Medical Tourism – Challenges and Opportunities, and International conference on tourism takes place this week in Bucharest. The conference, attended primarily by medical tourism specialists, aims at discussing cross border medical tourism, among other key issues.
International Conference on Health Tourism, Bucharest
Tourism Minister Eduard Hellvig, Health Minister Vasile Cepoi, and World Tourism Organization Secretary General Taleb Rifaimedical opened the conference yesterday. The Minister of Regional Development and Tourism, Eduard Hellvig said at the opening yesterday; “Romania must valorise opportunities offered by spa tourism”, when he addressed the attendees. Focused on increasing Romania’s tourism sector overall, this medical niche meeting centered on the aforementioned International effort, along with subjects like tourism ethics, geriatrics and medical recovery. As for Hellvig, he went on to elaborate on the spa segment;
“Spa tourism is a niche that Romania should not miss and one of the strategic priorities for 2013 will consist of investments in the specific infrastructure, to help the development of this area; because, at infrastructure level, things are not how we would like them to be, what we have to do is to correlate what there is as natural potential in Romania with investments in the specific infrastructure.”
Under the guiding and watchful eyes of the UNWTO, Romania’s latest endeavors to attract tourists seem better suited to actually help the country grow travel and tourism wise. Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai offered his take at the conference as well:
“Romania is qualified in all respects: it has a high level of knowledge and technique in the field, enjoys a strategic location, and among the representatives of the tourism industry there is a high level of expertise. At the same time, there is here a political determination that I very clearly noticed during my last two visits to Romania. All these are guarantees for success. The UNWTO is committed to support these efforts and I am convinced that, very soon, Romania will become an important health tourism destination.”
Danubius Health Spa Resort Sovata - courtesy the hotel group Facebook
Romania, for those who do not know, Romania has more than a third of Europe’s thermal springs as well as spas that afford clients and patients physiotherapy, acupuncture, electrotherapy and other medicinal services/products. The famous spas likeMangalia in the ancient city of the same name, Neptun, Eforie Nord, Covasna, Slanic Moldova, Vatra Dornei, are but a few to mention. Other’s such as those salt lakes of Ocna Sibiului, afford still more therapeutic benefits, and hidden in the Carpathians Sovata (image above) is a true gem in one of the most unspoiled mountain valleys in all Europe, if not the world.