The Bled Water Forum is currently leading several international initiatives focused on:
• New frameworks for drinking water quality
• Mineralization and classification profiles
• Source protection and public water excellence
• Advanced certification systems for institutions and facilities offering high-quality drinking water
• Education and development of water sommeliers and water technologies

We strongly believe that the European spa sector – with its deep heritage, scientific knowledge, and operational expertise – represents one of the most advanced real-world applications of mineral and natural waters for health, wellbeing, prevention, and medical tourism. This makes ESPA a natural and essential partner in shaping the future of water standards.

Together, we aim to co-create:
Global quality standards for drinking and spa waters
Classification and mineralization frameworks connecting health, wellness, and public water systems
A new certification system for destinations and facilities offering exceptional drinking and mineral waters across hospitality, spa, medical, and public environments

This cooperation will connect scientific, regulatory, and operational perspectives into a coherent European and global reference framework for water excellence.

Bled Water Forum in June, with a dedicated panel or keynote on:

More information about the Bled Water Forum: https://bledwf.com/

We look forward to shaping the future of water—together.

We are deeply honoured to receive this inspiring message from Ms. Ekaterina Zaharieva, EU Commissioner, on the occasion of the 30th Anniversary Congress of the European Spas Association.

Her words highlight the vital role of Europe’s medical spas and natural health resorts in advancing preventive healthcare, sustainable tourism, and climate-responsive wellbeing.

“Reaching three decades of leadership in promoting preventive healthcare, sustainable tourism, and climate-responsive wellness is an extraordinary achievement. Your continued dedication to positioning Europe’s medical spas and natural health resorts at the forefront of innovation is both visionary and deeply aligned with the EU’s goals for longevity, resilience, and green transformation.”

This recognition reinforces our shared mission — to bridge tradition and innovation, ensuring that Europe’s healing destinations remain key contributors to longevity, resilience, and sustainable development.

We thank Commissioner Zaharieva and the European institutions for acknowledging our collective efforts. Together, we continue building a healthier and more sustainable Europe — one where nature, science, and wellbeing go hand in hand.

Mrs. Elisabetta Neri, CEO of Travelux Club and a distinguished speaker at the last European Spas Congress, provided insights into luxury tourism and introduced the prestigious B2B event in Venice, where luxury travel tour operators connect. As part of this ongoing collaboration, the Slovenian Spas Association presented the “Healing Water Initiative“. This initiative, spearheaded by the European Spas Association in 2023 at ITB Berlin, highlights the significance of mineral water in health and wellness. Rich in essential minerals, natural healing waters help replenish electrolytes, support muscle recovery, and improve circulation. Detoxification & Metabolism Boost – Drinking and bathing in mineral-rich waters can enhance detoxification, aid digestion, and optimize metabolic functions.

From March 18 to 22, Slovenian Spas participated in the Travelux Club event at the JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa. A Water Bar – “Healthy Waters” offered tastings of European mineral water, attracting luxury travel professionals. A special presentation was delivered by Iztok Altbauer, introducing Slovenian Spas & Health Resorts and ESPA members. At the same time, Marko Gajić, co-founder of the Bled Water Festival, emphasized the connection between water and health. A guided water-tasting experience featuring waters from Slovenia, Italy, and Korea was a highlight for journalists and select tour operators.

Following last year’s success, Travelux Club continues to focus on health and well-being. The enthusiastic reception of the Healing Water Initiative reinforces the growing interest in natural healing resources within the luxury travel sector.

Press conference on the topic of health and well-being

On Monday, March 17, the Slovenian Tourist Board’s representative office in Italy, in cooperation with the Slovenian Spas Association, organized a joint press conference on the topic of health and well-being at the Portrait Hotel Milano with a tour of The Longevity Suite Spa.

The press conference was attended by 12 selected top journalists and influencers, to whom Iztok Altbauer, Director of the Slovenian Spas Association, presented the novelties in the offer of Slovenian health and Spa resorts. The participants were also greeted by Aljoša Ota, Head of the Slovenian Tourist Board Representative Office in Italy, who emphasized the proximity of Slovenia and the extremely rich and high-quality offer of Slovenian health resorts, which is certainly at the highest level and at the forefront of prevention and physical and mental well-being, whether it is from the choice of food, healthy waters and activities that bring them into contact with unspoiled nature. The location was chosen because Portrait Milano is the first hotel in the world to host The Longevity Suite, a brand of Biohacking & Antiage, which accompanies guests to achieve the best version of themselves and promotes the perfect balance between health, conscious beauty and mental energy.

For more information:

SLOVENIAN SPAS ASSOCIATION                                
Teharska cesta 40, 3000 Celje
+386 3 544 21 11, ssnz@ssnz.si, www.slovenia-terme.si
Contact person: Iztok Altbauer, Managing Director       

European Spas Association invites Spa and health professionals to join the 27th Annual Congress. Congress will be organised in cooperation with the Region and the City of Karlovy Vary with its own Institute for Balneology and Scientific Studies, Czech Tourism and Czech Spa Association.

