Abstract
Aesthetic medicine is, next to the wellness and spa, one of the most rapidly growing segments of health tourism. Its dynamic growth is closely linked to innovative offers (perhaps better described as “product innovation”). To date, however, there have been no scientific studies focusing on this market. Services in the field of aesthetic medicine are usually discussed descriptively as a subcategory of medical tourism, and innovation in this sector remains unexplored.
In this article we focus on innovation in aesthetic medicine as it pertains to health tourism, using the Delphi method to analyze innovation flow. Twelve experts from the fields of economics and management sciences with backgrounds in innovation and the economics of tourism (including health tourism) were invited to participate in the study. This group included also practitioners. The research was conducted in June and July 2015.
Our research addresses the current dearth of academic works on aesthetic medicine tourism, and lack of any relevant models of its flow and spread.