October 21, 2019 - The 3rd Adriatic Health, Sport & Tourism Investment Forum kicked off at Hotel Westin in Zagreb with a very high-profile audience on Day 1. 

As renowned medical tourism speaker Dr. Prem Jagyasi put it as he moderated one of the panels on the first day of the Adriatic Health, Sport & Tourism Investment Forum in Zagreb:

"I have been to 65 countries and spoken at countless health tourism conferences, but this is the only one which combines health tourism with investment. That is what makes it unique."

It seems that Dr.Prem, one of a number of highly respected international medical tourism speakers at the event, was not alone. The turnout of local dignitaries was no less impressive. Both Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli and Minister of Health Milan Kujundzic gave introductory speeches, and there was representation from no less than 16 foreign embassies in Zagreb. 

Some of the top names in Croatian medical tourism were also on the speaker list, including Vlasta Brozicevic, the industry pioneer behind Teme Selce, pictured here with Dr Prem, TCN and conference organiser, Dr Miljenko Bura. 

Two things which sets this conference apart from other medical tourism conferences in Croatia is that focus on investment, as well as examples of best practices and experiences from other countries in the region. Magdalena Rutkowska's presentation on the success of Medical Tourism Partner Poland's success in using EU funds in developing Poland's medical tourism story resonated strongly, as Croatia looks to take advantage of its own considerable medical tourism potential.

And there were presentations of concrete projects either in the planning stages or ready for investors.  Among them, Jeff Blackard's 500-million-euro Pasman Rivijera project on the island of Pasman, which will transform wellness tourism in Croatia if it is realised. 

There were plenty of other concrete projects ready to go and looking for investors, such as this one on Pag. 

But the main investment focus was on the city of Sibenik, the main sponsor of the forum, and Sibenik Mayor Zeljko Buric, another high-profile speaker, who gave an intelligent and eloquent overview of the investment opportunities for his city. 

The 3rd Adriatic Health, Sport & Tourism Investment Forum concludes tomorrow with another day of presentations, panels and workshops. Keeping in tune with the high-level interest so far, among the speakers will be Croatian sporting legends Davor Suker and Marin Cilic. 

To learn more about the forum, click here. 

To learn more about the organisers, including their other initiatives to develop medical tourism in the Adriatic, visit the Medical Group Ltd website. 

To follow the latest from the Croatian medical tourism industry, follow the dedicated TCN section.