The programme will be structured in a way to deepen many aspects of health tourism in three sections with experts. 
1. Market research, trends, EU strategies, sales, and innovation in the field of sustainability 
2. Medical research and socio-economic factors 
3. Decisions and best examples of urban and regional development in spa towns

We are honoured to present the first speakers and topics:
Jakub Hlávka, PhD, from Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics will talk about the interdisciplinary approach to advance economic, health services and policy research, for a new generation of global health policy leaders. Sven Aerts from European Commission will present a Long Covid Strategy & Funding. Daniel Fajkus, Falkensteiner Spa Resort Marianske Lazne about Cause instead of symptoms – a holistic approach to healing in Spas. Caroline Giraud from Banyan Tree will present a best practice case about the International brand on expansion – well-being and self-discovery with Banyan Tree’s Wellbeing Sanctuary….

The international (ESPA) section is focusing on the following four main topics:

• EU Health Policy
• Sales strategy and sales channels in the spa industry
• The best examples of entrepreneurship in the spa business – new trends, real-world examples
• Sustainability, effectiveness, and energy savings in the spa industry

The medical and scientific section gives experts insights into the topic:

• Objectification of the spa comprehensive treatment and new trend in the spa and balneology
• Post-covid syndrome  – treatment options in health spas
• Role of balneology in the Physical/Mental health prevention
• Environmental sciences in the spa regions
• Objectification of the spa comprehensive treatment and new trend in the spa and balneology

The Mayor’s Meeting, chaired by the Mayoress of Karlovy Vary Mrs. Andrea Pfeffer Ferklová, will exchange the best case in urban planning and regional development issues.

Stay tuned for more information!

We are revealing the venues…

The Get-together party on 4th October takes you to the Casino Royale film set. Feel like James Bond and be one of the first guests after a long renovation in the Emperor – Kaiserbad Spa. We are ready for action!
Lectures will be held on 5th October in Hotel Thermal, which is a modern 4* spa & congress hotel.
The evening highlight will be a traditional ESPA Innovation Award Ceremony with a Gala Dinner, taking place in the famous Grand Hotel Pupp, the iconic hotel and architectural jewel of Karlovy Vary.  The Grandhotel Pupp is a luxurious setting that has been a meeting place and entertainment venue and synonymous with first-class hospitality for more than three centuries. Get your Spa industry Award where the celebrities of Karlovy Vary Film Festival winners usually come in.

A preliminary programme will soon be announced on the congress website: https://europeanspas.eu/congress/
All information about the registration, accommodation and payments can be found at the website: https://live.eventtia.com/en/espa

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BALNEOTHERAPY HAS A PARTICULAR ROLE TO PLAY FOR PATIENTS WHO HAVE FAILED TO RECEIVE TREATMENT.

Claude-Eugène Bouvier is the creator and founder of an online library, which collects all scientific studies of balneology/spa medicine in one place at the European Spas website and makes them available free of charge. 

What health problems and outcomes are most important in today’s society?

The health expenditures of European countries have been undergoing a paradigm shift since the beginning of this new century. Previously burdened by the cost of treating contagious diseases (tuberculosis, influenza, measles, STDs, etc.), health budgets are now strained by the cost of treating non-communicable diseases, many of which are so-called civilizational diseases, related to diet, lack of physical activity, addiction (alcohol, tobacco, drugs) and the effects of a potentially harmful environment. Many of these diseases are chronic: they are long-lasting, progressive, and can be controlled but rarely cured. In most Western countries, these chronic diseases now account for 80% of the annual increase in healthcare spending. 

What is the potential of natural resources such as natural healing water, peloids, gases, and climatic conditions for treatments? How do you see future development?

In the context of these chronic diseases, balneotherapy has a particular role to play for patients who have failed to receive treatment, have no therapeutic alternative, or simply need a treatment that complements the one offered to them through their general practitioners. When we look at the complaints of chronically ill patients, those most frequently expressed are pain, limitation of abilities, i.e. discomfort or handicap in the execution of daily life gestures (climbing stairs, tying shoes, grooming, etc.), and reduction in quality of life. These are precisely the areas in which the spa treatment provides benefits.

THE EUROPEAN MEDICAL SPAS WERE THE FIRST TO TREAT POST AND LONG COVID PATIENTS.

France is a case example of how scientific studies and market information can be used in disputes with health decision-makers. They regularly conduct and sponsor studies in cooperation with the members. Where is balneology most recognized and successful?

In France, as in all other countries, public health budgets are under great pressure. Hence the need for public decision-makers to finance only those services and procedures that are useful to the community. This context has encouraged the emergence of evidence-based medicine. Since 2003, the balneotherapy sector has been contractually obliged to finance studies evaluating the medical service rendered by spa treatments. That is an essential condition for maintaining the 65% reimbursement rate by Health Insurance. The thermal operators have financed more than 15 million euros worth of studies with positive results, mainly in the field of rheumatology, fibromyalgia, chronic venous insufficiency, psychosomatic affections and dermatology.

