ITS Course “Wellness & SPA Hospitality Management”
Planned location Trani – Biennium 2024-2026
Territorial declination: national figure “9.1.2 Higher technician for the development of the processes of management of the offer of the tourism and cultural supply chains”
Context
according to the Global Wellness Institute, in 2022 the world economy of “wellness research” reached a record high of 5.6 trillion dollars, growing by 14% compared to 2019, far exceeding the repercussions caused by the pandemic and conflicts, and the sector seems destined to grow further, reaching the record figure of 8.5 billion million by 2027. In recent years, a new and broader concept of well-being has been emerging, referring to a specific dimension that also concerns the mind and spirit and which includes, in addition to spas and traditional hotel facilities such as spas, gyms and swimming pools, also all those activities aimed at psycho-physical well-being, from interactions with the environment to yoga and all holistic disciplines. In this context, new models of hospitality have been consolidated that are connoted, in fact, as “wellness tourism”, i.e. a journey in which the fulcrum of the tourist experience is represented by the achievement and maintenance of a state of psychophysical well-being through the stay in structures and locations connected to relaxing environments in which to find a high level of quality of life. Italy is among the top ten countries with a strong and growing market for ‘wellness tourism’, with an annual growth rate of 45%, and is also among the top ten countries for spas, and the country with the largest number of spas in the world.
The ITS Course for “Wellness & SPA Hospitality Management”, now in its second edition, aims to train specialists in hospitality management who are able to guarantee the use of spa and well-being experiences, to give new impetus to the sector and create the conditions for greater professionalization in a sector that requires a multidisciplinary approach to entrepreneurial management and particular attention to the needs of the customer.
Professional profile
the Higher Technician is a figure able to manage and promote wellness centers and hotels, beauty farms, spas, spas and all those facilities related to the health and wellness market. He/She is able to work to improve the health and well-being of customers, and to prepare and communicate an offer focused on healthiness and effectiveness of services. He has an in-depth knowledge of methods, techniques and benefits related to a very specialized offer such as the thermal and SPA offer; and the knowledge that revolves around Healthful Living, i.e. the principles of health and well-being and their applications for an optimal lifestyle. All those technological and digital skills of a managerial nature aimed at conducting hospitality services and managing integrated relations with the territory will be central.
Skills
Course participants will be able to:
- interact and support the various company functions in the management of the processes of providing the services of the tourist facility
- collect, analyze and functionally use Big Data
- plan and coordinate online communication and digital marketing strategies using 4.0 languages, tools and technologies
- monitor the conversion rates of communication campaigns, define social media strategies, define online CRM strategies, improve the performance of the company website
- define and implement marketing and promotion actions centered on a brand identity of the places
- analyze and interpret the market, competition and tourist demand
- organize and manage the functional aspects of spas, health centers, spas, beauty farms
- apply the sector regulations and the required protocols
- use the management software in use in the sector
- define and coordinate a plan for the quality of the services offered
PARTNER
- wellness and spa centers with adjoining hospitality activities
- hotels and accommodation facilities with SPA
- hotel and non-hotel accommodation facilities that have an offer focused on well-being
- travel agency operators and tour operators (traditional and online)
- Convention Bureau and conference service agencies
- Wedding and Event&Communication Agencies
- Organizers of tourist events in the spa and wellness sector
- operators within public and private bodies to support activities for the promotion and enhancement of territorial identities and excellences (Destination Management Organizations and Consortia for the promotion of tourism and territory relating to the wellness and spa product).
The course lasts 2000 hours in total, distributed over two years and divided as follows:
– 1200 hours dedicated to classroom laboratory teaching, case studies in the laboratory and/or in work contexts, seminar activities, educational and study visits, project work;
-800 hours of internship activities in work contexts.
The daily timetable will be determined on the basis of the operational program and may vary from 5 to 8 hours.
Attendance is mandatory for at least 80% of the training activities, under penalty of exclusion from the final exam which will be held in accordance with the methods established by the Ministry of Education.
At the end of the course, by passing the final exam, the DIPLOMA OF HIGHER TECHNICIAN issued by the Ministry of Education and Merit is obtained, corresponding to the 5th LEVEL of the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (EQF), pursuant to art. 8, paragraph 1, of the Prime Ministerial Decree of 25 January 2008.
Where the requirements are met, and in relation to the specificity of the study program, students will acquire the skills aimed at taking the exam tests for the following certifications:
Certifications for the use of specific sector software
Foreign language certifications according to the levels of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages)
Certifications relating to safety in the workplace
