A NEW STRATEGY TO CREATE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN THE SCOPE OF HEALTH TOURISM: "HIPPOTHERAPY APPLICATIONS"

Hippotherapy (equine-assisted therapy) is one of the many applications that have been performed around the world for many years, but its importance and effects are ever-increasing in the health sector in our country. Hippotherapy is a special form of therapy in which the horse's characteristic movements are used to provide motor and sensory inputs in the cases. The main purpose of this study is to introduce Hippotherapy applications as a new strategy to create competitive advantage in the scope of health tourism. The analysis unit of the study constitutes the Hippotherapy applications carried out in the Kartepe Atçılık (Horse Breeding)Vocational High School, which is located in Kocaeli University, Turkey. The promotion and marketing opportunities of the relevant applications have been conceptualized using tourism marketing mixed elements and the application-specific suggestions have been mentioned within the scope of the study.