Features of the development of medical and wellness tourism in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan has approved the Concept of Development of the Tourism Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan until 2020. This concept states that in the present conditions of developing the world economy tourism is becoming one of the leading and fastest growing industries. According to UNWTO tourism ranks as the fourth in the world exports of goods and services (7.4%), following only the export of cars, chemicals and fuel. Based on its profitability, the industry ranks as the third in the world after the oil and automobile industries [1].

One of the promising trends in the development of the tourism industry is the medical and wellness tourism. Kazakhstan is rich in tourist and recreational potential and natural resources, which allows to develop medical and wellness tourism more intensively.

Wellness tourism is a rapidly growing industry involving more and more people who expect to receive excellent service and improve their health. Medical and wellness tourism means that people are supposed to take a trip abroad not only to see the sights but also to improve their health.

Development and improvement of the functioning of the spa services market of the Republic of Kazakhstan has a direct impact on the development of wellness tourism.

Medical and wellness tourism is based on the fact that citizens go abroad or to other regions of the country in search of high-quality and affordable health care.

In Kazakhstan, there are over 500 healthgiving mineral springs and over 120 lakes with significant operational reserves of therapeutic muds. Spa facilities of the Republic of Kazakhstan specialize in a variety of medical fields and meet individual needs of their clients.

The purpose of research: 1) study the features of the development of medical and wellness tourism; 2) determine the prospects for the development of medical and wellness tourism in Kazakhstan.

Objects and methods of research

As background information text and quantitative materials were used as well as the data provided by the Kazakhstani Tourism Association , Department of Tourism Industry .

Given the specifics of medical and wellness tourism research and applied work is based on specific and general scientific methods.

Results and Discussion

Medical and wellness tourism can be considered as one of the sectors of the tourism industry focused on the combination of leisure, trip as well as health and medical treatments.

Medical and wellness tourism has been actively developing in recent years. Currently in Kazakhstan outbound medical and wellness tourism is dominating. However, there is the potential to improve the situation and increase the percentage of inbound and domestic medical and wellness tourism.

Kazakhstan has a high potential for the development of spa treatments due to the climate of Kazakhstan, its unique nature, the availability of natural mineral springs and therapeutic mud.

Medical tourism is a reasonable combination of holiday abroad with access to high quality medical care. The purpose of medical tourism is not only traveling, but also treatment of a particular disease. Medical tourism is based on medical services offered by foreign private clinics.

Medical and wellness tourism gives the opportunity to get rehabilitation and therapeutic procedures both individually and in a group. The main objectives of medical and wellness tourism are rest and recuperation.

Medical and wellness tourism is the movement of residents and non-residents within and beyond the state borders for health purposes, for prevention of various diseases of a person for a period not less than 20 hours but not more than 6 months.

Medical and wellness tourism services include medical and wellness treatments. They are hospital services, clinics, sanatoriums for rehabilitation and services offered by more specified medical and social institutions. This category includes only short-term treatment because longterm treatment requires a longer stay in hospital for a year or more so it is not the sphere of tourism.

The main wellness resources used in medical tourism are:

• -    Climatotherapy - treatment with the climate favorable for the particular case

• -    Balneotherapy involves treatments with mineral waters

• -    Mud therapy - the use of therapeutic mud

• -    Thalassotherapy - the use of healing sea water properties

• -    Aerotherapy - long dosed stay outdoors or dosed air baths used for the purpose of cold acclimation and treatment;

• -    Phytotherapy - the use of healing properties of plants in treatment.

Medical and wellness tourism is based on balneology and carried out in resort areas. Thus, what is meant by spa resorts is special natural areas characterized by the presence of therapeutic factors and conditions for their use.

All the existing spa resorts are gradated as climatic spas, mud spas, etc. depending on wellness resources they have.

Today medical and wellness tourism is about 2% of all types of tourism and 12% of all citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan have gone abroad for treatment and rehabilitation.

The Most Popular Resorts of Kazakhstan and Their Specialization you can see in the Table 1.

Table 1 - The Most Popular Resorts of Kazakhstan and Their Specialization

№	Name of Resort	Quantity Beds	Specialization
1	Health Centre “Lesnaya Skazka” in Borovoe	220	Cardiovascular system; Nervous system; Respiratory system. Digestive organs
2	Alatau" sanatorium in Almaty	381	Diseases of the joints and spine Skin diseases. Diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Respiratory diseases
3	"Saryagash" Sanatorium, 130 km away from Shymkent	690	Gastrointestinal Diseases Diseases of the biliary tract Gynecological diseases Diabetes
4	"Zhansaya" Sanatorium at"Saryagash’’ main	140	Gastro-intestinal tract Urogenital system

