European Spas

12/10/2026

🇪🇺 Today, President Assoc. Prof. Dr Siyka Katsarova had the honour of a strategic high‑level meeting with Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva, responsible for Research and Innovation. 🤝

On behalf of the , and sector, we are deeply grateful to the Commissioner for giving us the opportunity for such an open, constructive and forward‑looking exchange.

Commissioner Zaharieva’s attention to spa medicine, natural therapeutic resources and Europe’s health and health‑tourism ecosystem is truly invaluable. Her leadership creates space for meaningful dialogue, and today’s meeting was a milestone for the European Spas Association. 💬

Thanks to the Commissioner and her dedicated team, we were able to present the USP and DNA of Europe:
a holistic, evidence‑based model of health rooted in natural remedies, medical expertise, climate‑health environments and sustainable development. 🌱

Dr. Katsarova summarised the meeting as:
“Promising and very important — a clear opportunity to show the vast portfolio where medical spas and climate‑health resorts can be integrated into EU strategies. I'm proud to start such a positive conversation at this high level in the European Commission.” 🌟

We sincerely thank Commissioner Zaharieva and her team for opening this dialogue and for their willingness to explore cooperation and shared European innovation — grounded in tradition, natural resources and unique European 🇪🇺 know‑how.

Europe is the only continent with historic thermal towns and centuries‑old spa medicine — a heritage that must be recognised, supported and integrated into future EU strategies.



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07/10/2026

Today, our member OPTBR – the Employers' Organisation of Balneary Tourism in Romania – is celebrating its 20th Anniversary with a special congress in Covasna, one of Europe’s most recognised destinations for cardiovascular rehabilitation and natural mofetta therapy. Congratulation to Iuliana Tasie, our Vice President, and to President Nicu Rădulescu for his long-standing, outstanding leadership.

Our President, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Siyka Katsarova represented the European Spas Association (ESPA) and joined industry leaders, medical experts and national authorities to discuss the future of balneology, spa medicine and natural therapeutic resources in Romania and across Europe.

This anniversary marks two decades of commitment to medical spa excellence, innovation and the protection of Romania’s unique natural health assets.

Warm congratulations to OPTBR on this important milestone — and to all partners working to strengthen Europe’s spa and health tourism sector.

Strategic Focus Areas of the congress:

🔹 Future-Proofing the Sector: Moving into 2026 and beyond, European destinations are prioritising strong public-private partnerships with central and local authorities to build sustainable health tourism models.

🔹 Empowering the Workforce: Under the motto “People. Business. Future.”, the industry is actively addressing talent retention, sustainable operating models, and meeting the shifting expectations of tomorrow’s health traveler.

🔹 Leveraging Natural European Assets: The Congress highlighted Covasna's rare mofettes—natural dry carbon dioxide emissions reaching up to 98% concentration—which serve as a European benchmark for non-invasive cardiovascular therapy and cardiac rehabilitation.

By fosteringConnecting healthcare, sustainability, and regional cooperation—the European Spas Association (ESPA) is taking a leading role in shaping the future of European health tourism! 🇪🇺✨

Congratulations to Iuliana Tasie, our Vice President, and to President Nicu Radulescu for his long-standing, outstanding leadership.

05/10/2026

In the Travel Tomorrow Podcast we discusses the evolving role of medical spas in Europe’s health, tourism and longevity landscape.
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XLsrIZXfpc
🌐Europe welcomes 25 million spa and health tourism visitors annually, generating around €50 billion and supporting 850,000 jobs.
💚 Europe’s strength lies in natural resources that cannot be copied: mineral waters, climates, therapeutic muds and centuries‑old medical traditions. Each country has unique specialisations, creating a diverse and rich health tourism landscape.
💦 Water is central to Europe’s spa identity and local economies. Protecting mineral and thermal waters is essential for environmental, health and cultural reasons.
The next major event will take place in , (8–10 June 2027), bringing together heritage, modern health needs and EU Science & Innovation

Csilla Mezösi is the Secretary General of the European Spas Associa...

30/09/2026

🇪🇺 A Coordinated European Approach for Prevention & Healthy Ageing
Today at the Press Club Brussels Europe, ESPA and its partners called for a unified European approach connecting health, life sciences, employment, tourism and environmental policy.
Medical spas can strengthen Europe’s preparedness, workforce wellbeing, healthy ageing, competitiveness and nature‑based health innovation. 🌿💧

👥 High‑level contributions
🔹 Dr Milena Angelova (EESC) – highlighted prevention and active ageing in the EU Life Sciences Strategy and the need for stronger scientific evidence.
🔹 Daniel Attard MEP Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament – underlined links between healthy ageing, wellbeing tourism and sustainable destination development.
🔹 Elisabeth Kotthaus (DG MOVE) – emphasised tourism’s role in Europe’s wellbeing economy and year‑round climate‑health destinations.

💬 “Europe has natural health resources, medical expertise and spa infrastructure that can contribute far more to healthier and longer lives,” said Siyka Katsarova, President of ESPA.
“Medical spas support prevention, rehabilitation, mental balance and workforce resilience — these strengths must be connected through coordinated research and cooperation.”

📜 Brussels Declaration
The event concluded with the signing of the Brussels Declaration on European Medical Spas, Prevention and the Life Sciences Agenda, calling for natural therapeutic resources to be recognised, protected and integrated into EU policy.

Thanks to António Buscardini and his team!

