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The historic thermal towns, or spa towns in Europe have been centers of tourism and healing for centuries. They have a tradition of welcome which continues to this day, and are renowned for the quality of their architecture, heritage, and spa facilities. Thermal towns have historically been places of innovation, both socially and in the design of the urban form and particular styles of architecture. Furthermore spa towns have played an important part in the development of European society, memory, culture, healthcare and tourism.

 

Therefore it has only been a consequent step for some of the most important historic thermal towns to found a network in 2009, an idea born in the context of a European project called Thermae Europae. The “European Historic Thermal Towns Association” (EHTTA) was established as a non-profit Association based on the need to encourage, protect and enhance the thermal, artistic and cultural heritage throughout Europe.

 

These days, the EHTTA is celebrating its 10th anniversary. On October 11th the official gala and celebration is held in Spa, Belgium, in the connection of the association’s autumn general assembly and the European Thermal Heritage Day.

 

EHTTA has reached significant figures

 

With half a dozen of new members only this year, EHTTA has reached the official number of 49 members in 16 countries. This proofs that the presentations on a political level throughout Europe and engagements of the association in various projects and activities especially with the Cultural Routes of Europe have led to a wide recognition in the past ten years. Furthermore the recruitment work of the scientific committee and its responsibility to validate the criteria needed for a membership, has been successful.

 

Recognized Cultural Route of Europe

 

The first major milestone achieved by the Association was to be certified by the Council of Europe as a “Cultural Route” in 2010 – the “European Route of Historic Thermal Towns”, one of only 38 routes certified by the Council of Europe. Other routes include linear and pilgrimage routes such as the Way of St James (the Camino), the Via Francigena, and the St Olaf Ways, and themed routes such as the European Route of Megalithic Culture, the Routes of the Olive Tree, the Iter Vitis Route, and Destination Napoleon, to name some of them.

 

“Together with the other European Cultural Routes our route of historic thermal towns represents a milestone for that message of culture and peace of which the Council of Europe has actually appointed us to become special ambassadors, inviting us to extend our borders. We have learned this above all in our meetings with other routes and it has been underlined by the recent attribution to the Cultural Routes Programme of one of the most prestigious European awards: the Carlos V Prize received in Yuste from His Majesty Felipe King of Spain,” states Giuseppe Bellandi, who will now retire, after many years of successful work as EHTTA president.

 

He is succeeded by José Manuel Baltar Blanco, Governor of the Spanish province of Ourense. “I am sure he will be able to give a continuity and new impulses to EHTTA,” says Bellandi and once more reaches out to the celebrations: “Today is a special date for EHTTA: it is an important birthday, we celebrate our 10th anniversary. It is a first achievement reached in good health and with a strong determination to continue the ambitious project that began in 2009 with the farsighted intuition and political vision of our founding members.

 

Anniversary Celebrations connected to General Assembly in Spa

 

The tourism office of Spa together with the Wallonian tourist board are officially hosting this year’s EHTTA autumn general assembly held in Spa. With their support a broad programme and different events have been organized for four days bringing together not only the representatives and members from all over Europe, but also the Belgian media and public.

 

The official programme starts with a reception of the city of Brussels followed by a press conference to be held in Brussels on 9th October inviting media and political representatives at the offices of the Wallonia Belgium Tourism. On 10th October the general assembly is held, followed by a broad programme of technical exchange among the members and site inspections of the thermal infrastructure and tourism highlights of Spa. On Friday, 11th the official anniversary celebration is held, inviting important partners and companions of the past ten years to celebrate the association and its members. On Saturday 12th October the European Thermal Heritage Day is celebrated, also inviting the public to learn more about the historic thermal heritage in Europe.

On the occasion of the autumn general assembly held in Spa on October 11th, 2019 the new president and vice presidents were inaugurated.

 

Mr. José Manuel Baltar Blanco, governor of the province of Ourense (Spain) has been elected to lead the European Historic Thermal Towns Association for the next two years. He is accompanied by three new vice presidents: Mr. Eric Brut, Director of La Route des Ville d’Eau du Massif Central (France), Mr. Lorenzo Lucchini, Mayor of the city of Acqui Terme (Italy) and Hugo M. Oliveira, Councillor of the city of Caldas da Rainha (Portugal).

From 9th to 11th of October the Autumn General Assembly of EHTTA took place in Brussels and Spa.

The delegation and the press was first invited to Brussels and welcomed in the town hall of Brussels by the Association “Ordre des amis de Manneken-Pis” and the 2nd General Director of Wallonie Belgique Tourisme and the Mayor of Spa.

On 10th of October the Autumn General Assembly took place in Spa. During that meeting of all members of EHTTA, the new president José Manuel BALTAR BLANCO and the vice presidents have been elected.

The study visit of Spa and its region took place one day later, on 11th of October.

TERMATALIA is one of the most interesting fairs and meeting points concerning the thermal business connection between Europe and Latin America and again a great success in 2019. The fair, that was held between 19 and 20 September at its headquarters in Europe, the Expourense fairground, located in the thermal capital of Ourense in Spain, brought together professionals from more than 30 countries. TERMATALIA promotes the exchange of experiences between different continents, from a business, institutional and social point of view, to obtain a global perspective of the sector, in order to promote the strategic market of Thermal Tourism and Wellness. In this occasion our president Giuseppe Bellandi and the team of EHTTA represented the Cultural Route with its own stand, informing interested people about the thermal heritage, tourism offers but also cooperations for the future to raise the awareness of the network and its almost 50 members in 16 European countries.

Find out more about Thermatalia HERE

For the first time ever, Europe’s public and private tourism actors and stakeholders with an interest in tourism have come together to call for the European Union to do more for this important sector. The European Tourism Manifesto for Growth and Jobs highlights the key EU policy priorities for the sector in the coming years on topics ranging from skills and qualifications to sustainability and competitiveness of Europe’s tourism.

