By the end of the month, the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism will issue a public call for the selection of a health tourism development strategy developer, which is the first step towards the development of the fastest growing branch of tourism in the world with a rate between 15 and 20 percent per year.
The development of that branch of tourism is part of the strategic commitment to make the country a year-round tourist destination.
The government department told "News" that Montenegro has all the conditions to become a recognizable health tourism destination with its geographical position, abundance of natural wealth, rich cultural heritage and diverse offer in the segment of rehabilitation, prevention, dentistry and aesthetic surgery.
"We will prepare the strategy in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, the Chamber of Commerce, the Agency for Nature and Environmental Protection, the NGO 'Cluster of Health Tourism of Montenegro', the Institute 'Dr. Simo Milošević', public and private health and rehabilitation institutions, the National Tourist Organization, the economy, municipalities and all relevant civil sector interest groups. The deadline for creating the strategy is seven months from the date of conclusion of the contract, while the deadline for the revision process and adoption of the final text is three months from the date of submission of the proposal for the strategy text. The announcement of a public call for the selection of a strategy processor is planned by the end of this month".
Government BuildingThey explained that the strategy with the action plan until 2025 will define the further directions of development of that type of tourism and contribute to the improvement of the offer, which continues to grow every year and is also the only tourism industry that did not record negative trends in the years of recession, but recorded an increase of 11 percent.
“Many factors on the supply and demand side have influenced the 'explosion' of the health industry, which includes health tourism. Due to the lack of free time, stress, unhealthy lifestyle, technology, pollution and other influences, health tourism assumes an increasingly important role in the revitalization of the psycho-physical abilities of man. An important role in shaping consumer trends in the world (including trends related to health and beauty) is played by the baby-boom generation, which is educated and has financial resources, which mainly spends on luxury products and health - wellness services. In addition, intensive work is done on health promotion, which leads to the creation of a more health-educated population that takes care of health and consumes products that preserve and improve health. On the other hand, economic changes encourage the development of a 'welfare society', i.e. the growth of a middle class that has sufficient income and free time to travel".
Successful implementation, the Ministry said, means partnership and the joint willingness of all participants in creating a tourist product, whether they come from the public or private sector.
"By developing the offer of health tourism, an environment and environment is created that must be protected not only for its own sake, but also as the basis of a promising tourism economy in the future, where the tourist destination comes to the fore again as a destination, a spatial unit, an institution, a category that is simply included in the program tourism development must also integrate environmental protection. In this context, it is important that the tourist destination is understood as a market that offers a certain range of products, that is, in which there is a possibility of choosing through what in marketing theory is called a product line and the breadth and depth of the assortment".
They hope for a year-round season
The Ministry explained that the strategy will define key measures and goals for more intensive development of health tourism, activities and indicators of success, the method of monitoring the implementation of the strategic document, the method of reporting and evaluation and other important issues, based on the analysis of the situation.
"It is a document that should represent a common interdepartmental platform for systemically increasing the competitiveness of the health and tourism offer of Montenegro. The document specifically points out the need to adjust the existing legislative framework and the need for additional education of providers of health-tourism services, accreditation and certification of institutions...".
They pointed out that it is necessary to raise awareness of the importance of developing that tourist product that could bring additional money to the public and private sector and become one of the ways to counteract the seasonality of tourism.
"We don't have that many areas that are comparable to the potential of health tourism. The specificity of health tourism, that is, what puts it in the sphere of real economic activity, is precisely its multiplicity, it initiates many things, many services and sectors. In addition to the positive effect on health and quality of life, this activity has numerous economic benefits and at the same time encourages the development of other economic branches and activities, and can contribute to the development of less developed areas. The most noticeable effect of health tourism is the increase in employment, due to the extension of the tourist season to the whole year, as well as numerous benefits to hoteliers due to higher and constant occupancy during all 12 months".
To promote and use potentials
The Ministry said that if the current situation in Montenegro is analyzed, it can be seen that the country has very good preconditions that have not been sufficiently used (nor promoted) for the development of profitable health-tourism activities.
"These are natural resources, rich historical, cultural and industrial heritage, favorable geographical location, traditional hospitality of people, existing tourist infrastructure, multi-ethnic character of Montenegro and multicultural traditions, as well as the growing awareness of tourism workers about the benefits that the development of the health tourism sector can bring to the overall economic development".
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