24/09/2026

The European Spas Association Quality Standards Workshop was held on 21–23 September at Hotel Planinka in Kuršumlijska Banja, organised by Cluster Wellness Serbia. The event focused on integrating European Spas Association quality standards for Medical Spa and Wellness Spa.

The workshop was welcomed by Assoc. Prof. Dr Siyka Katsarova PhD, President of ESPA, who emphasised the association’s commitment to supporting national members and advancing a shared European quality framework. Nataša Ranitović, President of Cluster Wellness Serbia and ESPA Board Member, led the Serbian delegation and signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding to further develop regional health tourism.

We thank the organisers for their warm hospitality, excellent coordination, and productive discussions, and look forward to continued cooperation ahead.

23/09/2026

🌍 UN Tourism Global Conference on Medical Tourism – Yerevan 2026

Proud to represent the European Spas Association (ESPA) together with Federterme Italy President Renzo Iorio at the panel on Integrating Medical Tourism and Wellness into the Holistic Travel Experience.

Europe invented holistic health tourism — our medical spas uniquely combine clinical rehabilitation, natural therapeutic resources, wellness, mental health and hospitality in one ecosystem.

✨ Travellers want prevention, longevity and active ageing
✨ Natural resources like thermal water, climate therapy, peloids and mofetta create non‑copyable value
✨ Digitalisation enables personalised programmes and continuous follow‑up
✨ Medical spas support year‑round rural development and stable employment

Integrating medical tourism with wellness is Europe’s strategic advantage — it is our identity.

Thank you to UN Tourism, to Michel Julian for excellent moderation, and to all speakers for an inspiring discussion.

17/09/2026

⛳ Brussels High‑Level Briefing on the Future of Health & Longevity in Europe

We are pleased to open our event with António Buscardini, President of the Brussels Press Club, who will moderate the high‑level discussion on Europe’s future health and longevity agenda.
Opening remarks will be delivered by
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Siyka Katsarova PhD, President of European Spas Association (ESPA).
The session will feature contributions from:
Ass. Prof. Dr. Milena Angelova
Member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)
Rapporteur of the EU Life Sciences Strategy
She will outline the strategic role of life sciences in shaping Europe’s future health systems — including the integration of prevention, natural therapeutic resources and health tourism into EU policy, and new opportunities for social partners in building sustainable, evidence‑based health ecosystems.
Daniel Attard Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament, Member of the European Parliament (MEP); Rapporteur for the new Sustainable Tourism Strategy
Representing the only EU country with a dedicated Ministry for Healthy Ageing , he will highlight how tourism, wellbeing and longevity can be aligned within EU policy.
Elisabeth Kotthaus
Head of the Tourism Unit, European Commission– DG MOVE
She will provide insights into the forthcoming EU Strategy for Sustainable Tourism, currently under development.
👍 Together, these leaders will explore how Europe can strengthen prevention, active ageing, spa medicine and natural therapeutic resources within the emerging EU Life Sciences Strategy.
👉 Following session: Dialogue — European Best Practices in Health & Spa Tourism
Across Europe, leading countries are shaping the future of health, prevention and spa medicine through outstanding best‑practice models. We bring these flagship examples together to highlight how natural therapeutic resources, medical spas and evidence‑based treatments contribute to Europe’s evolving health and longevity agenda.
registration: https://buscardini.eu/eventsbc/briefing-on-eu-life-sciences-strategy-prevention-and-health-tourism/

11/09/2026

WE KNOW YOU’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS. 👀
In 2027 we not only join forces - we are going back to the source!💧
💧3 days
💧1 iconic spa town
💧the world’s thermal community
📢 SAVE. THE. DATE. 8 - 10 JUNE 2027.
Thermal Tourism. Health. Natural remedies. New ideas.
All flowing into Spa (Belgium) in 2027.
See you at the source!
More info coming soon on https://thethermalcongress.com

Historic Thermal Towns World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) VISITWallonia HTI Conference & Expo du Tourisme de Spa

03/09/2026

💧 A beautiful story from the Spa city in Wallonie.be — and a wonderful reminder of how deeply water, healing and heritage shape Europe.
Inspiring feature on Spa, “the Belgian town where water became a way of life.”
🔗 https://traveltomorrow.com/the-belgian-town-where-water-became-a-way-of-life/

As the European Spas Association, together with the Historical Thermal Towns Association (EHTTA), we are proud that our next Annual Congress will take place in the City of Spa — the birthplace of Europe’s spa culture.

This article beautifully captures why natural therapeutic resources matter:
🌿 for our shared heritage
🧬 for Europe’s future health agenda
💦 for the science of prevention and longevity

Water, nature, science — and Europe’s healing heritage.

A special thanks to our Innovation Award partner, SOTHYS ✨
Your commitment to excellence continues to strengthen the bridge between tradition, science and innovation in beauty and spa.

We look forward to welcoming our members, partners and innovators in Spa next year.

30/06/2026

European Spas participated in the OMTH Congress 2026 in , where our President Siyka Katsarova presented the European Spas Scientific Journal, showcasing Europe’s leading scientific work in balneology and natural therapies.

A highlight of the congress was the excellent exchange with Terme di Levico, one of Europe’s most renowned thermal institutions. Their unique mineral‑rich waters, long therapeutic tradition and evidence‑based medical programs represent true excellence in balneological care. We received outstanding insights into their treatment protocols and innovative approaches to prevention and rehabilitation.

This collaboration strengthens ESPA’s European network and supports our mission to promote high‑quality, science‑based spa medicine.