Lithuania continues to strengthen its position in the international tourism arena – the country has been awarded one of the world’s most important health tourism awards, the ITB Health Tourism Award 2025. This prestigious award is given by ITB Berlin, the world’s largest and most influential tourism exhibition, which evaluates the achievements of countries in developing health tourism infrastructure, quality of services and international visibility.

“This recognition shows that Lithuania’s health tourism sector is internationally visible and has great potential for further growth. This opens up new opportunities to attract investment and expand the range of tourism services. It is not for nothing that one of our priorities is to further strengthen the tourism sector by seeking funding opportunities to promote strategic destinations,” says Agila Barzdienė, Deputy Minister of Economy and Innovation.

Healthcare sector growing rapidly

The award was presented to Lithuania on 5 March. “The award was presented to Lithuania on 5 March at the ITB Medical & Health Night event in Berlin, which brought together the world’s leading representatives of the health tourism industry.Lithuania was selected as the country with the highest level of medical and health services, sustainable development and successful international cooperation. “The ITB Health Tourism Award 2025 confirms that Lithuania is not only competing successfully with Europe’s most renowned resorts and spas, but is also becoming one of the world’s innovation leaders.

“This award is yet another proof that Lithuania is becoming more and more visible and appreciated in the international health tourism market. Our country’s spas and sanatoriums offer a unique combination of tradition and innovation, which attracts visitors from all over the world and is recognised by experts in the field,” says Olga Goncharova, Head of the national tourism promotion agency, public enterprise “Travel Lithuania”.

Lithuania’s sanatoriums and spa centres are distinguished by their unique natural resources, such as mineral water and therapeutic mud, whose healing effects are recognised internationally. Lithuania is included in the EU Patienten.DE list of recommended countries, which confirms the highest quality standards.

According to the National Association of Sanatoriums and Rehabilitation Institutions, in 2024, a record number of 290,000 clients visited Lithuanian sanatoriums and rehabilitation centres, or 16% more than the previous year. The number of overnight stays increased by 21% to almost 1.5 million, while the average length of stay increased from 4.8 to 5 days. The longest stays were by Israeli (11.9 nights) and German (11.5 nights) citizens.

“Our spas and rehabilitation centres are consistently working to ensure the highest quality of service. Today, we can be proud that Lithuania’s health services meet and even exceed European standards,” emphasises Lina Nosevič, Executive Director of the National Association of Sanatoriums and Rehabilitation Institutions.

International attention to Lithuania’s wellness sector is steadily growing – in 2024, the influential business magazine Forbes singled out Lithuania as one of the most important wellness destinations, highlighting the services provided by SPA Vilnius, a member of the Association of Sanatoriums and Rehabilitation Institutions.

Kristina Citvarienė, Executive Director of the Lithuanian Spa Association, notes that health tourism is a very promising direction for the Lithuanian hospitality sector, and such achievements as the ITB Health Tourism Award or the European Spa and Resort Association (ESPA) Congress held in Lithuania last autumn significantly strengthen Lithuania’s position in Europe as a high-quality health tourism destination.

“Lithuanian spas have long been renowned for their unique wellness traditions and innovative treatments.This award is a recognition of the work of the entire sector and proof that we are moving in the right direction, combining traditional values with modern technologies,” says K. Citvarienė.

The country’s name is getting louder

“The ITB Health Tourism Award 2025 will add to Lithuania’s recent crop of international awards. Last year, our country was voted the second best travel destination in the world and the first in Europe in 2025 by the global travel guide LonelyPlanet.

The prestigious Michelin Guide awarded four restaurants in the country with stars, one with the Michelin Green Star and four with the Bib Gourmand label.

The capital of the country also received an exceptional rating. Vilnius was awarded two special titles: it was named “European Christmas Capital 2025” and “European Green Capital 2025”.

“The latest ITB Health Tourism Award 2025 is not only a testament to the maturity of our health tourism sector, but also a recognition of Lithuania as a high-quality tourism destination. Together with other significant international accolades – from LonelyPlanet recommendations to Michelin stars and the title of Vilnius as the Green Capital – it shows that Lithuania is becoming more and more visible and appreciated on the world map. Our health tourism services, combining the richness of nature with modern technologies, are becoming one of the most important Lithuanian brands on the international market,” notes O.Gončarova.