A fürdők jelentősége az Észak-alföldi régió egészségturizmusának fejlesztésében = The importance of baths in the development of Northern great plain's health tourism

Abstract

In the economy of Hungary and in its development, tourism has a prominent role since the turn of the millennium. Based on the natural features of the country and the Northern Great Plain Region, building on and developing existing infrastructure, health tourism has become a top priority in recent development cycles. This area is also an important part of the National Tourism Development Strategy, the National Health-Tourism Development Strategy and the North-Great Plain Tourism Development Strategy and the Hungarian Tourism Agency has now become a major contributor to the growth of demand. The article summarizes the natural medical factors, planning documents and realized developments of the region. Based on the annual report of the Hungarian Tourism Agency and based on the statistical data of the Central Statistical Office in 2016, I quantify the supply and demand or guest data. My aim is to present the role of baths in health tourism, and to outline trends in demand and the expected health tourism development directions based on current development documents.