Azerbaijan will bring together international experts, healthcare providers, tourism professionals and investors in Baku for the Health Tourism Conference, as the country steps up efforts to establish itself as a destination for medical, wellness and health tourism.
The conference is designed as a strategic platform connecting public institutions with healthcare and wellness providers, travel agencies, wellness and retreat facilitators, medical and wellness tourism operators, international experts, investors, destination management organisations and destination development partners.
Beyond promoting Azerbaijan’s existing offer, the event aims to encourage partnerships between the tourism and healthcare sectors, attract international expertise and investment, and support the development of new medical and wellness tourism products.
The conference comes at a particularly significant moment for the sector. Health tourism has recently been formally incorporated into Azerbaijan’s national tourism priorities under the country’s newly approved State Programme on the Development of Tourism for 2026–2030.
Health tourism enters Azerbaijan’s 2030 strategy
Approved by President Ilham Aliyev, the five-year programme provides a new framework for the development and diversification of Azerbaijan’s tourism industry through the end of the decade.
Health tourism is specifically addressed in the programme, which foresees the preparation of a dedicated strategy and action plan for the sector.
The country also plans to improve regulatory and legal acts governing the accreditation of medical institutions, with a particular focus on medical tourism. At least five facilities providing medical tourism services are expected to participate in international accreditation processes by the end of the programme period.
Importantly, the organisation of an annual Health Tourism Conference is itself included among the programme’s targets, giving the Baku event a formal role in Azerbaijan’s longer-term tourism development plans.
The wider 2026–2030 programme also envisages creating a tourism product centred on the Great Silk Road, launching eight cultural tourism products and organising four domestic and one international promotional event, including festivals. Restoration of monuments and infrastructure development in state historical and cultural reserves are also planned.
Together, the measures point to a broader effort to diversify Azerbaijan’s tourism economy and develop specialised segments capable of attracting new international markets.
Building an international health tourism platform
The Health Tourism Conference has been developing alongside those ambitions, bringing together stakeholders from Azerbaijan and abroad to examine opportunities across medical and wellness tourism.
The first Health Tourism Conference was held in Shusha in 2024, establishing a platform for discussions around Azerbaijan’s potential in the sector. The initiative has since expanded as the country seeks to develop stronger links between tourism, healthcare and wellness.
Through panel discussions, networking and business meetings, the event seeks to create stronger connections between healthcare institutions, tourism businesses, investors, facilitators and destination developers.
Azerbaijan has a range of natural resources that could support this positioning, including mineral and thermal waters, therapeutic muds and the country’s distinctive Naftalan oil, which has a long history of therapeutic use. These assets are increasingly complemented by spa, wellness, medical and recreation facilities.
The objective is not simply to attract people travelling for medical procedures, but to develop a broader health tourism ecosystem incorporating prevention, rehabilitation, wellness, balneotherapy and nature-based experiences.
Azerbaijan strengthens European health tourism links
As Travel Tomorrow reported from Varna earlier this year, Azerbaijan showcased its growing health tourism ambitions at the HEALTHXCHANGE Summit 2026, organised by the European Spas Association (ESPA).
Representing the Azerbaijan Tourism Board, Deputy Chairman Teymur Suleymanzada presented the country’s health tourism potential to European stakeholders, highlighting its mineral springs, therapeutic muds, favourable climate conditions and expanding network of spa and recreation facilities.
A significant development during the summit was the Azerbaijan Tourism Board joining ESPA as an advisory member, providing a platform for closer cooperation with European destinations and experts on issues such as quality standards, certification and destination management.
The move is particularly relevant as prevention, longevity and wellness become increasingly important elements of European tourism discussions.
Part of Azerbaijan’s wider tourism transformation
The increased focus on health tourism comes against the backdrop of a broader transformation of Azerbaijan’s visitor economy.
This growing focus on health tourism is part of Azerbaijan’s broader efforts to establish itself as a leading tourism destination in the Caucasus, diversifying its international offer across culture, nature, winter sports, gastronomy, wellness and other tourism segments.
The newly approved 2026–2030 tourism programme now provides a framework for taking that diversification further.
Within that context, the Health Tourism Conference in Baku represents more than an industry gathering. Combined with a dedicated national health tourism strategy, plans for international accreditation and growing cooperation with organisations such as ESPA, the annual event is becoming part of Azerbaijan’s efforts to build an internationally competitive medical and wellness tourism sector.
