twin cities co-operation

• Forest hammam rituals

• Slow movement

• Nature, culture and food

Concepts

Possible New Products

• Medical• RehabilitationSpas• Forest therapy / 'hammam'• Mountain resorts• Eco-villages• Outdoor recreation

Nature-based

• Mountain retreats• MonasteriesSpiritual• Healthy food• Detox programmesNutrition• 4 Elements and 5 Senses• Medical mud• Local fruitsTreatments

Suggested Images to Represent the Balkans

Landscapes/natureGood climate and sun

Natural and herbal remediesThermal baths/balneology

Mountains and forestsHealthy food and wine

Ethnological motifs

Images of water

Mountains

Blue-coloured Balkan map

Valley villages

Herbs

Main Opportunities and Challenges Sea, mountain and spa resorts

should be the focus with recreation, adventures and entertainment developed in them.

Thermal, medical and rehabilitation spas can be developed for new markets.

New products can be developed like gastro-heritage, modernised traditional cuisine, authentic wellness programs and forest bathing.

Wellbeing does not have to be costly. The Balkans can offer recreation in nature, healthy home-made food, family happiness and self-esteem (without surgery).

We cannot generalise about Balkan countries, some are more developed than others.

We need to put the Balkan region on the global health and wellness tourism map.

Service quality is perhaps the biggest problem for foreign tourists.

"Lack of enthusiasm and engagement" and "financial and economic problems" are the biggest challenges in the Balkan countries.

Sustainable development should form the foundations for the rest.

Differences in education/skills levels are quite prominent

Political and other corruption are serious One can wonder what is the cause and what is

the consequence – i.e. is the poor marketing a consequence of an undeveloped product and infrastructure? A good concept is needed!

Conclusions

Partnerships are becoming very fashionable e.g. EU projects, DMOs, clusters

Cross-border working is complex but easier than when there are no close borders!

Cultural and lingustic challenges Simple logistics of meeting Virtual working? In reality, hard to administer and be

really productive However, great to share good

practice and undertake joint research, management, even promotion

But only if we are all rowing in the same direction!