Sustainable valorization of health tourism potentials in alpine winter tourism
Winter tourism is a significant economic factor and an important employer in the program area and especially in rural Alpine regions. Although, there is an urgent need for the diversification of winter tourism products to react to the already noticeable impacts of climate change and altering customer demands. Therefore, Alpine regions have to develop innovative and environmentally responsible tourism products and services to secure the economic efficiency and competitiveness of regions & SME in the program area. Evidence-based health tourism offers a variety of strategic development opportunities for a sustainable economic utilization of Alpine natural and cultural resources in the winter season. Current health tourism offers predominantly focus on summer holidays, whereas the potential of health tourism winter products have not yet been exploited. _x000D_
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The project WinHealth aims at a sustainable valorization of the health tourism potential in terms of Alpine natural & cultural resources. In cross-border cooperation, innovative economic value chains & business models will be developed, which shall not replace snow-related offers, but complement them. A broad-based cross-border qualification & know-how transfer initiative stimulates SME-& destination-driven innovation in terms of health tourism and strengthens their knowledge base. In this way, health tourism is positioned as strategic development factor for the diversification of Alpine winter tourism offers in the program area.