Almost 50 European organisations including the EHTTA have already signed up to the Manifesto which seeks to ensure that the continent remains an attractive destination and that the sector continues to make a significant contribution to the EU economy.

The European Travel Commission (ETC) is currently holding the Chairmanship and Secretariat of this initiative. Its biggest focus now is the campaign on an increased EU budget for tourism and asking the EU institutions to move towards an integrated European tourism policy with strategic funding at EU level.

The Manifesto focuses on the following 8 key policy priorities: Competitiveness, Digitalisation, Good governance, Joint promotion, Reduce seasonality, Skills and qualifications, Sustainability and Transport connectivity.

You can download the manifesto here:

www.tourismmanifesto.eu

You can find the signatories at this link:

https://www.tourismmanifesto.eu/signing-organisations

On 25 June the second meeting of the EHTTA Executive Council this year took place in Brussels, Peidmont Region, 62 rue du Trône.

The members of the Executive Council have worked a lot on different topics. One of the main subjects have been the preperations of the 10th anniversary celebrations of EHTTA, taking place in Spa in October.The celebrations of the 10th anniversary will be the balance of the work of the first 10 years of activity, the Executive Coucil has therefore decided not only to celebrate but to present to the associates the concrete work in terms of projects, lobbies and visibility. Moreover the candidature of the next president and the next vice-president were presented. The Executive Council also discussed the future of EHTTA and all further strategies. With the renewal of the post of President, Vice Presidents and Executive Council, which will be effective from the General Assembly of Spa in October, will begin a new cycle with the opening to collaborations with the Great Spas of Europe, Partenalia and other European institutions to strengthen the Cultural Route of the Historical Thermal Towns.

The network was also happy to meet Claude-Eugène Bouvier of the European Spas Association (ESPA) to talk about future collaborations and the possibility of building up  an “Economic Observatory” in collaboration with EHTTA.

In view of the imminent European elections and considering the importance of the constant information work  EHTTA has been carrying on with the European Members of Parliament and institutions mostly since 2015, the EHTTA President Giuseppe Bellandi has prepared a letter to the MEP.

The note is  recalling once more the European MEPS on the importance of including thermalism in the European policies and the programmes of the new mandate starting next June.

“ Our goal is to obtain the recognition of the innovative and cultural quality of European spa cities in order to promote a new plan for the tourism sector, encouraging cross-border tourism within the “Europe destination”.

Among the main projects on which we are working I remember the ATLAS, an ambitious initiative for the study of the Thermal Heritage of Europe, mapping spa towns across the continent, the “Café of Europe”, events to debate about future of Thermalis and Europe and the European Thermal Pass, to network the spa cities through an innovative approach.

Our commitment at European level has actually grown a in recent years: in 2015 and 2016 in Brussels and Strasbourg we presented the Manifesto of European thermalism, setting off a concrete lobbying activity with the European Parliament.  Activities that, with great conviction, we want to continue.

The thermal water and here we arrive in cities indissolubly linked to it represents our identity our past, present and future but it is an element today little considered, little known and unfortunately little respected. The thermal water has an ancient history.Its culture and its therapeutic properties began with the history of man in an unconscious way first, then with an increasing awareness of the therapeutic properties now validated by the scientific evidence” said Giuseppe Bellandi.”

Each year in June, a Training Academy for the Cultural Routes managers and partners is organized in close collaboration with one of the certified Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe.

The Training Academy aims to provide training on specific current issues in the field of cultural heritage management and tourism promotion to Cultural Routes operators. The Training Academy offers hands-on approaches to the selected topic through the participation of academic or professional experts with whom the Cultural Routes operators can have some exchanges of views.

Marion Vansingle, EHTTA Financial Manager, will attend the VIII Training Academy for Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe taking place from 4th June to 7th June 2019 in Visby, Gotland (Sweden).

The themes of this year will be: “Cultural Routes Financing” and “Cultural Routes and Youth”.  The training seminars will explore innovative emerging trends and strategies for funding cultural routes activities and for youth involvmente in cultural, educatuional, tourism and heritage projects. EHTTA will attend workshops with other certified cultural routes as the Hansa, the Viking Routes, TRANSROMANICA, the European Route of Jewish Heritage, the Route of St. Olav Ways, Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim Routes, Via Francigena to Exchange good practices.

Draft programme: rm.coe.int/

The training Academy is organised by the Hansa in partnership with region Gotland and the European Institute of Cultural Routes.

EHTTA was welcomed by The Municipality of Loutra Pozar (Greece) for the General Assembly

Many members were gathered for the Spring General Assembly and the network officially welcomed 7 new members :

• City of Lądek-Zdrój (Poland) – active member
• Region of Afyonkarahisar (Turkey) – associate member
• City of Istiea Aedipsos (Greece) – active member
• City of Archena (Spain) – active member
• City of Baden Bei Wien (Austria) – active member
• City of Luso-Mealhada (Portugal) – active member
• City of Monchique (Portugal) – active member

The Metropolitan City of Bursa took over the membership from the Governorship of Bursa passing this way and  Clermont Auvergne Métropole was admitted as an associate member in last May 2018 in Galaalti but attending their first General Assembly.

EHTTA President Giuseppe Bellandi underlined the importance of 2019 for the growth and definition of EHTTA’s  objectives that will be achieved in the future. He focused on the year 2019 on the celebration of the 10^th anniversary of EHTTA.

The assembly was warmly welcomed by the Mayor of Loutra Pozar, Dimitrios Mpinos, Markos Danas General Secretary of the Hellenic Association of Municipalities with Thermal Springs, and their staff.

EHTTA members were then invited to discover the region and its heritage.