As part of the business program of the international exhibition "MedTravelExpo 2022", the capital hosted a major event in the field of medical and health tourism - the 3rd Global Medical Tourism Summit.
The summit was organized by the Congress and Exhibition Bureau subordinate to the Committee for the Development of Tourism of St. Petersburg.
“For the third time the summit brought together the leaders of the medical tourism industry from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, China and other countries,” the city's tourist portal Visit Petersburg reported.
The event, in particular, discussed the prospects for the tourism industry, opening up in connection with the development of specialized types of travel, an increase in the volume of the medical and health tourism market, and regular modernization of the industry. Experts also touched upon related topics - hospitality, excursion support, taking into account the specifics of the health tourism sector.
According to the portal, Yulia Kuzenskaya, deputy head of the Committee for Tourism Development of St. Petersburg, said at the summit that such a type of travel as medical tourism “has an increasing impact on national healthcare systems and the economy as a whole, generates a noticeable additional inflow of funding, and also leads to to the creation of new jobs and technologies”.
According to her, medical tourism is part of the regional state program "Development of the tourism sector in St. Petersburg."
For his part, the honorary president of the Russian Union of Tourism Industry Sergey Shpilko believes that St. Petersburg has vast experience in building a city brand as a center for medical tourism.
According to data provided by Visit Petersburg, over the 11 months of this year, 100,000 medical travelers received assistance from health organizations in St. Petersburg, which is 20% more than last year.
“According to statistics, more than 60% of foreign patients who received such services in St. Petersburg are citizens of the CIS countries and former Soviet republics: Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Belarus. The remaining 30% are residents of the states of Africa, the Middle East, the Pacific region,” the portal says.
Within the framework of the project for the development of health tourism for the period from 2019 to June 1, 2022, more than 350 thousand foreign patients were provided with medical care for a total amount of more than 2 billion rubles, Visit Petersburg notes.
Participants discussed the boundary between nature and ecotourism, whether mass visits to unique areas can remain safe, the responsibilities of investors, and how to prepare tourists for visiting specially protected natural areas.
The head of state expressed confidence that the Forum will be held at a high level, and that its results will contribute to the development of tourism in Russia and the expansion of humanitarian and business ties.
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