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In the attraction of health resorts

Health tourism is one of the leading tourism products in Hungary. Our traditions in the sphere of health culture and medicine are rooted in Hungary’s natural resources as well as the country’s abundant natural healing factors. These features are unique health potentials in the world, too. Due to their physical and spiritual milieu, their efficiency in various therapies, rehabilitation and prevention, Hungary’s health resorts and medical institutions have earned the country compelling admiration since early times. The majority of our health resorts is actually a settlement with a thermal bath in it, but there are a number of other places, too, which offer a variety of additional services (e.g. Hévíz, Hajdúszoboszló, Miskolc), and  places with a variety of healing factors  (e.g. Parád, Gyöngyös) (Michalkó G. 2011). The most significant attractive force in Hungarian health tourism are as follows: 

1. Thermal and medical baths

2. Climatic resorts

3. Medical caves

4. Medical gas baths

Not all places that claim to have healing properties officially qualify as health resorts of high prestige. Getting this title is a lengthy procedure and there are strict regulations prescribing how to obtain it. By the force of law a health resort is a settlement, or part of a settlement, which has at least one natural medical factor, and/or institutions making it possible for patients to get treatments. (e.g. thermal bath, hotel and sanatoria)) It is also one of the expectations that the environmental conditions should assure the relaxation of guests.

For further details see: http://net.jogtar.hu/jr/gen/hjegy_doc.cgi?docid=99900074.EUM).

At the moment there are 17 settlements or groups of settlements on the list of Hungary’s official health resorts. These settlements are are as  follows: 

  • Miskolc-Lillafüred
  • Harkány
  • Sopron-Balf
  • Gyöngyös-Kékestető
  • Hévíz
  • Balatonfüred
  • Parád
  • Hajdúszoboszló
  • Zalakaros
  • Bük
  • Eger
  • Debrecen
  • Gyula
  • Sárvár: Botanical gardens and Gyógyvarázs
  • Mezőkövesd: Zsóry bath
  • Nyíregyháza-Sóstó medical bath
  • Szigetvár

In addition to the places on the list of official health resorts, there are other settlements in Hungary – their number is relatively high – which can boast a variety of health tourism offers and which are also target areas for traditional or new health tourists.

Those touristic places, regions, which are coherently related by medical factors (e.g. medicinal water, climate), the existence of professional-medical staff, health and health tourism services and capacities, making them competitive, are called health tourism regions.   „Health tourism region is such a functional region, which concertedly develops health care services, specific and general tourism services as well as the elements of destination management with the aim of better utilizing one or another natural or artificial medical factor. (Albel A. 2010, p. 4)”.

The presently formulating, potential health tourism regions in Hungary are as follows: (using data by Kincses Gy et al. 2009 ):

1. Budapest  and it environs

Its bases and natural resources include medicinal water, medical cave and climate. The examples are the medical baths of Budapest, the Szemlőhegyi cave, Dobogókő. Its professional centres are: OORI, ORFI, Cardiological Institute, Semmelweis University, a number of dental centres and private hospitals.  

2. Hajdúság-Nyírség

Its bases and natural resources include medicinal waters – e.g. Hajdúszoboszló, Debrecen, Nyíregyháza Sóstógyógyfürdő. Its professional centre is the University of Debrecen.

3. Mátra-Bükk

Its bases and natural resources include medicinal waters, medical gas, climate, medical cave. Examples include Egerszalók, Mátraderecske, Mezőkövesd, Miskolc-Tapolca, Parád, Kékestető. This region does not have a direct professional centre, but the hospital of Eger can be considered as a solid background institution. Other institutions, which are potential professional leaders, are the Mátra Health Care Centre in Parád, backed by the University of Debrecen.

4. Western Transdanubia

Its bases and natural resources include medicinal waters and climate. Examples are Sopron-Balf, Bük, Sárvár. Professional centres: Sopron, Győr, Szombathely

5-6. Health tourism regions of Lake Balaton and County Zala

Its bases and natural resources include medicinal waters, climate, medical cave. Examples are Balatonfüred, Hévíz, Keszthely, Zalakaros, Tapolca. Professional centres are the Cardiological Hospital of  Balatonfüred, County Hospital Veszprém, County Hospital Zala and the St. Andrew’s Rheumatology Hospital in Hévíz.  

7. Pécs and environs (Southern Transdanubia)

 Its bases and natural resources include medicinal waters, climate, medical cave. Examples are Szigetvár, Harkány, Abaliget, Magyarhertelend, Sikonda. Professional centre: University of Pécs.  

8. Southern Great Plain region

Its bases and natural resources include medicinal waters. Examples are Gyula, Mórahalom, Kiskunmajsa, Szeged, Cserkeszőlő, Orosháza-Gyopárosfürdő. Professional centre: University of Szeged.