Turystyka medyczna przejawem współczesnych trendów i tendencji w turystyce

Abstract

The purpose of article is to draw attention to the emergence of a new and niche form of modern tourism, mainly Medical Tourism. Owing to EU regulations on new principles for the use of health care system, a new opportunity has been created for developing this particular form of tourism. The first part of the article is a compilation – providing the background concepts for the idea of Medical Tourism as seen from the point of view of representatives of various sciences, the author also prescribes his own concept for the definition of “Medical Tourism” and a participant in this form of tourism, i.e. “medical tourist”. In the following part, medical tourism services have been described, with particular emphasis on their scope of providing services and features characterizing them. Moreover, important factors have been identified (e.g. individual, institutional, political factors) that are considered to be shaping the contemporary trends in Medical Tourism.