Universal Journal of Public Health 9(2): 27-34, 2021 http://www.hrpub.org DOI: 10.13189/ujph.2021.090201 Medical Tourism: Analysis of the State of International Tourism and Prospects for Domestic Development Igor Turski 1,* , Hanna Mashika 2 , Tetiana Tkachenko 3 , Maryna Khmara 4 , Igor Komarnitskyi 5 , Mariia Oliinyk 6 1 Department of Tourism, Hotel and Restaurant Business, Lutsk National Technical University, Lutsk, Ukraine 2 Department of Tourism, Uzhgorod National University, Uzhorod, Ukraine 3 Department of Tourism and Recreation, Kyiv National University of Trade and Economics, Kyiv, Ukraine 4 Department of International Business, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv, Ukraine 5 Faculty of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Business, Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, Kyiv, Ukraine 6 Department of International Accounting and Audit, Kyiv National Economic University, Kyiv, Ukraine Received December 27, 2020; Revised February 7, 2021; Accepted March 12, 2021 Cite This Paper in the following Citation Styles (a): [1] Igor Turski, Hanna Mashika, Tetiana Tkachenko, Maryna Khmara, Igor Komarnitskyi, Mariia Oliinyk , "Medical Tourism: Analysis of the State of International Tourism and Prospects for Domestic Development," Universal Journal of Public Health, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 27 - 34, 2021. DOI: 10.13189/ujph.2021.090201. (b): Igor Turski, Hanna Mashika, Tetiana Tkachenko, Maryna Khmara, Igor Komarnitskyi, Mariia Oliinyk (2021). Medical Tourism: Analysis of the State of International Tourism and Prospects for Domestic Development. Universal Journal of Public Health, 9(2), 27 - 34. DOI: 10.13189/ujph.2021.090201. Copyright©2021 by authors, all rights reserved. Authors agree that this article remains permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License Abstract Medical tourism is a relatively popular area of tourism, and the primary purpose is to organize the treatment of a patient abroad. It differs from usual tourism in that rest abroad is combined with medical services, which are ready to provide the world's leading centres and clinics. The study is devoted to developing recommendations for ensuring the sustainable development of Ukrainian medical tourism, based on the analysis of international tourism achievements. In their study, the authors similarly considered the very concept of medical tourism, its features and main directions, namely, the authors deemed such directions as diagnostic, therapeutic, rehabilitation, health-improving and non-traditional tourism. The authors examined the leading countries of inbound medical tourism, as well as the key incentives for such tourists. Analysis of the growth dynamics of medical tourists by year and the main directions of medical tourism in Ukraine allowed the authors to highlight the most promising Ukrainian medical tourism destinations. In conclusion, the authors analyzed the benefits of international and Ukrainian medical tourism. Summing up, the authors concluded that medical tourism in Ukraine is only at the initial stage of its development; however, certain regions have significant potential for its successful formation. Keywords Bio Insurance, Healthy Lifestyle, Medical Assistance, Medical Tourism, Medical Tourism Index Score, Medical Services, Sports 1. Introduction The country's development and prosperity, labour, intellectual and demographic potential directly depend on its citizens' health. Health is the leading and indisputable component of active life and everyday human existence, but the human body's functional capabilities are not unlimited. In the conditions of the rapidly growing pace of modern life, the acceleration of scientific and technological progress, which entail not only positive, but inevitably emerging negative consequences for health, there is a pronounced depletion of the defences of the human body and, as a consequence, deterioration of the activity of the most critical systems and life support organs. There is a significant increase in the incidence of the population and the "rejuvenation" of diseases traditionally characteristic of the elderly, such as strokes, cardiovascular and oncological diseases, diseases of the musculoskeletal system, the emergence of new, more