{"id":5524,"date":"2024-12-11T09:42:58","date_gmt":"2024-12-11T08:42:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/europeanspas.eu\/?p=5524"},"modified":"2024-12-19T17:25:48","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T16:25:48","slug":"interview-with-mr-ricardas-malinauskas-mayor-of-druskininkai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/europeanspas.eu\/interview-with-mr-ricardas-malinauskas-mayor-of-druskininkai\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Mr. Ri\u010dardas Malinauskas, Mayor of\u00a0Druskininkai"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“Druskininkai aims to be a modern and sustainable wellness and SPA hub in Europe”<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Q1. Druskininkai is the big winner in the “Innovative SPA Destination” category of the European Spa Association’s Innovation Awards for 2024. Could you briefly present the history, the idea, and the vision of the Druskininkai for a Spa destination?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The roots of Druskininkai as a resort date back to 1794 when the healing properties of its mineral water and mud were discovered and recognized.
Today, natural treasures – mineral waters, healing mud, and refreshing pine forest<\/strong> air-blend with modern SPA centres that offer physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
The combination of modern technologies, centuries of spa expertise, and traditions allows us to provide top-level wellness and SPA services.
In Druskininkai, we invest in innovative technologies, ecology, and nature preservation, along with promoting a healthy lifestyle, tailored to the diverse needs of tourists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q2. From your perspective, what do you believe is the primary factor that led the jury to honour your destination with the innovation award?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Druskininkai is one of the main wellness and leisure destinations in our country. It boasts a long-standing wellness tradition, innovative SPA services, and unique natural resources.<\/strong>
We are appealing to both local and international audiences, and I believe these factors influenced the decision to award Druskininkai this prize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Q3. What does receiving the ESPA Innovation Award mean for your team? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This award is an important recognition of our resort, the infrastructure we’ve built, and the services we provide. It acknowledges our wellness and SPA sector. For us, it’s an encouragement to continue what we’re doing and improve on what we’ve already created.
Another key aspect is that the award has enhanced our visibility, brought international attention to Druskininkai, and opened new opportunities to promote the resort further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q4. What is your outlook on the future of Spa & Health tourism in Europe and in your country? Are there areas where you see potential for enhancement and innovation?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I see the future of SPA and health tourism in Europe and Lithuania as very promising.
The growing focus on health, natural resources, and sustainability drives constant growth in this sector.
There are numerous opportunities for improvement. First, technology – artificial intelligence, personalized wellness programs, and diagnostic innovations are areas that can be further integrated into service offerings.
I also see significant potential in sustainability. Eco-friendly practices, green energy, and environmentally conscious solutions not only enhance the attractiveness of health tourism but also help preserve natural resources for future generations.<\/strong>
Another goal of ours is active spa-related research in Lithuania.
Such studies are crucial for scientifically validating the health benefits of natural factors. They enable a comprehensive understanding of how mineral waters, healing mud, climatotherapy, and other natural resources affect the human body.
These studies would substantiate the importance and value of our natural resources internationally, attracting more tourists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q5. Could you share your destination’s (Druskininkai’s) future plans and initiatives?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Druskininkai aims to be a modern and sustainable wellness and SPA hub in Europe.
We are proud of what we’ve achieved and will strive to ensure that as many people as possible internationally learn about what Druskininkai offers.
We will invest in infrastructure, innovation, service improvement, and, most importantly, communication about our uniqueness and strengths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Interview prepared by Ruslan Yordanov<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Druskininkai aims to be a modern and sustainable wellness and SPA hub in Europe” Q1. Druskininkai is the big winner in the “Innovative SPA Destination” category of the European Spa Association’s Innovation Awards for 2024. Could you briefly present the history, the idea, and the vision of the Druskininkai for a Spa destination? The roots […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5525,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[63,110,61],"tags":[275,276,322,320,321,285],"class_list":{"0":"post-5524","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-espa-innovation-award","8":"category-interviews","9":"category-news","10":"tag-druskininkai","11":"tag-espa-innovation-award","12":"tag-healthy-lifestyle","13":"tag-innovative-spa-destination","14":"tag-innovative-technologies","15":"tag-sustainability"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/europeanspas.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/europeanspas.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/europeanspas.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/europeanspas.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/europeanspas.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5524"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/europeanspas.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5524\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5536,"href":"https:\/\/europeanspas.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5524\/revisions\/5536"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/europeanspas.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/europeanspas.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/europeanspas.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/europeanspas.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}