Tourism and hospitality industry最新文献

{"title":"CHALLENGES OF MANAGERIAL COMMUNICATION IN HOTEL BUSINESS OPERATIONS","authors":"Dominik Patafta, I. Milohnić","doi":"10.20867/thi.26.21","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20867/thi.26.21","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose – Hotel managers meet daily challenges when communicating and conducting hotel business operations. Some challenges can be predicted and prevented, while some are ad hoc and cannot be influenced in advance. To address these challenges and convey messages they use communication. Communication is at the heart of every business and a key success factor. The purpose of this paper is to investigate, analyze, present and map the internal and external challenges that hotel managers face when communicating and managing hotel business, based on a theoretical review of previous research. It aims to identify the importance of the role communication plays in hotel operations and how it contributes to them, and to identify future communication challenges that hotel managers will face in hotel business operations. Methodology – This paper uses the literature review as a research method and focuses on reviewed open sources only and published relevant studies in publications about communication, management and tourism and hospitality industry. Desk research was used to search for and analyse papers. The literature review provides an analytical overview of the latest publications and research on the role of managerial communication and hotel business operations. The search for relevant papers was based on the keywords challenges, communication, management, and hotel business operations, using the citation and bibliographic databases of DOAB, EconLit, Emerald, Google Scholar, SAGE journals, Science Direct, Scopus, Springer, Taylor & Francis, and Web of Science. Findings – Results indicate that maintaining continuous and targeted communication is of crucial importance in ensuring timely and appropriate responses to emerging challenges. At the core of any business, communication is an element that warrants great attention. Poor communication can be counter-productive and adversely affect overall business performance. The paper highlights the primary challenges in communication facing hotel managers. These are: sending the right message to the right audience at the right time; communicating about sustainability; addressing the environmental and social awareness of consumers, financial, political and health crises, information and communication technology development, social networks, climate-related disasters, armed conflicts, and other challenges. Contribution – The contribution of this paper is that it presents an overview of the challenges that hotel managers meet in communicating in hotel business operations and can serve as a basis for further research in this field and improvement of hotel business operations. Challenges that have appeared over the past twenty years have been analyzed and grouped so that hotel managers can learn which challenges often arise in running a hotel business and prepare strategies to overcome the same or similar challenges in their business. By reviewing the literature, the paper determines what is known about this topic and w","PeriodicalId":313374,"journal":{"name":"Tourism and hospitality industry","volume":"38 9","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"120999366","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"TOURISTS’ SATISFACTION WITH GASTRONOMY: PERCEPTIONS OF RESTAURATEURS IN CÓRDOBA AND OXFORD","authors":"A. C. Castillo Canalejo, Sandra Sánchez Cañizares, G. Muñoz-Fernández, César Mora Márquez","doi":"10.20867/thi.26.6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20867/thi.26.6","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose - The aim of this study is to gain an understanding of restauranteurs’ perceptions about their customers’ satisfaction with the service provided in their establishment, focusing on two European cities - one British (Oxford) and another Spanish (Córdoba). The study also examines the potential relationship between this perceived satisfaction and factors external to the quality of the restaurant service. These include the customer’s motivation for visiting the city, his/her knowledge of the restaurant and the city, and the tourism authorities’ support for the city’s gastronomy and tourism. Methodology - The empirical research is based on the collection of primary information through a survey specifically designed to test the hypotheses formulated in the proposed theoretical model. The model used to check the proposed hypotheses was tested using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) approach Findings - After analysing the results, it can be observed that tourists’ motivation for choosing a destination and their prior knowledge about the city and its gastronomy positively influence their level of satisfaction. Significant differences also emerge in the comparative analysis of the two cities. For Oxford restaurateurs, the most important and significant variable influencing satisfaction is the motivation of tourists who visit the city, while Cordoba restaurateurs hold that satisfaction is positively influenced by all three of the external factors analysed, albeit to different degrees. The main one of these is the tourist’s knowledge about the gastronomy and the city, followed by the complementary offer and the official support for tourism and gastronomy, and last of all the tourist’s motivation, which is barely significant. Contribution - The results of this study are of interest to both academics and those working in the f ield of tourism management. The main practical implication of this work is the understanding it offers of restaurateurs’ perceptions, in two different European cultural cities, of factors external to the restaurant service