The 4th Lithuanian Health Tourism Forum "Lithuania on the Health Tourism Map" took place in Biršton. 5 steps to aspiration"

The forum gathered experts in the tourism development, health and wellness sector - researchers and practitioners. Reports were read by the President of the Association of Lithuanian Resorts, Mayor of Birštonas Municipality Nijolė Dirginčienė, President of the National Sanatoriums and Rehabilitation Institutions, General Director of "Eglės Sanatorijas" Artūras Salda, Associate Professor of the Department of Nursing of the Faculty of Health Sciences of Klaipėda University, family doctor Doc. Dr. Lolita Rapolienė, co-founder and president of the Polish Medical Tourism Research and Development Institute, professor at the University of Gdynia, co-founder of the "Proturmed" foundation Dr. Anna Białk-Wolf.

During the conference, there was also a panel discussion, during which tourism and health experts discussed the challenges faced by Lithuanian resorts, resort areas and institutions performing health activities and what is missing for Lithuania to become the heart of European health tourism. In the discussion, Nijolė Dirginčienė, President of the Association of Lithuanian Resorts and Mayor of Birštonas Municipality, Artūras Salda, President of the National Association of Sanatoriums and Rehabilitation Institutions, Žydrė Gavelienė, President of the National Tourism Business Association and Lithuanian Chamber of Tourism, Eglė Kudzmanienė, Chief Advisor of the Communication Department of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, shared their insights. . specialist.

According to the experts who read the reports and shared their insights in the discussion, the following are the key foundations that would help Lithuania become a competitive health tourism country:
Adoption of the draft Law on the Sustainable Development of Resorts and Resort Territories of the Republic of Lithuania;
Improving communication with Lithuania;
Creation of a system for the implementation of spa orthological scientific research;
Consolidation of legal regulation of natural healing factors;
Ensuring sufficient training of specialists in the field of wellness and health care;
Consolidation of tourism as an important economic sector and its inclusion in the priority branches of the Lithuanian economy.

A joint appeal will be prepared based on the proposals made at the conference.