September the 27th, 2024 – Croatian health tourism is a hit, but there are still improvements to be made going forward.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Ana Roksandic writes, while the majority of the focus is on the coast in the summer, tourism in this country also exists in numerous other forms. Those other forms are becoming more and more profitable, and the top one is Croatian health tourism. Numerous foreign and domestic guests alike choose to receive medical services and treatments in many locations across Croatia.
It is a huge industry present all over the world. Back 2020, the value of the global health tourism sector stood at around 54 billion US dollars, and according to estimates, this amount will quadruple by 2027.
Health tourism includes medical tourism, spa tourism and medical wellness. Among guests who choose Croatia as a destination for medical tourism services, dental and aesthetic medicine services are the most popular, followed by ophthalmology and optometry, orthopedics and oncology services.
dental tourism
This is evidenced by the Adria Dental Group, which claims that the most popular clinics are located near major tourist centres, such as coastal cities on the Adriatic and larger urban centres such as Zagreb.
Ivana Murati Petrović, director of operations at Adria Dental Group, says that many patients come from neighbouring countries, as well as from more distant parts of Europe. They’re all attracted by favourable prices, a high level of service and expertise, and the modern technology used in procedures.
“During 2023, Adria Dental Group provided dental services to more than 40,000 patients, a significant part of which came from different parts of Europe. Our patients primarily appreciate the excellence and expertise of our medical team. A typical patient is a middle-aged or elderly adult, who is looking for advanced procedures such as implantology, tooth reconstruction and aesthetic dentistry,” explained Murati Petrović.
plastic surgery
Aside from dental services, Croatian health tourism is also on the up in regard to plastic surgery. The well known Bagatin polyclinic offers numerous services such as aesthetic surgery, dermatology, dentistry and hair transplants. Over the last ten years, they’ve noticed a significant increase in the number of patients from abroad, and more often from distant places such as the USA and even Australia. Foreign patients make up 30% of all of the patients of this clinic.
Dr. Tomica Bagatin, a specialist in maxillofacial surgery and owner of Polyclinic Bagatin, revealed what the most requested procedures are:
“Among the most requested procedures are rhinoplasty (nose surgery), blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), breast lifts and enlargement, and face lifting (facial surgery). In addition to these popular aesthetic procedures, we also notice a significant interest in abdominoplasty (stomach surgery), which is especially sought after by patients who want to improve the appearance of their abdomen after significant weight loss or pregnancy.”
The fact that we’re a frequent choice for foreign guests who want a quality health service means a lot for earnings in Croatian health tourism. The Ministry of Tourism pointed out that the income from Croatian health tourism can only be estimated, given that there is no unified way of measuring the results. It’s currently estimated that medical, rehabilitation and wellness tourism in this country generate between 700 and 900 million euros annually. One of the reasons for such growth is attractive prices for very high quality service.
“We’re certainly very competitive with our prices. When we compare all the segments included in the offer, we are cheaper by a third than the European average”, claimed Viktor Peršić, director of the Thalassotherapia Opatija hospital.
technology and excellent english boost croatian health tourism
It’s also important to attract foreign guests. Jadranka Primorac, chief executive and operational director of the St. Catherine (Sveta Katarina) Special Hospital, says that for international marketing they use digital platforms, social media, health portals and specialised sites for international tourism. In addition, their doctors participate in international congresses and seminars, where they present innovations and the latest treatment methods, which further attract the attention of the global professional community.
On its website, the Ministry of Health emphasises the provision of high-level health services, professional and qualified staff, natural beauty and a favourable climate, a long tradition in tourism, proximity to large markets, high safety levels and competitive prices as the advantages of Croatia. In addition, Lana Petrović Blajić, business secretary of the Health Tourism Association of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK), noted that the Croatian health tourism scene boasts staff who speak English very well, which gives the country a huge advantage compared to neighbouring Hungary, where that is much less common.
“We have advanced technology, especially in private polyclinics that invest a lot in it. Croatian health tourism’s shortcoming, which we’ve already started to solve, is the outdated infrastructure of special hospitals and sanatoriums that are owned by the county, and in which far less has been invested over the years. However, last year, as many as 16 projects received around 106 million euros for capital investments”, noted Petrović Blajić.
promoting croatian health tourism
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports the Ministry of Health, the Croatian Tourist Board and the Croatian Chamber of Commerce have prepared the “Health Tourism Croatia” brand project in cooperation and started promoting it at fairs and other important events. By connecting the existing tourist infrastructure with various forms of health tourism, they believe they’ll achieve significantly better results.
“Large hotel companies and travel agencies increasingly recognise this opportunity and are ready for cooperation. However, in order for the market to recognise this, we need connection, cooperation and stronger and more specific marketing of this segment of the offer. We also need modern agencies and facilitators, who will offer the market innovative, attractive packages that contain all the necessary elements for making a decision about arrival – from accommodation and transportation, to health services, insurance and all additional services that make such a stay safe and pleasant,” they stated from the Ministry of Tourism and Sport.
Connecting is one of the goals of the activities of the Community of Health Tourism at HGK, which brings together all the key stakeholders of such development – special hospitals, health resorts, spas, clinics, hotels, agencies, educational institutions, clusters and other relevant stakeholders.
capital investments in croatian health tourism speak for themselves
For those who engage in Croatian health tourism and are not in a major city, the lack of air transportation can be a challenge. “I believe they’d do even better if we improved air transport. For example, Scandinavians interested in cosmetic surgery must have some kind of direct flight or even a charter to get to us. Transport is crucial,” Peršić asserted. In addition to connectivity, it is also necessary to work on strengthening the Croatian brand as a whole, especially in the wellness sector.
“I believe that the wellness segment is the next step in progress. It’s necessary to strengthen the wellness segment in hotels, because in this way the season is extended. Croatian health tourism is a year-round product. Croatia needs to work on its image as a wellness destination, it isn’t yet as strong as that of Slovenia and Austria,” warned Petrović Blajić.
In addition to the fact that both the private and public sectors work diligently on the already traditional branches of Croatian health tourism, experts believe that there is room for additional market conquests in the so far less covered branches of health tourism, such as burnout clinics and preventive wellness.