Which studies are read the most in the ESPA e-library and why?

The ESPA e-library is unique as it is an exclusive collection of studies on balneotherapy, regularly updated and freely accessible to the general public, physicians, policymakers and researchers. It contains more than 1,300 references. In most European countries, rheumatology (osteoarthritis, arthritis, low back pain, etc.) is the predominant indication. It is, therefore, quite normal that this is the subject most investigated by researchers and also the most read. But current events can change the interests of e-library users. In 2022, the researches related to the contribution of balneotherapy to the management of the long-Covid were the most frequent.

THERMAL SPAS ARE PARTIUCLARLY WELL SUITED TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PREVENTION.

What are the newest and hottest topics in thermal medicine?

The health crisis linked to Covid has underlined the legitimate role of thermal medicine in the management of pathologies linked to long Covid. It has also opened the debate on the interest of the thermal cure on the reinforcement of immunity. There are many a-priori and ready-made ideas on the subject and some sort of empirical evidence, but we lack a robust study on the subject. The European medical spas were the first to treat post and long covid patients, starting in 2020. We are proud to say that we have one of the greatest know-how in this area. According to our study from 2022, 16 European countries with natural remedies offer Long covid treatment. 

Among the other hot topics, I notice a strong interest in the microbiome, a fashionable topic that has invited itself into thermal research. There is a current interest to study the modifications induced by thermal treatment on the microbiome, whether it is intestinal or urinary, or even the microbiome of the skin.

How do you see the importance of health prevention? Is the percentage of prevention programs growing compared to rehabilitation programs? Can we expect that national health insurance will cover health prevention programmes in the following decade?

Thermal spas are, unlike other types of health facilities, particularly well suited to the implementation of prevention. The patient is available for a long period of time and is pro-active. The cohorts of patients are homogeneous, facilitating the messages and the prevention programs, especially since the medical and paramedical skills are already in place. There are three fields where thermal medicine is particularly relevant; these are:

– the prevention of overweight and obesity (According to a WHO report dated May 2022, Europe is facing an “epidemic” of overweight and obesity that affects nearly 60% of adults and nearly one child in three),

– the prevention of cancers and their relapses (NB: in France, the health insurance funds a program of thermal treatment for women in remission from breast cancer),

– prevention of loss of autonomy: healthy ageing is a major issue, and spas that welcome many seniors are well placed to participate. For example, at the end of 2023, French Health Insurance will finance a program for the detection of frailty in spas based on the ICOPE program promoted by the WHO.

What is your personal and professional goal for better recognition of balneology? Where should it be positioned in 10 years?

Thermal medicine is still perceived as a second-class medicine in the “blind spot” of health policies. Its resources are not sufficiently harnessed and often the spa treatment is not part of a patient’s care plan. I am convinced that this is going to change because thermal medicine has many assets: it is natural, without iatrogenic side effects and efficient for some chronic pathologies. It must stop being a “catch-all” medicine and better identify the fields in which it is really adapted. That calls for a better evaluation of the efficiency of the classic thermal cures, but also of the new prevention programs. It also requires a more solid place of balneology in the medical teaching, and also better training and information of the prescribing doctors.

Read more about the e-library at: https://europeanspas.eu/e-library.

The project’s duration is four years, from January 2022 to the end of 2025. Seven universities are part of the project consortium: the Deggendorf Institute of Technology, the University of Economics Prague, the University of Rijeka and Opatija, Budapest Metropolitan University, Caucasus International University in Tbilisi, Georgia, Kherson State University in Ukraine, and Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Ukraine.

The universities in the project are driving change in the field of health tourism and are crucial for the development of the industry. Every year, WURI – World’s Universities with Real Impact evaluates the real contributions that universities have on society, highlighting creative and innovative approaches in research and educational programmes. The score is based on the universities’ industrial application, value-creation and entrepreneurship encouragement, social responsibility, student mobility and openness for exchange and collaboration, crisis management and agility in terms of digital evolution.

The ranking for 2022 includes renowned names such as Stanford, Harvard and Oxford, but also one of ESPA’s advisory members, the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) in Germany, which took the 24th spot on the list. One of their international programmes is International Tourism Management / Health & Medical Tourism B.A.

Sustainability

The Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) is also a leader in sustainability, it being a central topic in all of the programmes, integrated as part of a comprehensive strategy that is supported by students and professors alike. In the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the topic of sustainability has been anchored for a long time, especially in the Environmental Engineering degree programme. Through the various modules, students acquire the competence to reduce energy consumption in buildings, conserve natural resources, make more use of renewable energies and manufacture building materials in an environmentally conscious manner. This enables them to make a significant contribution to the protection of people, nature and the climate in their later careers.