In our desire to develop medical tourism in Croatia and to enrich the Croatian tourist product we founded the Association for the Medical Tourism Development. The Association gathers the existing providers of the medical tourism services and those who are planning to make a step to attract foreign patients in their health institutions and hotels.

Main objectives are the development of the medical tourism in Croatia, promotion of the Association members in domestic and foreign markets and promotion of the medical tourism development necessity in Croatia. Association is to promote medical tourism services, connect all parties involved in the distribution chain (service providers, agents and hoteliers and transporters) and provide support in approach to foreign patients and development of the medical tourism services standard.

The Association is set-up to be a business excellence centre that gathers medical and tourism experts. The idea is to facilitate knowledge and experience exchange between its members and levelling tourist offer of Croatia with its competition. Association organises conferences, symposiums, discussions and other gatherings about medical tourism. In that way it enables professional associating and permanent education and improving of its members.

The Association also organises cooperation with similar associations and organisations all around the world and all organizations that support the Medical Tourism Development.



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Round Table, the 9 June 2009

Dr Bura: Medical tourism could secure tourists 365 days per year

The Medical Tourism Association organized a Round Table in the Sheraton Hotel in Zagreb on 9 June 2009, with the following topics:

1. Role of medical tourism in increasing competitiveness of the Croatian tourist offer
2. Harmonized legislative regulations as a prerequisite of faster development of medical tourism

The meeting brought together representatives from the Ministries, Croatian Chamber of Commerce, Croatian Employers' Association, as well as independent analysts and experts from medical and tourism sectors.

In his introductory address, the President of the Association, Mr. Miljenko Bura, Ph.D., presented the Association's activities up to now, especially stressing the 1st Medical Tourism Conference in Vodice as the event that prompted large media coverage and reactions in all types of media, whereby medical tourism has been recognized as a specific branch of tourism that may significantly supplement the Croatian tourist offer, providing it with additional quality. The role of the Medical Group Ltd., which was originator of the promotion concept and co-organizer of all activities, has also been pointed out for their significant contribution to creating an atmosphere in which medical tourism is viewed as a potentially great development break.

It is necessary to include the attractivness of tourist destinations to the existing quality medical offer and present the world as a new opportunity in the Croatian tourism, with regard that the medical tourism can secure tourists 365 days per year - stressed Dr. Bura.

The representative of the Ministry of Tourism, Mrs. Novotni and the Ministry of Economy, Mrs. Mesic, highlighted the importance of this initiative around medical tourism, and willingness to collaborate on programs of the Association, as well as opening new possibilities of joint work within the activities, measures and programs of ministries. Special contribution to the work of this Round Table was provided by Dr. Miroslav Dragicevic from Horwath consulting, expert in the field of theory and tourism practice, which has strongly supported the current work of the Association and organized approach to the development of medical tourism, and offered cooperation in the future.

All that what is good for increasing the competitiveness of Croatian Tourism will have the support and positive response, said the participants, but it is necessary to define legal regulations, which currently says that under the same roof of special hospital may not include many different activities of the same status, which will open the door to a great number of interested investors when will be defined. In this sense is a significant role of the Ministry of Health, which must coordinate the creation of legislation that applies to health institutions in tourism and which is the obligation of the law on health care dated in 2003. This is especially important for the further development of health resorts and spas that have great potential, which until now has not been used in best way.

The participants agreed that the formation of Croatian medical tourism cluster is the best way to attract investors and for organized development of this new form of tourism.