Abstract:

This paper examines relations between medical spa and wellness spa in the Czech Republic and looks at their future development. While the importance of medical spa to the Czech economy is generally acknowledged wellness spa is often seen as a second-rate activity with no or moderate effect on health because of the average length of stay and lack of treatments complexity. The Czech Republic combines a number of important attributes as a medical spa tourism destination, with a long lasting tradition of medical spa culture. The paper defines medical and wellness spa with focus on different approaches. The medical spa and the wellness spa industry were subject to qualitative research using primary and secondary data in order to determine the relations between the both. The further development in medical spa and wellness spa tourism in the Czech Republic are outlined based on the results of the analysis.