The Montenegro Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism has said it wants to produce a health tourism development strategy and action plan this year. This may be optimistic.
The aim is that this health tourism strategy and action plan will define further directions for the development of this type of tourism by 2025. The Ministry has yet to appoint experts to provide an analysis of the potential, and with a projected three months required for analysis plus another seven months to develop the strategy, 2019 is perhaps an optimistic target.
The development of this branch of tourism is part of a strategic commitment that the state becomes a year-long tourist destination. Montenegro has an attractive geographical position, abundance of natural wealth, rich cultural heritage and diverse offer in the segment of rehabilitation, prevention, dentistry and aesthetic surgery. It has, supporters argue, all the conditions to become a recognisable destination for health tourism.
The Ministry says it will prepare the strategy in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, the Chamber of Economy, the Agency for Nature Protection and Environment, the Health Tourism Cluster of Montenegro, public and private health-rehabilitation institutions, the National Tourist Organisation, economies, municipalities and all relevant civil society stakeholders.
The deadline for the drafting of the strategy is seven months from the date of conclusion of the contract, while the deadline for the process of revision and adoption of the final text is three months from the date of submission of the draft text of the strategy.
The strategy based on the analysis of the situation will define the key measures and goals for more intensive development of health tourism, activities and indicators of success, the way of monitoring the implementation of the strategic document, the manner of reporting and evaluation, and other issues of importance.
It will be interesting to see how this strategy might connect with plans for an Adriatic Health Tourism Platform, which received €3.8bn European Commission funding earlier this year.
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