	entrance		Gynecological diseases Metabolic disorders Respiratory system. Skin diseases
5	"Kazakhstan" Sanatorium, Saryagash	150	Gastrointestinal tract Gynecological diseases Nervous system
6	"Ak Kaiyn" sanatorium , Almaty	200	Respiratory Cardiovascular diseases
7	"Altyn Kargaly" sanatorium, Almaty	200	Locomotor system Digestive tract Cardiovascular system
8	"Zelenyi Bor" sanatorium, Borovoe	280	Physiotherapy Balneotherapy Phytotherapy
9	"Almaz" sanatorium, Borovoe	214	Respiratory Diseases Cardiovascular system Locomotor system
10	"Rakhmanovskie Kluchi" Sanatorium EKR	80	Locomotor system Cardiovascular system Digestive tract Skin diseases. Respiratory system
11	"Ak Niet" sanatorium, Jambul Oblast	100	Digestive organs Diseases of urogenital Endocrine system
12	"Aisha Bibi" sanatorium, Saryagash	150	Locomotor system Cardiovascular system
13	Sanatorium "Emerald", EKR	200	Locomotor system Cardiovascular diseases Digestive system
14	Sanatorium "Kazakhstan" Almaty	338	Locomotor system Respiratory system Cardiovascular system
15	Sanatorium "Kapal-Arasan"	200	Cardiovascular system Nervous system. Respiratory system Digestive
Compiled by the author on the basis of [2]

As can be seen from the table 1 in our country there is quite an extensive list of spa resorts that offer their patients a wide range of treatments for various diseases.

Kazakhstan has a huge potential to develop inbound and domestic medical and health tourism. In addition to the favorable natural factors mentioned before the most important factor is the availability of highly qualified specialists and modern medical high-tech equipment.

In recent years, more tourist agencies specializing in providing clients with therapeutic and medical tours have appeared in Kazakhstan, which, unfortunately, aims to develop only outbound tourism, while Kazakhstan is more interested in active development of inbound and domestic tourism.

Kazakhstan is also actively moving in the direction of improvement medical services. It should be noted that medicine in the country is developing rapidly. One of the evidence is opening the National Medical Holding Company in Astana where advanced methods of cardio-and neurosurgical methods are used. The centres of cardio- and neurosurgery of the National Medical Holding Company provide high-tech services at the highest international level. The citizens of Kazakhstan are guaranteed by the state to be provided with these services on free of charge basis.

As a result, first, the need of Kazakhstani citizens in treatment abroad has significantly decreased, and it is a good opportunity for foreigners to receive medical services compiled with the international standards in Kazakhstan. Secondly, it is expected to attract foreign tourists for medical treatment.

Recently in Astana Personal Medicine Centre has started operating to provide genomic testing and completely targeted diagnostics with subsequent monitoring of patients who have any risks of diseases.

The Kazakhstani "National Scientific Cardio Surgery Center" actively introduces and applies innovative medical technologies for diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular system diseases. The biggest achievement of the Center is that Kazakhstan is among the 22 countries performing unique high-tech operations [3].

The institutions mentioned use advanced equipment; there are usually no queues and professional, friendly medical staff involved.

Nowadays Kazakhstan provides good conditions for its citizens so that they do not need to go abroad for medical treatment. Medical and wellness spa resorts offer natural resources such as kumys, mineral springs, Pantotheraphy, healing climate and many others suitable for prevention and treatment of various diseases as well as recreation activities.

The development of medical and wellness tourism in the Republic of Kazakhstan in 2015 was characterized by the following figures: of all foreign tourists who entered the Republic of Kazakhstan for the purpose of treatment was 3623 people, and in the 1st quarter of 2016 - 1879 people [3].

Thus, the development of spa treatment in Kazakhstan will allow to develop inbound and domestic medical and wellness tourism. To do this, the following issues related to the development of sanatorium-resort complex of the country are to address:

• -    optimize the prices of the services provided

• -    introduce new technologies

• -    improve information coverage

• -    eliminate the lack of popularizing information

• -    improving tourist infrastructure

• -    increase the level of staff training

• -    increase the interest of tourists to the internal tour product [4].

Consequently, the solution of the above problems will contribute to the development of medical and wellness tourism in Kazakhstan.

In addition, the development of medical and wellness tourism in Kazakhstan should combine with other measures aimed at the creation of the country's image as a politically stable, economically developed, as well as attractive and affordable tourist destination.

Conclusion

The analysis leads to the conclusion that the Republic of Kazakhstan is on its way to create its own full-fledged tourist industry not only to make tourism a leading industry but also to make it internationally recognized throughout the world. Currently the proportion of outbound medical and wellness tourism in the market is much higher than the proportion of inbound and domestic medical tourism. Medical and wellness tourism remains one of the most promising areas in tourism industry.

Kazakhstan has significant potential for the development of medical and wellness tourism.

Medical and wellness tourism has a number of distinctive features. They are:

• -    stay in a sanatorium or resort should be as long as three weeks at least. Only this allows to achieve the desired healing effect

• -    treatment in resorts is usually more expensive than any other forms of tourism such as educational, recreational, environmental, etc.

• -    usually it is elderly people who need it so their age-specifities and preferences are to be taken into account [5].

Stay programs at resorts are becoming more and more diverse, and besides the various treatments, there are also various cultural and sporting events. In general, compared with the countries where tourism is well developed in Kazakhstan the industry is still at an early stage and needs relevant projects to attract tourists to Kazakhstan.