MINSK, 17 June (BelTA) - Eurasian partnership and cooperation in tourism and health resort services has developed into the Eurasian Health Resort Ring integration project, BelTA learned from the website of the Belarusian National Center for Recuperation and Health Resort Treatment.
The Eurasian Health Resort Ring project was presented at the Russian Forum Zdravnitsa [Health Resort] 2021 on 15 June. The project has been designed to coordinate expert, financial, digital and non-financial support to participants of sanatorium treatment and recreation industry of the EAEU member states within the framework of partnership ecosystem. It will be implemented by the National Resort Association and the organizing committee of the Regions-Sustainable Development contest on Russia's behalf, the National Resort Association (Kazakhstan) and the Association of Resorts of Kyrgyzstan. Belarus is taking part in the project through its National Center for Recuperation and Health Resort Treatment.
The total number of facilities and associated participants in the Eurasian project is more than 4,200 organizations. The number of visitors to sanatorium treatment and recreation organizations before the pandemic was more than 3 million people a year.
The initiator and coordinator of the project is the EAEU Development Center, a platform for business dialogue, initiation and development of joint Eurasian integration projects, cooperation, technology transfer and building other business cooperation between the EAEU member states.
Alexander Mundt, head of the EAEU Development Center, commenting on the launch of the project, expressed confidence that this is a new stage in the development of the tourism industry in the EAEU member states. “Eurasian partnership in health resort treatment and recreation has been designed as part of the request from the business community that suffered from the restrictive measures imposed during the pandemic. The project involves not only the restoration of client flows at previous levels, but also the provision of comprehensive support to the participants and partners of the project, the national government agencies. It will be aimed at modernization and renovation of the facilities, commissioning of modern room stock, digitalization of processes, and improving the quality of services,” he said.
In April 2021, Russia launched a national industry project office, the purpose of which is to promote investment projects and business initiatives in sanatorium treatment and recreation. “One of the objectives of the Eurasian Health Resort Ring is to improve the quality of project management and the availability of project financing. We are happy to have this opportunity to expand partnership with the EAEU states and ‘export' Russian experience to the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union,” said Anna Belichenko, the chairperson of the organizing committee of the Regions-Sustainable Development contest. President of the National Resort Association Alexander Razumov added that cooperation within the project also involves assistance in attracting funding to improve service, upgrade infrastructure and room stock, technological upgrade of health resorts in the EAEU countries as part of a one-shop stop principle.
Representatives from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan stressed the importance of the project for the development of the unique properties of the resorts in the participating countries and the restoration of tourism in general.
“The Eurasian Health Resort Ring is an important integration project. It will contribute to the implementation of joint Eurasian integration projects in health resort treatment and recreation, strengthen cooperation between medical tourism facilities, promote exchange of experience, attract new consumers of health and recreational services, improve the health and recreational infrastructure, and create prerequisites for further improvement of activities of health resort and recreational organizations, stronger competitiveness in the international recreational market, development of marketing mechanisms and digitalization of the health product, its better quality,” Director of the National Center for Recuperation and Health Resort Treatment Gennady Bolbatovsky said.
