Potentials of health and wellness tourism development in Croatia

Glavna tema ovog rada su potencijali razvoja zdravstvenog i wellness turizma u Hrvatskoj. Glavni cilj je istražiti aktualno stanje i razvojne potencijal zdavstvenog i wellness turizma s naglaskom na Međimursku županiju. Svrha ovog rada je pobliže sagledati i prikazati potencijale za razvoj navedenih vrsta turizma u Hrvatskoj, polazna Hipoteza ovog rada je da Hrvatska ima izraziti potencijal za razvoj zdravstvenog i wellness turizma. Globalni trendovi i posebno aktualna pandemija naglasili su potrebu razvoja ove vrste turizma koja turistima omogućava odmor i oporavak u prirodnom ambijentu te ujedno revitalizaciju bogate lječilišne tradicije kroz inovativne programe prevencije i rehabilitacije. U studiji slučaja analizirani su potencijali razvoja zdravstvenog i wellness-turizma u Hrvatskoj i primjer Međimurja. Istraživanje je provedeno anketom na uzorku od 100 ispitanika, te je postavljeno 21 pitanje. Analizom rezultata istraživanja može se zaključiti kako više 80 % ispitanika smatra kako bi zdravstveni i wellness-turizam trebao više biti u fokusu promoviranja. Više od 80 % ispitanika smatra kako bi se trebao poticati razvoj, osim onih već postojećih, drugih termi i toplica u kontinentalnim dijelovima Hrvatske kao što su Slavonija, Podravina i Baranja.The main topic of this paper is the potential for the development of health and wellness tourism in Croatia. The main goal is to explore the current state and development potential of health and wellness tourism with an emphasis on Međimurje County. The purpose of this paper is to take a closer look and show the potential for the development of these types of tourism in Croatia, the starting hypothesis of this paper is that Croatia has a strong potential for the development of health and wellness tourism. Global trends and especially the current pandemic have emphasized the need to develop this type of tourism that allows tourists to rest and recover in a natural environment and at the same time revitalize the rich spa tradition through innovative prevention and rehabilitation programs. The case study analyzed the potentials for the development of health and wellness tourism in Croatia and the example of Međimurje. The research was conducted on a sample of 100 respondents, and 21 questions were asked. Analyzing the results of the research, it can be concluded that more than 80% of respondents believe that health and wellness tourism should be more in the focus of promotion. More than 80% of respondents believe that the development of, in addition to the existing ones, other spas and spas in the continental parts of Croatia such as Slavonia, Podravina, and Baranja should be encouraged