CONTEMPORARY SPA TOURISM DEVELOPMENT TRENDS WITH REFERENCE TO THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

Abstract

Spa tourism refers to all travels that are organized for the purpose of treatments based on natural healing resources (thermo-mineral springs, mud, radioactive sand, climate) carried out under medical supervision. Globalization and the development of modern society have led to changes in spa tourism, shifting from traditional tourist activities to modern and complex health and recreational activities. The aim of this paper is twofold. Firstly, to analyze contemporary trends in spa tourists' motives and, secondly, to perform a comparative analysis of the projected and realized development of spa tourism in the Republic of Serbia by examining the data on the number of tourist overnight stays and occupancy of accommodation facilities in spas and climatic health resorts. By applying descriptive and comparative scientific methods, it was concluded that contemporary trends in spa visitors' motives have caused a wider tourist offer of the spas and that there is a significant lag of realized development in relation to the projected development of spa tourism in the Republic of Serbia.