which can affect their tourist customers’ satisfaction. It is not uncommon for these perceptions to be translated into demands made of the tourist authorities. Identifying such factors helps us to understand these demands, but also helps to explain the diversity of perceptions on which sectoral organizations in different European countries base their demands to the common European authorities. In this study, it can be surmised that cultural differences affect the needs perceived by restaurateurs.","PeriodicalId":313374,"journal":{"name":"Tourism and hospitality industry","volume":"3 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131231573","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"THE ROLE OF EDUCATION IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY – LITERATURE REVIEW","authors":"I. Ivančić, Marina Laškarin Ažić, A. Badurina","doi":"10.20867/thi.26.15","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20867/thi.26.15","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose - Developing the skills and competencies of employees through education and training is paramount to any business system. In tourism, especially in the hospitality industry, this is particularly important because of the special dynamics of the business, the variability of the environment, and the availability of labor. The purpose of this paper is to summarize and analyze research on education in the hospitality industry in the past decade (2012-2022). Design /Methodology - To create a systematic literature review, the authors analyzed articles indexed in the Web of Science database (Web of Science Core Collection). Based on a keyword search and content analysis, 138 research articles published in leading tourism and hospitality journals were identified as relevant to this study. Approach - The analysis of articles and conference proceedings followed a multi-step process. After selecting the relevant articles, two programs were used for further research. For citation and co-authorship analysis, the program Clarivate, and for co-authorship by country elements and cooccurrence analysis, the program VOSviewer. Findings - The findings of the paper provide an overview of education in the field of the hospitality industry and track the evolution of hospitality education over time. The paper identifies new areas of research in hospitality education. Originality of the research/Contribution - The contribution of the paper is a systematic literature review of hospitality education. The paper provides analysis of trends in current scientific research and defines under-researched segments of hospitality education.","PeriodicalId":313374,"journal":{"name":"Tourism and hospitality industry","volume":"29 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114118862","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"ENERGY-CLIMATE TRANSITION IN TOURISM DESTINATIONS IN CROATIA","authors":"Marinela Krstinić Nižić, Zvonimira Šverko Grdić, Antonio Dekanić","doi":"10.20867/thi.26.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20867/thi.26.2","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose – Developed urban destinations face problems such as uneven distribution of infrastructure, environmental degradation and pollution, increased energy demands, uneven distribution of water and food, lack of basic sanitation, etc. Scientists and experts are recognizing increasing problems and pressures related to urban tourism infrastructure (transportation, housing, water, electricity, and urban services), so destinations are increasingly opting for complete redesign, which involves high investment costs. In addition, due to greenhouse gas emissions, cities need to develop sustainable strategies for production and distribution, transportation, water management, urban planning, and the development of environmentally friendly hotels and other accommodation facilities. Therefore, Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAP) need to be developed to analyze the current situation and prepare actions for the best possible energy and climate transition in tourism. Methodology – By systematically linking current theoretical and scientific knowledge in the field of efficient energy use in tourism destinations, the paper provides an analysis of the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAP) of tourism destinations in Primorsko-Goranska and Istrian County. SECAP is a strategic document for climate change adaptation at the local level. The content analysis method was used for the analysis of SECAP. The research question is whether tourism destinations in Primorsko-Goranska and Istrian County have developed SECAPs and whether they are ready to take actions to implement them. The identified threats or crisis climate events in the area of destinations are: sea level rise, heat waves, floods and prolonged rainy periods, and these impacts were analyzed according to the expected risk level. Findings – The results show that most destinations studied do not have a SECAP, and the paper provides guidance and suggestions for its implementation. For destinations to develop an integrated approach to promote quality of life and work, it is necessary to put into practice the guidelines of sustainable development with emphasis on climate change adaptation and energy efficiency improvement. Contribution - The SECAPs were developed through a participatory process involving all relevant local stakeholders to maximize understanding and acceptance of these plans. The authors propose measures that, according to the experience of other countries, can bring savings that do not require large financial resources, but presuppose a constant commitment through educational activities and the organization of workshops to raise awareness among all stakeholders. The contribution of the paper is to propose measures that help managers, decision makers, the population and other