Logo_Service & Tourism: Current Challenges_eng

Spatial Organization of Tourism and Hospitality

Vol. 20 No. 4 (2026)

STUDYING THE ROLE OF THE LANKARAN-ASTARA ECONOMIC REGION IN AZERBAIJAN FOR MEDICAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT BASED ON MINERAL SPRINGS

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22412/2414-9063-2026-20-4-116-126
Submitted
October 16, 2026
Published
October 16, 2026

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the current status and development prospects of medical tourism in the Lankaran-­Astara economic region, based on presidential decrees on resorts and the Strategic Roadmap for Tourism Development in Azerbaijan. Systematic, evaluative, and statistical methods were used for the study. To study medical tourism, healthcare data in Azerbaijan (2024) and indicators of resort and tourism complexes in Azerbaijan (2010–2024) were analyzed, and the shares of regions were determined. The works of local and international authors were studied to determine promising areas for medical tourism development based on mineral springs. Statistical indicators of foreigners and stateless persons visiting Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijani citizens traveling abroad for health and wellness tourism for 2006–2024, were also analyzed. Growth and decline trends, as well as the causes of these trends, were identified. The study found that the Lankaran-­Astara economic region is experiencing a shortage of doctors and paramedical personnel, necessitating their relocation from the Baku economic region to the study area. The research revealed that the decline in all indicators of resort and tourism complexes (except for the bed fonds in recreation centers, preventive clinics, boarding houses, and medical centers) between 2010 and 2024 is due to the sector underdevelopment. These findings can be used in state programs for the socioeconomic development of other economic regions of Azerbaijan.

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