A Business Model for Spa Tourism Enterprises: Transformation in a Period of Sustainable Change and Humanitarian Crisis

Abstract

The global events of the third decade of the 21st century prove that the specter of humanitarian problems caused by health and military crises is real, and even very probable. Contemporary tourist entities, however, are not doomed only to a destructive reaction, but can also assume a significant social role for humanitarian aid. The aim of this article is to assess the changes taking place in the business models of spa services companies in the context of crisis situations caused by organizational changes and the COVID-19 pandemic. The research was conducted in 2018 and 2020, based on in-depth interviews as part of the generic contingency principle (GCP) methodology. In the course of the research, it was found that business models are not a frequently used management tool in spa enterprises. Based on the findings, a business model for spa businesses was created, followed by a more sustainable version, that can be shared in the form of open innovation. Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic during the project, further research was done on spa enterprises regarding the use of the spa infrastructure for supporting the health system during epidemic threats.

Business Opportunities and Drivers for Health and Spa Tourism: A Qualitative Research on Baile Felix Spa Resort, Romania

“…All these confirm the deductions of Dini and Pencareli [118] regarding the ability of wellness destinations to generate value propositions for consumers by considering all components of the health and wellness offerings of resorts [120,121] and using them in a performing managerial logic adapted to the economic, social, and even health context of international demand [122,123]. Implicitly, businesses in this sector should shape their offerings based on innovative criteria, adjust traditional elements to align with new generational trends [114], and acknowledge that generating value propositions for tourists requires the active involvement of various stakeholders and producers within wellness destinations [118] (p. 394).…”

“…This applies particularly to small business owners, many of whom are attracted to the area due to the economic expansion, business proximity, or certain prerequisites (location, the possibility of building a guesthouse house on previously owned land, etc.). On the other hand, large hotel managers, as anticipated, adopt a more realistic perspective: they align their career goals with business expansion and quality enhancement, relying on the revitalization of the resort and health and spa tourism, and they invest in aligning with the modern trends that are reshaping this tourism sub-sector [123,125,133].…”

“…In the last 10-15 years, there has been a positive shift due to an increasing interest in healthcare, the revival of entrepreneurial initiatives, and a growing interest in the professional management of existing tourism holdings [17]. The development of wellness tourism, not only in Romania but across Europe, has led to a reassessment of positioning and promotional strategies for spa resorts and also prompted the enrichment of spa offerings with innovative and sustainable services [17,123,[125][126][127].…”

Exploring tourism business model importance with the emergence of blockchain system: directions for tourism industry of China

“…CBDC provided user-friendly, social-media-integrated interfaces on the technology. In addition, technological development encourages the creation of a less complicated method for CBDC use, creating an impression of a simple payment system (Szromek and Polok 2022 ). The five-step model described above has been frequently used to shed light on the factors contributing to an audience’s ultimate decision to embrace a new concept.…”

Do Size and Ownership Determine the Willingness for Sustainable Innovations in Spa and Health Tourism? A Case Study on Baile Felix Spa Resort, Romania

“…However, tradition, international certifications, employee qualifications, healing natural resources, modernization of infrastructure [67], accommodation and treatment facilities, the implementation of modern spa services and a lower level of tariffs can be a competitive advantage in revitalizing this sector in Romania's economy. There is a growing interest in changing the way people take care of their health, the development of health and wellness tourism in Romania and in Europe in general, driving to the re-evaluation of the positioning and promotion strategies of spa and health resorts, by supplementing the spa offer with innovative [68] and, at the same time, sustainable services [69].…”