ASPECTS OF THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT OF HEALTH TOURISM

Abstract

Tourism is considered as a powerful life force for economic and social development. The tourism sector stimulates economic growth both nationally and internationally, increasing employment and investment, with the export of services developing in both quantitative and qualitative terms. Tourism contributes to the preservation of cultural and natural heritage, it guarantees income which could be used to finance cultural heritage objects and infrastructures, promoting the overall perception of European identity and citizenship based on diversity and exceptionality (European Tourism Manifesto, 2022). In 2021, Lithuania Travel, a public enterprise, carried out research on the development of the tourism sector with the analysis of research findings provided by the expert group of the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) and the European Travel Commission (ETC). According to the research, the period of crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the severe restrictions applied to the tourism sector in all countries, which not only had short-term negative effects, but also changed travel traditions and habits (increased demand for nature and domestic tourism, health, hygienic conditions and safety considered as the most important criterion when choosing a travel destination), is also relevant as Lithuania needs to maximise its potential by creating an image of a safe country with high standards of hygiene. According to the above-mentioned research, the integration of innovations and technological novelties in the tourism sector was also emphasised. In the course of the development of the tourism industry, of which the segment of health tourism is a part, with the ambition not only to reach the quantitative rates of 2019, but even to exceed them, it is reasonable to assess the socio-economic impact. The aim of this article is – to present aspects of socio-economic impact of health tourism on sending and receiving countries. During the systematic review of the research literature, the search for research articles was carried out in the following databases: Cambridge Journals Online; EBSCO; Emerald Publishing; SAGE Journals Online; Science direct; Tylor&Francis etc. The research articles included in the systemic research review cover the period from 1999 to 2023. The methods of comparative analysis, synthesis, graphical presentation and generalisation were used to present the research results. The study assessed the socio-economic impact of health tourism in two areas: positive and negative impact on the countries that send and receive tourists. The analysis of the research literature carried out has shown that if the appropriate regulatory mechanism of health services is not ensured, as well as the appropriate and fair distribution of income from health tourism activities, it may be difficult for low-income social groups to receive timely health services. Therefore, during the development of the health tourism industry, special attention should be paid to ensuring equal access to health services for all social groups, as well as to the training of competent professionals working in health tourism organisations.