The Evolution of Balneary Tourism in Romania as an Integrated Part of Health Tourism

• Author: Anca Gabriela Turtureanu, Florentina Chi?u
• Position: Professor, PhD, Danubius University of Galati, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Romania/Economist, Master Student, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania
• Pages: 137-143

ISSN: 2067 – 9211 Performance and Risks in the European Economy

137

The Evolution of Balneary Tourism in

Romania as an Integrated Part of Health Tourism

Anca Gabriela Turtureanu1, Florentina Chițu2

Abstract: The authors intend to analyze the evolution of the balneary tourism in Romania over the last

10 years. The retrospective analysis of the evolution of this type of tourism highlights the sinuous aspect

of the development. Understanding the complexity of the balneary tourism involves studying the field in

relation to several factors, such as: the relationship of the balneary tourism with other forms of tourism,

the specificity of the domain and the market, the importance of the balneary tourism in shaping the

society, the implications on the environment and its sustainability. The importance of the health status of

the population represents an extremely sensitive in dicator of the quality of li fe and the level of

development of the society. At present, the sphere of health to urism has expanded greatly adapting to the

current needs of the population. Increasing globalization has made its mark on this form of tourism. The

quantification of health tourism is increasingly difficult to make, but the branch of the balneary tourism

can be measured and followed in evolution much more clearly, at least in the case of Romania.

Keywords: Balneary tourism; health tourism; wellness; spa tourism

JEL Classification: L8; L83; Z3; Z32

Introduction

Balneary tourism presents itself as a complex form of holiday tourism and health care. The concern for

health care has been around since ancient times. Natural healing factors have been discovered and

used for centuries, historians talking about their use for therapeutic purposes since ancient times, by

Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Geto-Dacians and other nations. In the early period, people, without

medical knowledge, by their simple observing capacity, began to notice accidentally the therapeutic

effects of the different natural healing factors. In the contemporary period, the balneotherapy benefits

from the scientific researches of the natural factors of cure and the clinical observations, enjoying

success due to the stressful living conditions that favor the diseases, so that more and more people in

search of tranquility and rest, clean air and health get to be treated with the help of natural factors of

treatment in different specialized centers in balneary resorts.

In defining the balneary tourism it must start from the etymology of the two terms from which it is

made up the concept - thus tourism, with its current meaning, taken from English (tourism, tour, torn,

1 Professor, PhD, Danubius Universit y of Galati, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Romania, Address: 3 Galati Blvd, Galati,

Romania, Corresponding author: ancaturtureanu@univ-danubius.ro.

2 Economist, Master Student, The Bucharest Un iversity of Economic Studies, Romania, Address: Piața Romană 6, Bucharest

010374, Romania.