Development tendencies of the sanatorium and resort economy of Ukraine

Abstract

The article analyzes the current state of Ukraine’s health resort industry under martial law conditions. Key development trends have been identified, including a significant reduction in the number of health resort facilities due to the annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the impact of active hostilities and missile attacks in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Mykolaiv regions. These factors severely restrict the use of natural and climatic resources and health resort infrastructure, negatively affecting the industry's development prospects.

The study employs a systemic approach to comprehensively assess the influence of external and internal factors on the functioning of the health resort sector. Methods of statistical analysis, comparative research, and expert evaluation were used to examine the current challenges.

The research identifies key issues affecting the development of the health resort industry, including reduced state funding due to the unstable military-political and economic situation, physical and moral deterioration of most facilities built in the 1980s and 1990s, and insufficient regulatory oversight, which has led to the illegal use of health resort infrastructure and resources.

Possible solutions to these problems have been outlined, including the integration of Ukraine’s health resort industry into the international medical tourism market, modernization of resort infrastructure with advanced rehabilitation technologies, the creation of a global information space for promoting Ukrainian health resorts, development of communication technologies aimed at improving interaction with foreign customers, and strengthening regulatory policies in the health resort sector. A crucial factor in improving the situation is raising the standard of living, which will help expand the domestic market for health resort services.

It is concluded that the restoration and development of Ukraine’s health resort industry require government support, investment in modernization, adaptation to European medical tourism standards, and active engagement with international partners. The implementation of comprehensive reforms will enhance the competitiveness of Ukraine’s health resort sector in the global market.