The project researches and tries to determine the importance of health tourism in the competitiveness of rural regions in the cross-border area and to identify the most important factors of success. Research will be conducted on investments, grants and supports in health tourism in the cross-border area, the role of health tourism enterprises and health institutions in regional incomes will be assessed, as well as the competitiveness of health tourism in the border region and the social impacts of health tourism on employment, educational level and living standards. Research findings are to help local decision makers to guide their health tourism related development strategies. An IT platform will be created for the encouragement of a cross-border network of Croatian and Hungarian health tourism actors to share ideas, discuss development plans Achievements: All the relevant actors in the health tourism industry were included in a comprehensive research trying to determine the importance of health tourism in the competitiveness of rural regions in the cross-border area and to identify the most important factors of success. Research was conducted on investments, grants and supports in health tourism in the cross-border area, and its fi ndings are to serve as a framework helping local decision makers to guide their health tourism related development strategies.