The Competitive Advantage of SPA Services in Romania

Isidor, R. & Kren, E. (2021). The Competitive Advantage of SPA Services in Romania. CACTUS - Journal of Tourism Business, Management and Economics, 3 (2). doi.org/10.24818/CTS/3/2021/2.08

Based on the official APA guide. Review the full set of examples.

Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0

Abstract

This paper aims at studying Spa services in Romania, how they differ from other relaxation services offered on the market and how they can gain advantage over the competition. Is focusing on a segment of active, wellness conscious clients who follow a healthy diet, take care of both their physical and mental health and are aware of the benefits of a visit to a Spa. Attracting such educated and demanding clients who have above-average incomes and actively promoting quality Spa services would maintain the competitive advantage of Spas over other forms of relaxation on the market. The methodology used for this analysis is the quantitative research method and the research technique is the survey. The results indicate that 86% of the people who responded to the questionnaire noted that they felt better overall after their visit to a Spa. The results obtained are in line with the issues analysed in the specialized literature.

Keywords

Spa, relaxation, wellness, differentiation, concentration

JEL Classification

Q26, Z31, Z32

References

Aluculesei, A. C., & Nistoreanu, P. (2016). Romanian wellness tourism: A potential solution with positive implications for the effects of the aging population in the European Union. Amfiteatru Economic, 18(Special Issue No. 10), 767–780. Retrieved January 16, 2021, from https://www.amfiteatrueconomic.ro/ArticolEN.aspx?CodArticol=2567

Ciobanu, C., & Luches, D. (2017). The influence of the complexity of wellness services upon different aspects of the management of wellness tourism organizations in Romania. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 238, 535–541. Retrieved January 16, 2021, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042818300636

Drăghici, C. C., Pintilii, R. D., Peptenatu, D., Comănescu, L. G., & Sirodoev, I. (2014). The role of spa tourism in the development of local economies from Romania. Procedia Economics and Finance, 23, 1573–1577. Retrieved January 16, 2021, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212567115004001

Erdeli, G., Dincă, A. I., Gheorghilaș, A., & Surugiu, C. (2011). Romanian spa tourism: A communist paradigm in a post-communist era. Human Geographies - Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography, 5(2), 41–56. Retrieved January 16, 2021, from http://www.humangeographies.org.ro/volume-5-issue-2-2011/525-abstract

Grecu, A., Drăghici, C. C., Gruia, A. K., Teodorescu, C., & Dima, C. (2019). Prospects for the development of spa tourism in Romania. In International Scientific Conference Geobalcanica. Retrieved January 16, 2021, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335580726_PROSPECTS_FOR_THE_DEVELOPMENT_OF_SPA_TOURISM_IN_ROMANIA

Nagy, A. (2013). The orientation towards innovation of spa hotel management: The case of Romanian spa industry. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 124, 425–431. Retrieved January 16, 2021, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042814020527

Negrea, A., Cosma, M. R., & Popescu, L. M. (2016). Sustainable development of spa tourism in Romania. Quality - Access to Success, 17(S1). Retrieved January 16, 2021, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/300050110_Sustainable_development_of_spa_tourism_in_Romania

Popescu, L., Bădiță, A., & Șoșea, C. (2014). Present and perspectives for health tourism - spa services in Romania. Forum Geografic, 13(2), 242–248. Retrieved January 16, 2021, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277620187

Stănciulescu, G. C., Diaconescu, G. N., & Diaconescu, D. M. (2015). Health, spa, wellness tourism: What is the difference? Knowledge Horizons - Economics, 7(3), 158–161. Retrieved January 15, 2021, from http://www.orizonturi.ucdc.ro/arch.php

Țuclea, C. (2003). Management strategic (Strategic management). Uranus Publishing House.

Voight, C., Brown, G., & Howat, G. (2011). Wellness tourists: In search of transformation. Tourism Review, 66(1/2), 16–30. Retrieved January 16, 2021, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242023593_Wellness_tourists_In_search_of_transformation