Why consider Serbia

When you experience the hospitality and warmth of the local people, it’s hard to believe that Serbia was only recently torn apart by ethnic fighting that pitted family against family. And it is this unfailing kindness and openness that is one of the country’s biggest attractions.

For example, if you are asked to lunch, the biggest meal of the day, by a Serb, you will not have to pay for a single thing, not even drinks. They pride themselves on hospitality and looking after their guests, and this attitude runs throughout their society and is nowhere more obvious than in their healthcare.

Serbia deserves consideration partly because the country wants it so much. They are desperate to rejoin the mainstream, with an ongoing application to join the European Union making steady progress, and they see tourists, especially medical tourists, as a way of showing the world all that Serbia has to offer. They want to ensure that everyone leaves with a good experience of their country, becoming an ambassador that will encourage others to pay them a visit.

Serbia has a long tradition of welcoming healthcare tourists to their country. As far back as Roman times, people have been coming to Serbia for the thousand or more natural mineral springs and medicinal mud baths. Today there are more than three hundred and fifty thermal springs in over 50 resorts, all offering a huge range of complementary treatments. Vrnjacka Banja is the largest spa resort, and the only one where the mineral spas leave the ground at body temperature. These natural remedies make the perfect partner to the more modern medical treatments available at the numerous city centre clinics aimed at the healthcare tourist.

While the Serbian healthcare system may still be struggling, facilities for overseas visitors are top quality. Healthcare tourism is still in its infancy in Serbia, but it is growing rapidly, with expanding facilities to match including clinics for cosmetic surgery, dentistry, fertility treatment and weight loss procedures. Prices are still relatively low, to attract business and establish Serbia as a major healthcare tourism destination, with savings of around 50%-60% compared to other European countries or the United States

Combine this with stunning country retreats, where you can recover and recuperate amid fresh air and beautiful scenery, and you have the perfect recipe for a great value treatment trip.