Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Tourism Management and Hospitality
Year: 2024
DOI:
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The Benefits of Adopting Hospitality Management Approaches in The Field of Healthcare
Maria Magdalini Karalazarou, Evangelos Christou, Chryssoula Chatzigeorgiou, Ioanna Simeli
ABSTRACT:
Hospitality and healthcare are considered as two of the fastest growing yet challenging industries, with the potential to impact economies and employment, on a global scale. The field of healthcare is largely service-based, alike hospitality, with the patient as the focus of its interest, signifying the vital role of quality in the processes of delivering medical care. Similarities and potential links between healthcare and hospitality industries have been anyway recognized many years ago, with researchers being initially focused for the most part on broader areas, such as medical tourism and health hotels. Researches throughout the last decade have specifically reported that approximately 75% of healthcare services are directly related to hospitality services. Corresponding similarities have been identified regarding managerial and operational procedures among the two fields, along with similarities that concern the required skills for professionals of both sectors. This paper draws on existing literature aiming to summarize similarities that are identified on all areas of both industries and identify how healthcare may benefit further from adopting hospitality management approaches.
keywords: competencies; healthcare tourism; hospitality operations; soft skills; teaching methods