Core Strategy: Jermuk as a Tourism Destination - CAPS

The terms, “Wellness”, “Medical Tourism”, and “Health Tourism” are often used
interchangeably to relate to travel based on some form of health-related treatment. The
diagram above outlines the differences between the terms. There are several definitions of
the medical, wellness and health tourism segments, however experts largely agree that:
while medical and wellness tourism are both regarded as subcategories of health tourism,
wellness tourism is assumed to be pursued solely by “healthy” people whose main motive is
to preserve or promote their health, and medical tourists become customers only when they
are stricken by a specific medical condition or ailment. The term “Spa Tourism”, in the minds
of western tourists, is most likely to fit under “Illness Prevention Tourism” rather than
“Medical Tourism” although in the former Soviet Union, ‘Spa’ and ‘Sanatorium’ are both used
interchangeably to relate to ‘Medical Tourism’.
The term “Wellness” was apparently coined in 1961 by American physician, Dr. Halbert
Dunn by joining the words WELLbeing and fitNESS. Muller & Lanz-Kaufman (2001) define
wellness as:
“state of health featuring harmony of the body, mind, spirit, with selfresponsibility,
physical fitness/beauty care, healthy nutrition/diet, relaxation
(need for de-stressing)/meditation, mental activity/education and
environmental sensitivity/social contacts as fundamental elements.”
Wellness tourists may undertake treatments very similar to those used by medical tourists,
but the motive of preserving or promoting their health is in contrast. In general, the wellness
movement emphasizes a proactive approach in which people try to identify potential
problems and to prevent their further development so that they stay fit, both physically and
mentally. Since people take part in recreational activities while on vacation, tourism is a
perfect vehicle for promoting wellness.
The spa industry segment is regarded as the leading player in health and wellness tourism.
The term spa, comes from the Latin acronym of sanus per aquam, or ‘health through water’
and in a contemporary context is broadly defined as ‘water-based and ‘non-water facilities
applied for enhancing overall well-being, both physical and mental, through a variety of
professional services and treatments. The essential framework of the spa industry is based
largely on the use of natural resources (including a healthy climate) with an important
contribution from medical care and a comprehensive approach to therapeutic stays. Today,
the spa tourism industry is supposed to be going through a renaissance. The key
motivations for the contemporary customers visiting spas are considered to be the desire to
relax and unwind from the pressures of work and day-to-day life and the wish to maintain
health and physical wellbeing.
In terms of defining the different spa experiences, spa facilities are generally classified as:
Day spa: a business that provides a variety of professionally administered spa services on a
day-use basis.
Destination spa: a facility with the primary purpose of guiding individual spa-goers to develop
healthy lifestyle habits, usually accomplished by providing a comprehensive program that
includes spa services, physical fitness activities, wellness education and healthy cuisine.
Medical spa: a spa that operates under the full-time, on-site supervision of a licensed
healthcare professional whose primary purpose is to provide comprehensive medical and
wellness care in an environment that integrates spa services, as well as traditional,
complimentary and/or alternative therapies and treatments.
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