Promotion of Health tourism on foreign markets on the example of Istrian thermal and spa

Promocija predstavlja jedan od najznačajnijih elemenata marketinga. Njezina informativna i komunikacijska uloga potiče potražnju za proizvodima i uslugama. Provodi se primjenom niza promocijskih alata. Iznimno je značajan dio marketinga usluga, koje su neopipljive i nevidljive, pa je svaka informacija o istima kupcu važna. U turizmu se posebna pažnja pridaje promociji, koja je nedovoljno razvijena. Turizam u Hrvatskoj suočava se sa problemom sezonalnosti, a kao način rješavanja tih problema vide se selektivni oblici turizma među kojima je i zdravstveni turizam. Njega čine turistička putovanja motivirana željom za unaprijeđenjem zdravlja. Ovakvi turisti sve su češći na turističkim tržištima, stoga se njima ponuda prilagođava. Upravo ova tržišna niša može doprinjeti rješavanju problema sezonalnosti u Hrvatskoj, koja posjeduje značajne potencijale za razvoj zdravstvenog turizma. Njegov razvoj uvršten je u vodeće strategije i planove razvoja turizma u Hrvatskoj kao i vodećim turističkim regijama (misleći na Istru), međutim, uočava se problem nedovoljnog angažmana na svim razinama. Posebno se to javlja u slučaju promocije ponude zdravstvenog turizma, koja je svedena na samostalno djelovanje pojedinaca, bez koordinacije vodećih turističkih nacionalnih tijela. Zdravstveni turizam posebno se potiče u Istri, gdje ima dugu tradiciju poslovanja, a kao vodeći objekt nositelj ponude javljaju se Istarske toplice. Njihova duga tradicija poslovanja i učinkovitost usluga dovele su do pretežne orijentacije na strana tržišta, koja su u fokusu rasta i razvoja. Promocija poduzeća energično se usmjerava prema stranim tržištima predstavljajući novo kreiranu ponudu prilagođenu turistima upravo sa takvih tržišta, suvremenih, razvijenih zemalja.Promotion is one of the most important marketing elements. Its informative and communication role promotes demand for products and services. It is implemented using a range of promotional tools. Promotion is an extremely important part of marketing in services that are intangible and invisible, so any information about the same is important to the buyer. Special attention is paid to promotion in tourism, where it is underdeveloped. Tourism in Croatia faces the problem of seasonality, and as a way of solving these problems, selective forms of tourism are seen, including health tourism. It is made up of tourist trips motivated by the desire to improve health. We can see this kind of tourists more often tourist markets, so tourism supply is created according their needs. This market niche can contribute to solving the problem of seasonality in Croatia, which has significant potentials for the development of health tourism. Its development is included in the leading tourism development strategies and plans in Croatia as well as in the leading tourist regions (referring to Istria). However, there is a problem of insufficient engagement at all levels. This is particularly true in the case of promotion of health tourism, which is reduced to the independent activity of individuals without the coordination of the leading tourist national bodies. Health tourism is particularly encouraged in Istria, where it has a long tradition of doing business, and as the leading object of the offer are Istarske toplice. Their long traditions of business and service efficiency have led to a predominant orientation on the foreign markets, which are the focus of growth and development. The company's promotion is vigorously directed towards foreign markets by presenting a newly created offer tailored to the tourists precisely from such markets, modern, developed countries