MEDICAL AND HEALTH TOURISM OF KHMELNYTSKYI REGION, CURRENT STATE AND DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS
Authors: Dolynska Olha 
Published: August 2023

Health tourism is an important branch of economy for many countries of the world, including Ukraine. This industry of tourism is based on the use of natural resources to preserve and improve the health of tourists. Ukraine has great potential for the medical tourism development. Our country has rich natural resources such as the sea, mountains, forests and mineral springs that can be used for the treatment and health of tourists. In some regions of Ukraine, such as the Carpathians, Polissia, Odesa, medical and health tourism is already developed. The relevance of health tourism lies in the fact that it allows improving the health of tourists, and also stimulates the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the regions where the resorts are located. This contributes to increasing employment and raising the standard of living of the population in these regions. In addition, the development of medical tourism can help reduce dependence on imported medicinal products and increase the export of mineral waters and other natural resources. Tourism is an industry with positive development dynamics in the world, which indicates its stability as a social phenomenon. In Ukraine, a special place is occupied by the development of domestic tourism, which will be especially relevant in the post-war period. It is the development of domestic tourism that will satisfy the touristic demands and contribute to the inflow of funds into local budgets, the creation and preservation of jobs.
Khmelnytskyi region has many structural components of recreational resources, being a recreational region with many profile recreation. Medical tourism is one of the fastest growing tourism industries in the world. The basic idea is that tourists travel to another country or region to visit local spas, medical facilities, and other facilities to restore health and spiritual well-being. Often, health and medical tourism involves the use of natural healing resources (mineral waters, mud, climatic factors, etc.), medical procedures and specialized means of recreation. Medical tourism is a modern phenomenon that originated in ancient times. People have always tried to use natural resources to improve their health, the invention of transportation and the development of tourism made this process available to more people. The history of health tourism began in ancient times, when people began to use the healing properties of natural resources. Even in ancient times, people used mineral waters, clays, hot springs and other natural resources to treat various diseases. Khmelnytskyi region also has potential for the development of this industry. The region has rich natural potential, as well as historical and cultural attractions, which can be used to create resorts and improve the health of tourists. The relevance of health tourism in Khmelnytskyi region is that it can be one of the effective ways of developing the region. This can help attract investments and increase the level of employment in the region.
In addition, the development of health tourism can increase the popularity of Khmelnytskyi region among tourists and lead to an increase in income from tourism. One of the advantages of Khmelnytsky region is the presence of mineral springs and healing mud. These resources can be used to create treatment centers where tourists can take courses of treatment and recovery. Also, the region has potential for the development of ecological tourism, for example, the organization of hiking and cycling routes in forest areas and national parks. Khmelnytskyi region has huge diversity reserves of mineral waters.
Also, many promising deposits of mineral waters are concentrated here. On the territory of the region there are deposits of mineral waters that can be used in the treatment of various diseases. Medical tourism in Khmelnytskyi region has great potential for development. The region has rich natural resources that can be used to create new resorts and spas. In addition, the region is located in a climatic zone with mild winters and warm summers, which creates an opportunity for the development of various types of treatment and recovery. In Khmelnytskyi region there are already resorts specializing in the treatment of various diseases, such as diseases of the heart and blood vessels, respiratory diseases and others. However, in order to make this region more attractive for tourists, it is necessary to develop new directions, such as thalassotherapy, fitness tourism, mental health recovery tourism and others.
Key words: tourism, therapeutic, health-improving tourism, therapeutic tourism of Khmelnytskyi region.