Health, Wellness and Tourism: healthy tourists, healthy business ...

of the case studies will be presented. In 1990 the former ownership of the baths was
transferred to local governments except the Rudas baths which were considered public
monuments and remained in state ownership, but the Metropolitan Local Government
retained their use free-of-charge. These properties are managed by the Budapest Gyógyfürdői
és Hévizei Zrt. which owner is the Metropolitan Local Government.
In Hungary, health care is based on a compulsory and comprehensive social insurance
scheme. Health services are financed by the National Health Insurance Administration in our
country. Nowadays health resorts and spas offer a new spa product in the form of health
tourism. The sustainable development of spas will be achieved by implementing local
development strategies, which have been formulated according to development tendencies of
the domestic spa market.
In accordance with current legal regulation, nine kinds of various bath treatments can be
obtained by medical prescription, for the purpose of rehabilitation in these four thermal baths:
thermal healing pool, thermal tub-bath, mud package, weight bath, carbonic acid bath,
medical healing massage, underwater water-beam massage, underwater healing gymnastics in
groups and complex healing bath facilities. Thermal bath therapies can be ordered by
physicians specialising in rheumatology, physiotherapy and rehabilitation of the organs of
locomotion.
The Gellért Bath
We can find records about the springs spurting up on the territory of the Bath from as early a
date as the 15 th century. These springs were favoured and used by the Turks as well. The
Gellért Thermal Bath and Hotel was built in secession style in 1918 and was expanded in
1927 by the wave-bath and in 1934 by the effervescent bath. The modernization followed, the
different pools were renovated and equipped with a state-of the art water filtering and
circulation device. The bath offers complex bath facilities, daytime, outpatient hospital.
The water is hot spring water with calcium, magnesium and hydrogen-carbonate as well as
sulphate-chloride, also containing sodium and fluoride ions. Therapeutic is suggested for
degenerative joint diseases, spinal deformity, chronic and sub-acute arthritis, discus hernia,
neuralgia, vasoconstriction, circulatory disturbances and inhalation for the chronic diseases of
respiratory organs.
The bath has 3 parts, the man part, the women part and a swimming pool part, with whirlpool,
sitting pool, wave pool, adventure pool, children’s pool and thermal baths. The water
temperature is between 26 – 36 ºC. All together 83 people are working in the bath.
There are some tasks which are centralized in the central office, the finance and the human
research activities. The centralization has advantage, but many disadvantages too. The
important decisions will be made at the central level and not at the bath level, which need
more time. Nowadays the bath provides medical, wellness and medical wellness services too,
to be able to expand the guest circle. In the frame of the new Hungary Development Plan
2007 investment in the value of 1.5 billion Hungarian forint was made.
Both, the domestic and the international market are important for the bath. The guests are
mostly satisfied with the product and with the services. There are some fields which have to
be developed. These are the level of services and the foreign language knowledge of the
personal.