Transformation of Business Models in Spa Enterprises for Medical Purposes in Situations of Epidemic Threats

Abstract

The suspension of tourism due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an almost complete halt in the activities of the tourism industry. This paper attempts to assess the ability to use the potential of health tourism enterprises in counteracting the SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic and to propose a sustainable transformation of the business model of the health tourism enterprise, taking into account the determinants of sustainable tourism and health crises. The author presents the results of research conducted in March 2021 among 19 managers of the largest spa enterprises in Poland. The managers' experiences from the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic indicate that sanatoriums and other health tourism facilities, during periods of health and humanitarian crises, can successfully play a preventive and relieving role for healthcare facilities by implementing post-COVID treatment, conducting vaccinations, organizing isolators for people in quarantine, and even treating patients who do not have symptoms but require hospitalization. The transformation of the business model of these companies, in the form of a sustainable SusHT-CANVAS+ business model, is proposed and the mentioned critical activities are positioned in the model in the form of sustainable value.

An Analysis of the Global Economy under the Epidemic

“…Young people are divided into two groups: one is young users, and the other is young employees. Young people born in the era of science and technology are the main force behind enterprises in the new economic situation, and they can often drive the public's enthusiasm for consumption [8].…”

The Transformation Process of a Former Industrial Plant into an Industrial Heritage Tourist Site as Open Innovation

“…However, the topic of making the knowledge and experiences from transforming a formal industrial plant into a heritage tourism site part of the open innovations domain, has never been brought up before. A similar issue was only raised up by Szromek [21] who discussed the transformation of business models in tourism for the Spa industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

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

“…A.P. Navarrete and G. Shaw [54] emphasized that the virus is not waterborne and is therefore not a threat to spas, but proposed common security protocol against COVID-19. Taking into account the events of recent years, plunging humanity into a pandemic and war, which increases the need to intensify humanitarian aid, the practice of rapid change of the profile of activity should be the subject of open access of applied innovations.…”