Lisa Fickel

Lisa Fickel is a Senior Research Associate at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts' Institute for Tourism and Mobility (ITM) and Lecturer at IST AG / Higher Technical School for Tourism and Outdoor in Zurich. She joined Lucerne University in 2017 as a Research Assistant, advancing to Research Associate (2019-2023) and Senior Research Associate (2024-present). Concurrently, she has lectured at IST AG since 2022.

Education:

• Doctoral Programme in Medical Science (Ph.D.), Paracelsus Private Medical University, Salzburg, Austria (2022-present)
• Master of Arts in Business in Health Management in Tourism, FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences, Austria (2015-2018)
• Bachelor of Arts in Business in Health Management in Tourism, FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences, Austria (2011-2015)

Research Focus: Her expertise spans evidence-based health tourism, wellness tourism ecosystems, health promotion frameworks, destination management strategies, thermal spa operations, and advanced research methodologies. She specializes in translating theoretical concepts into practical tourism solutions.

Publications: Her research output primarily explores wellness tourism dynamics, health tourism segmentation, and destination competitiveness. Recent works analyze behavioral economics in tourism, evolving wellness definitions, and strategies for managing diverse tourist demographics in Swiss contexts.

Projects & Advising:

• Service Projects: Strategic development for Parkresort Rheinfelden, Mineralheilbad St. Margrethen renewal, Vreneli-Dorf feasibility, and Kyrgyzstan winter tourism planning.
• Research Projects: Workforce satisfaction in tourism, agrotourism-health synergies, Swiss wellness innovation, and integrated rural healthcare.
• Supervises bachelor theses, seminar papers, and applied research projects.

Professional Engagement: Reviewer for International Journal of Spa & Wellness (2021-present), European Health & Spa Award juror (2020-2022), and member of the Global Wellness Institute's African Wellness Initiative.