Analyze of south Georgian healthcare tourism cluster comparing with german and hungarian examples of the regional planning of resort cities

Book of proceedings: Annual AESOP Congress, Spaces of Dialog for Places of Dignity, Lisbon, 11-14th July, 2017The article discusses importance issues of medical tourism and resort medicine for the case of Southern Georgian resorts, especially resorts in Samtskhe-Javakheti Region Akhaltsikhe, Borjomi and Abastumani. Cluster analysis principle is applied and the central role of health-care tourism and resort medicine in Tourism and Recreation Cluster of Samtskhe-Javakheti is defined. Historical experience of Georgia in health-care tourism and resort medicine is highlighted. Renewed development of health-care tourism and resort medicine should be related to the Sustainable Urban Development of these settlements, therefore, future policy should be determined. In this regard, complex activities in following issues were offered: education improvement in the field of resort medicine, considering appropriate resort treatment in insurance packages, urban planning solutions and Smart city management, environmental and protective planting issues, rehabilitation of resort infrastructure. We offer to create health-care tourism cluster for Georgia considering contemporary trends, and for this were defined successful examples of developed countries, in particular, German and Hungarian cases. The direct contribution of Travel and Tourism to GDP was 6.5% in 2015 in Hungary. The raising part of tourism is medical tourism in Hungary and the most popular area situated near to the Austrian border. All over the country there are many type of baths and the therapeutic use of them is common. The good examples of them could be helpful to create a brand new touristic destination in Georgia. Also a good example for Georgian healthcare Tourism Cluster development is a managed system of German resots named Deutscher Heilbäderverband. Resorts of Germany have united functional system, with interactive map and comprehensive information, resorts profile and category classification, affordable health-care activities, etc. In tourism and recreation cluster of Samtskhe-Javakheti are considered Akhaltsikhe, Borjomi and Abastumani, like resorts, determining main profile of the region. Also potential thermal resorts of South Georgia should be considered for future development. In this regard climatic and geographic characteristics, also balneology resources potential of above mentioned resort cities were shown. Sustainable urban development recommendations for the rehabilitation and further development of the health-care tourism and resort medicine field were worked out.Published versio