The history and evolution of tourism show that the beginnings of tourism, as well as its later development are based on the development of those destinations that had markedly attractive factors of curative character. Health tourism can therefore be defined as a joint working area of health service and tourism where these two, on the partnership basis and with a mutual interest, organize the stay of individuals as tourists who come to places with marked natural and curative factors which they use and w'here they under medical control (or without it) receive health services through active vacation and through various other forms of treatment. The satisfaction of the need for health services, as well as for other partial tourist products that aim at satisfying the need for health services, also demands an adjustment of the business operations of the subjects offering tourist products, especially in hotel industry. Having in mind the fact that tourist movements, to a greater or lesser extent, also represent “movements for health purposes”, it is extremely important that hoteliers fully recognize the specific characteristics (e g., age structure, health condition and habits, etc.) of those segments of guests to which they direct their services and products.

Turistička povijest i evolucijski put turizma pokazuju kako se počeci turizma, ali i njegov kasniji razvoj, temelje na razvoju onih destinacija koje su imale izražene privlačne čimbenike zdravstvenog karaktera. Zdravstveni turizam je stoga moguće definirati kao zajedničko suradno područje zdravstva i turizma u kojem se na partnerskoj osnovici i uz uzajamni interes organizira boravak pojedinaca kao turista koji dolaze na mjesto s izraženim prirodnim zdravstvenim čimbenicima kojeg koriste i gdje im se pod liječničkim nadzorom (ili bez njega) pružaju i zdravstvene usluge kroz aktivni odmor, ali i kroz različite druge tretmane. Zadovoljenje potreba za zdravstvenim uslugama, ali i drugim parcijalnim proizvodima turističkih proizvoda koji imaju za cilj zadovoljenje zdravstvenih potreba, zahtijeva i prilagodbu u poslovanju subjekata ponude turističkih proizvoda, osobito onih u hotelijerstvu. Imajući u vidu činjenicu kako turistička kretanja u većoj ili manjoj mjeri ujedno predstavljaju i “kretanja u zdravstvene svrhe", osobito je značajno da hotelijeri u cijelosti spoznaju osobitosti segmenata gostiju kojima su usmjereni (primjerice dobnu strukturu, zdravstveno stanje i zdravstvene navike itd ).