ATLAS SIG Medical Tourism Webinar
ATLAS SIG Medical Tourism – Health Tourism – Wellness Tourism Webinar
Launching the novel Special Interest Group on ‘Medical Tourism – Health Tourism – Wellness Tourism’
Wednesday February 12, 2025
8.30 GMT – 9.30 CET – 10.30 Vienna Time
About the Special Interest Group
‘Medical Tourism – Health Tourism – Wellness Tourism’ represents a complex intersection of tourism and health, with the term health comprising different aspects such as medical interventions, prevention, relaxation, body styling and even longevity. Unlike other tourist markets, medical tourism does not only focus on healthy destinations in general but also on hotels and clinics. The decision as to whether a traveler prefers hotel or clinic depends on the type of treatment he/she needs. Apart from travelers, we also look at so called Lifestyle Migrants who like to spend their old age in beautiful countries.
The ATLAS SIG on ‘Medical Tourism – Health Tourism – Wellness Tourism’ aims to deepen the understanding of globally mobile persons in the continuum of wellbeing and medical intervention. We see ourselves as a group that scientifically investigates the aforementioned topics in order to offer a better understanding of complex processes in tourism, health, and economy.
Webinar Agenda
1. Welcome and Introduction
2. Description of the market: Terms and delimitations (Kai Illing, Apollon University for Health Care Management, Germany)
3. Facts and figures (Isabella Schimitzek, Apollon University for Health Care Management, Germany)
4. Teaching ‘Medical Tourism – Health Tourism – Wellness Tourism’ (Isabella Schimitzek)
5. Case study: Medical Tourism and business park development (Vildan Yilmaz, Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University)
6. The regional aspect of health and tourism (Anna Białk-Wolf, Instytut Badań i Rozwoju Turystyki Medycznej)
7. Engagement and collaboration opportunities – How you can contribute to the SIG’s objectives
8. Open Forum – Questions, ideas, and discussion
This webinar marks the beginning of a collaborative journey to address the complex challenges of ‘Medical Tourism – Health Tourism – Wellness Tourism’. We will also discuss upcoming initiatives, including webinars, research projects, and workshops.
Speakers and Moderators
Anna Białk-Wolf
PhD, Scientist and consultant with extensive experience and knowledge in research and teaching with special focus on medical tourism.
Co-founder and President of the Institute for Research and Development of Medical Tourism in Poland, Associate Professor at the University of Business and Administration in Gdynia, Co-founder of the Foundation “PROTURMED”.
Anna Białk-Wolf is the author of numerous publications on medical tourism. She defended her doctoral dissertation on the innovativeness of medical services at the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (Germany) in the Department of Marketing and Healthcare Management. Since 2009, she has been involved in analyzing phenomena related to medical tourism around the world and in Poland working closely as an expert for the Polish National Tourism Organization and for the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development.
Isabella Schimitzek
Isabella Schimitzek (born 1970) completed her MBA in the USA, Master of Business Administration in Global Business Leadership with a focus on Strategic Marketing, and a C.A.G.S. degree, Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Finance. After that she graduated in economics at the University of Bremen and worked from 02/2013 to 02/2014 at the Center for Social Policy (ZeS) as a research assistant in the project on designing network structures in outpatient care. Since 2014, Isabella Schimitzek has been working as a research assistant at the APOLLON University of Health Economics and is doing her doctorate about educational potential in outpatient care at the University of Bremen.
Vildan Yilmaz
PhD Lecturer Vildan Yilmaz graduated from Çanakkale 18 Mart University Travel Management Program in 2009. I completed my master’s and PhD at Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli University, department of tourism management. My master’s thesis was on the competitiveness of accommodation businesses and my PhD thesis was on destination competitiveness in medical tourism. I have been carrying out studies on health tourism, medical tourism and wellness tourism. I have also been a licensed tourist guide since 2007. I am currently a student in the culinary department, which I have dreamed of for many years.
Some of my studies:
– Determining destination competitiveness in medical tourism: A study based on AHP-QFD framework
– An analysıs of medıcal tourism in terms of marketing mix elements
– A practical study on accommodaiıon companies in Nevsehir about determining factors of competitive advantage
– Physical therapy and rehabilitation centers with accommodation: an evaluation in terms of health tourism
– The perception of wellness tourism in Türkiye: a comparision with European Countries
Kai-Torsten Illing
Prof. Dr. Kai-Torsten Illing:
- Academic education in Business Administration with a major in Health Management (Berlin)
- Various labor contracts in market research, science, and tourism business
- 2002 – present: Prof. Dr. at FH JOANNEUM (Graz, Austria)
- 2024 – present: Prof. Dr. and Head of BA “Tourism Management in Health & Wellness” at Apollon University for Health Care Management (Bremen, Germany)
- 2024 – present: On behalf of Apollon University for Health Care Management (Bremen, Germany) member of ATLAS association
- Expert at German Longevity Association
- 1999 – present: Consultant in Medical Tourism and hotel development (www.tdc-consult-invest.com)
- Teaching at numerous universities
- Expert in Quality Management, Risk Management, and Workplace Health Promotion
- Participation in numerous EU-projects