stakeholders of the destination to facilitate and accelerate the energy transition and reduce negative impacts on the environment.","PeriodicalId":313374,"journal":{"name":"Tourism and hospitality industry","volume":"18 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116583238","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"INTERPRETATION AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR RE-TRANSFORMATION OF MUSEUMS – A SHOWCASE FROM BULGARIA","authors":"Maria Stankova, Simana Markovska","doi":"10.20867/thi.26.19","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20867/thi.26.19","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose - The topic of the need for re-transformation of Bulgarian museums is of particular importance for Bulgarian tourism. Destination Bulgaria has an inherited potential to match its direct competitors - Greece and Turkey - in the field of cultural tourism, in its varieties of museum and cognitive tourism. At the same time, however, existing museums are lagging behind the good management and modernization practices that can contribute to their competitiveness. Therefore, the purpose of this study is projected in two widespread beliefs that are typical of modern tourism practice. On the one hand, the satisfaction of tourists and stakeholders in destinations is of paramount importance. The management of competitive advantages must be subordinated to the concept of sustainability, while the tourist deserves the best possible memorable experiences. The other aspect concerns the tourist experience and the fact that more and more tourists are creating their own experiences. In this framework, the focus of research is on museums in Bulgaria, in view of their ability to activate their own networks and resources. Some good practices are presented, which could be multiplied to influence satisfaction with the help of the tools of interpretation. Methodology – The chosen research methodology is in accordance with the formulated research goal. Complex in nature, the methodological apparatus deals primarily with quality methods. In particular, it includes a review of specialized publications on the subject, at the same time using methods of observation, expert evaluation and synthesis. However, at the basis are the case study method and the tools of interpretation. Findings – In the process of globalization, limitation, vulnerability and endangerment of tourist resources, as well as increasing tourist and economic pressure on individual tourist destinations, there will be a growing interest in the opportunities provided by the development and application of interpretation techniques in museums. The studied practices and the conclusions made have their limited significance in the scope of the network of museums in Bulgaria. At the same time, however, any good practice presented is an opportunity for “inspiration”, which is also a universal experience. The findings of this study help to promote the transformation of museums in the development of their services in view of tourist experiences and maintaining sustainability in all its aspects. Contribution – The topic is highly relevant for Bulgaria, because there are still no established practices for applying heritage interpretation, especially in the museums in their capacity of tourist sites. It is of significance for tourism and museum practices in general, taking into account the importance of satisfaction for modern tourists and the need for targeted and planned activities in this respect. Therefore, any scientific development on this topic will contribute to its supplementation and further development.","PeriodicalId":313374,"journal":{"name":"Tourism and hospitality industry","volume":"121 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116712414","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"TRENDS IN HOSPITALITY HIGHER EDUCATION: ANALYSIS OF EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN FIRST 15 QS WORLD UNIVERSITIES","authors":"I. Ivančić, Krešimir Mikinac, Goran Ćorluka","doi":"10.20867/thi.26.12","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20867/thi.26.12","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose - The changes caused by economic and technological development are present in all sectors of an advanced industrial society. The educational sector as such is not exempt from such changes; on the contrary, changes in the educational sector are becoming necessary. The challenges in transforming the entire educational system affect all segments of the educational process, including curricula, learning materials, teaching practices, and educational stakeholders. The hospitality industry, as a part of the overall economy based on human resources due to its specificity, is different from other industries and as such has a direct impact on the design of the educational model for future hospitality employees. Methodology - This paper aims to identify trends in higher education institutions for the hospitality industry, with a particular focus on analyzing the top 15 QS ranking world universities. The focus of the paper is to identify the challenges faced by higher education institutions specializing in the field of hospitality education and to analyze the educational programs that respond to the challenges and needs of the market. For the analysis of the collected data, the study used a qualitative methodology, employing a summative content analysis. Findings - The analysis of the educational system of established universities in the field of tourism and hospitality provides insight into specific teaching models for the hospitality industry. The results of the research showed that the focus of universities is in the segment of a tailor-made specialization, an internship in high-quality hospitality brands, and subjects that have foundations in hospitality, management, food and beverage, and marketing. Contribution - The research findings of this paper provide insight into the direction of further innovation of degree programs specializing in the hospitality field.","PeriodicalId":313374,"journal":{"name":"Tourism and hospitality industry","volume":"2 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132495250","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"EXPLORING CATERING SERVICES QUALITY USING MYSTERY SHOPPING","authors":"D. Lončarić, Marina Perišić Prodan, D. Župan","doi":"10.20867/thi.26.8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20867/thi.26.8","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present mystery shopping as a method for evaluating the quality of catering services. Design/ Methodology/ Approach – The paper is based on desk and field research. A literature review and empirical research were conducted, including 72 catering facilities in the Republic of Croatia. The quality of restaurant, bar and hotel services was investigated. Mystery shoppers used a semi-structured form as a research instrument and evaluated the quality of services according to 36 criteria classified into seven categories. Findings – The research results are encouraging, although there is room for improvement in some categories. The categories Bill and farewell of the guest and Staff and service were rated the best. The worst ratings were given in the Location of the catering facility category. Mystery shoppers also gave 47 suggestions for improving the quality of services. Originality of the research – This research complements existing scientific research on mystery shopping in tourism and hospitality. It also has significant practical value because it clearly shows how, with relatively little effort, the service quality of a catering facility can be examined, and opportunities for improvement can be identified.","PeriodicalId":313374,"journal":{"name":"Tourism and hospitality industry","volume":"73 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125197808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"CONTENT ANALYSIS OF TRIPADVISOR ONLINE REVIEWS: THE CASE OF VALAMAR RIVIERA HOTELS IN DUBROVNIK","authors":"Karmela Višković, Dora Rašan, Denis Prevolšek","doi":"10.20867/thi.26.20","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20867/thi.26.20","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose - From its foundation until today, Valamar Riviera hotels are one of the leaders in the Croatian hotel industry. Their strong positioning on the market is recognized throughout Europe, and this is particularly visible through the high ratings of former guests on social networks. Online reviews have become an excellent source for capturing the entire experience, which is why potential guests looking for accommodation are increasingly inclined to search platforms such as Tripadvisor for past experiences of previous guests. Based on the above, the purpose of this research was to gain insight into the factors that influence the overall experience of the guests of the Valamar Riviera Hotel. Methodology - For the purpose of this research, online reviews of three Dubrovnik’s Valamar Riviera hotels were analyzed. Online reviews were scraped from the Tripadvisor platform with the help of the ParseHub software for the period from January 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022, after which a sentimental analysis was performed on a sample of 261 online reviews. Based on the results of the sentimental analysis according to factors and connotation, a cause-and-effect diagram was created. Findings - Obtained empirical results indicate that positive comments from former hotel guests are leading for all three samples. Such results were expected; given that these are hotels that won the Tripadvisor Excellence Award. Former guests of Dubrovnik’s Valamar Riviera hotels who wrote online reviews on Tripadvisor about their experience staying at the hotel are mostly women from abroad. Through the sentiment analysis, “Housekeeping” was determined as the most important factor of the overall hotel experience. On the other hand, the largest share of negative particles was determined for the „Other hotel services“, therefore this factor has the greatest negative impact on the eWoM of hotel guests. Contribution - This research contributes to reducing the existing gaps in the literature on hotel experience, by identifying factors that have a negative impact on the eWoM of hotel guests. The findings of this study also provide practical implications based on which hoteliers can improve their strengths and weaknesses in the existing elements of the hotel offer.","PeriodicalId":313374,"journal":{"name":"Tourism and hospitality industry","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130138998","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"BALKANS – SAFE AND SECURE DESTINATION FOR TOURISM. ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION","authors":"M. Stankova, Svetoslav Kaleychev","doi":"10.20867/thi.26.16","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20867/thi.26.16","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose – The conceptualization of the future is connected, as a rule, with a critical reflection on the present. Such consideration is particularly relevant to the Balkan region as a consequence of its inherent geographical realities and historical circumstances, which predetermined what was happening in this region of Europe. