Mayor of Birštonas: does Lithuania still need resorts?

And although these cities attract a lot of both Lithuanian and foreign tourists, according to Birštonas municipality mayor Nijolė Dirginčienė, the attention of the authorities is lacking.
The municipality of Birštonas invites you to discuss the future of resorts, infrastructure, the importance of disease prevention, tourist attraction and image formation on September 2-3. in the discussion "Does Lithuania still need resorts?" to be held at the "Būtent!" festival.

Attracts tourist flows

The Lithuanian resorts of Druskininkai, Birštonas, Palanga and Neringa and the resort areas of Anykščiai, Trakai, Zarasai, the territories of parts of the villages of Strigailiškis and Palūšės in the city of Ignalina, and the territories of the towns of Kulautuva, Kačerginė and part of the town of Zapyškis stand out for their green nature and orderly environment.
As N. Dirginčienė says, this attraction attracts tourists from Israel, Germany and other countries. Birštonas was recently praised by the Japanese ambassador who visited here, who hoped that the residents of his country would also be able to use the services of Lithuanian resorts.

Over many years of operation, the cities and areas of the country that are attracted to health services have accumulated considerable experience and a material base for the provision of sanatorium rehabilitation services, and have developed a special infrastructure, but this may not be enough for the future.

As the interlocutor says, experience shows that resorts need not only the initiatives of local residents and businesses, but also the attention of the state in improving local communication, the tourism sector, and giving residents more opportunities to receive rehabilitation faster and in perfectly adapted sanatoriums.
Business or state issue?

According to the mayor of Birštonas, the resorts in our country are members of the European SPA Association, so representatives of Lithuanian resorts notice that compared to their colleagues in foreign countries, Lithuania lacks attention and funds.

"The Association of Lithuanian Resorts has repeatedly appealed to the Seimas and the Government, but they still do not receive attention, and after all, resorts help create the country's image. They are important not only for health, but also for tourism.

Birštonas alone receives six times more tourists every year than it has permanent residents, which wears out the infrastructure, which is extremely important.
At the beginning of this year, the reform of health care institutions initiated by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania caused a real threat to the further development of resorts and their infrastructure.

It is planned that there will be a decrease in inpatient rehabilitation in Lithuania, although we have excellent and developed services", says the mayor of the city.

According to the opponents of this debate, business should deal with resorts and the issues of health and wellness services and tourism provided here.

The goal is to keep a person healthy as long as possible

Speaking about the benefits provided by spas, the interviewer says that one of the biggest benefits is the prevention of diseases and deepening of knowledge about a healthy lifestyle.
According to the initiator of the discussion, people visiting spas recognize that rehabilitation and wellness services provide great benefits, and there is no shortage of people who want to visit the country's spas for both rehabilitation and leisure purposes.

"It is always better to invest in prevention than to pay for pills or treatment later. That is why it is nice to see young families with children in the resorts.

It is important that people understand that they need to take care of themselves until they get sick, and the environment itself heals at the resort. The goal of all spa services is to keep a person healthy for as long as possible.

If various European Union funds are allocated to large cities and rural areas, the resorts are bypassed despite the fact that they also need investments that will pay off in the future. We are simply interested to hear why more attention cannot be paid to resort areas and what the future holds for these cities and areas if we do not start work now", asks N. Dirginčienė.