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Enhancing Sustainability in Health Tourism through an Ontology-Based Booking Application for Personalized Packages

Author

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  • Sofia Gkevreki

    (Information Technologies Institute, Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, 6th Km Charilaou-Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece)

  • Vasiliki Fiska

    (Information Technologies Institute, Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, 6th Km Charilaou-Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece)

  • Spiros Nikolopoulos

    (Information Technologies Institute, Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, 6th Km Charilaou-Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece)

  • Ioannis Kompatsiaris

    (Information Technologies Institute, Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, 6th Km Charilaou-Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece)

Abstract

Currently, health tourists primarily rely on independent facilitators to manage and book their medical appointments and vacation plans. There is a notable absence of dedicated booking applications for health tourism packages. This paper proposes HealthTourismHub, an application designed to provide personalized packages that include medical appointments, accommodation options, and recommended tourism activities. It also serves as a platform for medical experts and accommodation providers, allowing health tourists to discover and connect with them, promoting local resources, and contributing to the sustainable growth of health tourism destinations. To incorporate personalization, HealthTourismHub uses an ontology that organizes medical and tourism data, along with a reasoner that generates new knowledge. This approach enables the application to offer customized packages and identify the most suitable providers for each user. Providers are strategically paired and located in close proximity, encouraging shorter travel distances and more efficient travel planning, with the package also including personalized tourism recommendations that benefit the local economy and contribute to a conscious tourism industry. A survey was conducted to assess the usability of the application and general perspectives towards health tourism, including motivations, concerns, and preferences. The results revealed an above-average SUS score, indicating that users found the application user-friendly and effective. Some areas for improvement were identified, such as error handling and additional functionalities. Nonetheless, HealthTourismHub shows great potential as a pioneer in the field of sustainable health tourism applications.

Suggested Citation

  • Sofia Gkevreki & Vasiliki Fiska & Spiros Nikolopoulos & Ioannis Kompatsiaris, 2024. "Enhancing Sustainability in Health Tourism through an Ontology-Based Booking Application for Personalized Packages," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-31, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:15:p:6505-:d:1445999
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Connell, John, 2013. "Contemporary medical tourism: Conceptualisation, culture and commodification," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 1-13.
    2. Chenbo Zhu & J. Hu & Fengchun Wang & Yifan Xu & Rongzeng Cao, 2012. "On the tour planning problem," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 192(1), pages 67-86, January.
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