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the countries located on the peninsula underwent changes and joined different alliances and unions, under the complicated regional and international relations. Such peculiarities provoked this study with a focus on the manifestation of global problems and their regional dimensions in the Balkans, trough the security and safety issues explored in the context of tourism. Obviously, in the future, their importance will be even greater, having a significant socio-economic impact, including the tourism industry, where no tourist destination can be fully protected from various situations of threat (well seen during the Covid pandemic). Respecting the new realities, the study explores the preparedness of the tourism industry in the Balkans countries for events of natural and social nature. Design – The study of the Balkan countries as tourist destinations is analytical in nature and with a design that ensures that the studied data have the necessary reliability and allow a comprehensive coverage of the research problem. Methodology – Methodologically, the research is based on a literature review on the topic and on a survey of overview information from international databases. The performed situational and comparative analysis uses for source information from the INFORM Index from the Joint Research Center of the EU Commission in fact outlines the trends in the development of tourist destinations on country level on the Balkans, influenced by natural and social threats. Approach – The conceptual framework is still at an early stage of development and the current study could be useful for reevaluating the threats that are being observed and for supporting future research on the topic. The chosen approach to the study area - the Balkan Peninsula is consistent with its specifics and territorial features and reveals the picture of growing pressure under the stress of natural and social threats - war, disease, terrorism, natural phenomena, accompanied by f inancial and geopolitical tensions. high level of security. Findings – The obtained results have their significance for outlining the trends for the tourist destinations in the Balkans. Above all, its scientific usefulness is revealed in the analysis of the exposure of the Balkan countries as tourist destinations of natural and social threats, accompanied by trends for each of them, drawn as main conclusions. Originality of the research – The scientific and theoretical novelty of the research consists in the practical guidelines, which are outlined in order to improve the preparedness of the tourism industry in the Balkans countries for event","PeriodicalId":313374,"journal":{"name":"Tourism and hospitality industry","volume":"6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123855707","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"CONSULTING ASSESSMENT OF THE POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT OF HEALTH TOURIST AREAS: THE CASE OF BULGARIA","authors":"M. Ianeva, Stiliyana Basmadzhieva, Violeta Doneva, R. Georgieva","doi":"10.20867/thi.26.17","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20867/thi.26.17","url":null,"abstract":"The study is based on current trends in the global development of Health Tourism and the emerging demand for services related to health, rehabilitation, and health prevention, as well as the high concentration of resources in the tourist regions of Bulgaria. A huge potential for development of the tourist destinations beyond the known ones, is emerging; all thanks to more than 3,500 mineral springs found in Bulgaria. Purpose – the study aims exploring the possibility of economic use of mineral water resources in favor of tourism and the incorporation of great amount of unusable resources within the available ones of the tourist areas. This would lead on one hand to an overall development of the sector and an additional contribution to the GDP and on the other hand would bring sustainable growth of the tourist regions and a year-around development of the tourist services across the entire country. The study is found also on the fact that in Bulgaria there are many spas and thermal centers dated back to the Roman and Byzantine Empires. The consulting assessment attempts to reveal at length and to find an economic argument for the development of the health tourist areas. The realization of the potential of Health Tourism would have a positive effect on the entire industry, as well as the accompanying economic activities. It is also mandatory to define the necessity for development of human resources and management capacity, as needed in the tourist regions and in the process of investment in the concept of Health Tourism. Methodology – to achieve the set goal and to solve the resulting tasks in the article, the systematic approach and traditional research methods were used: historical, comparative, the method of analysis and synthesis, the method of observation, the method of grouping, the method of survey and interview, graphic methods, differentiated, analytical, combined, etc. Our and specialized literature was studied. The experience of countries with a developed tourism industry and the results of a survey in tourist complexes were used. Contribution – of the research is the aim of the project in this respect is to upgrade at least two Bulgarian tourist regions/destinations in the direction of Smart Destinations. From a policy point of view, it is necessary to realise that in order to achieve the growth of tourism revenues and contribution to GDP, it is necessary to have a clear, long-term, and comprehensive vision. Approach – The integration of different tools of destination marketing management with a focus on Health components that will brand Bulgaria as a four-season destination, make it more recognizable as a destination for prevention, recovery, and recreation in conditions of need for health and safety for every potential tourist. Findings – The consulting business and its application in tourism, as well as the potential for development and management of the newly created tourist areas in Bulgaria, specializing in the field of health tou","PeriodicalId":313374,"journal":{"name":"Tourism and hospitality industry","volume":"8 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124149203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}