This monograph provides an eloquently written, critical analysis of health tourism product marketing management. The comprehensiveness of the literature review and the robustness of the empirical re-search make it an invaluable source of information for both academics and practitioners alike. The innova-tive nature of the proposed Health Tourism Product (HTP) structure model provides a useful tool for ad-dressing HTP segmentation, targeting and positioning. This can include creating competitive advantage through the prosumption or co-design of HTP experiences. The Polish case study context in which the model is tested provides an insightful analysis of push and pull factors for travel to spa resorts, as well as invaluable data for supply-side tourism entities. Overall, the book has important implications for market-ing management processes, product innovation, understanding health tourists’ motivation, and enhanc-ing the competitiveness of destinations. From the review by prof. Melanie K. Smith, Budapest Metropolitan University As regards the substance of the book, it may constitute a step towards a better understanding of the complex structure of health tourism. This industry, which is often mistakenly identified with medical tour-ism, is one of the world’s fastest growing economic sectors. In this context, the questions addressed by the author prove very timely and important from the perspective of the organisation of the health tour-ism market, its economic analyses and strategies for further development. At the same time, due to the service nature of health tourism products, the book by Dr Diana Dryglas perfectly fits into the much broader scope of research on competitiveness in the service market. I believe that a study of this scale is a very important work with great scientific potential. The author has not replicated the scientific accom-plishments of other researchers but, based on her extensive expertise in the subject literature, has iden-tified a gap in knowledge, formulated research hypotheses and objectives, whose achievement may pro-vide new understanding of the questions analysed in the theoretical and application dimensions. From the review by prof. Magdalena Kachniewska, SGH Warsaw School of Economics
Acknowledgements 7 List of abbreviations 9 Introduction 11 Chapter 1. The taxonomy of health tourism product theories 19 1.1. Systematisation of conceptual views on health tourism from the historical perspective 19 1.1.1. Wellness tourism 24 1.1.1.1. Spa tourism 26 1.1.1.2. Spiritual tourism 30 1.1.1.3. Holistic, alternative and ‘New Age’ tourism 31 1.1.2. Th erapeutic tourism 32 1.1.3. Medical tourism 41 1.2. Semantic analysis of seemingly synonymous concepts such as: health, wellness and wellbeing 43 1.3. Quantifi cation of the notion of health tourism product 57 Chapter 2. Shaping the process of health tourism product marketing management 70 2.1. Macro-environment of the health tourism product 74 2.2. Micro-environment of the health tourism product 77 2.3. Portfolio of the health tourism product 80 2.4. Marketing research of the health tourism product 88 2.5. Segmentation and targeting of the health tourism market and health tourism product positioning 92 2.6. Marketing goals of the health tourism product managing entities 95 2.7. Marketing strategies of the health tourism product 100 2.8. Model of health tourism product structure as a tool for building the competitive advantage of health tourism enterprises and destinations 107 2.9. Implementing the health tourism product 130 2.10. Controlling the health tourism product 135 Chapter 3. Research methodology of the destination-specifi c therapeutic tourism product structure platform 136 3.1. Research paradigm 136 3.2. Description of the research object 138 3.3. Research model and hypotheses development 145 3.4. Th e procedure of data collection, measurement and data analysis 159 3.5. Research sample characteristics 164 Chapter 4. Application of the health tourism product structure platform 168 4.1. Identifi cation of the business-specifi c health tourism product structure platform in the light of secondary research 168 4.2. Exemplifi cation of the destination-specifi c therapeutic tourism product structure platform based on the research model presented 184 Summary of the research 210 References 223 List of tables 253 List of fi gures 255