Download the full press release in English here.
EHTTA announces next International Congress on Thermal Tourism
The European Historic Thermal Towns Association is delighted to announce its next important event, when the Association will be working with the UNWTO as part of its 2023 work package. The International Congress on Thermal Tourism will be held in the French town of Nancy, and will be linked to the annual ‘International days of Thermalism and Wellness’ taking place from 8th to 10th November 2023 at the same time.
The host city of Nancy is opening a new thermal complex in spring 2023, after a 100 million Euro programme of investment. The long-awaited “Nancy Thermal”, based on a 1910s complex in the heart of the Ducal city, also known for the Place Stanislas, a UNESO World Heritage Site, provides the organisers with a good reason to welcome international delegates to a thermal congress. The Nancy metropolitan area, located in the heart of the Grand Est Region, is the most European of France’s regions bordering 4 countries, and is a great choice for the next congress location. It is hoped that the Thermal Congress will become an annual event.
In September 2022 “The Thermal Congress”, as it became known, was hosted by the Province of Ourense (Galicia) attracting 277 delegates and speakers from 22 countries and catching the attention of a wide range of international media.
“For us it is very important to keep the positive spirit and continue the discussion started in Ourense this year.”, said Manuel Baltar, EHTTA President. “We have demonstrated that this is a subject that is becoming increasingly important to wellness and health tourists, and as a sector, we need to be ready to welcome them. Sharing best practice, discussing new trends, improving our offer is essential if our historic thermal towns are to compete with purpose-built destinations. We know that we have a very attractive and unique combination of wellness, heritage, landscape, gastronomy and architecture in our towns, but we cannot be complacent, so meeting together as a sector, more regularly is going to be very important as we move into and era of mindful post-pandemic, environmentally sustainable travel”.
The European Historic Thermal Towns Association is an Affiliate Member of UNWTO, and significantly is the only Cultural Route of the Council of Europe to be associated with UNWTO.
Jean-François Beraud, President of the Fédération Thermale et Climatique Française, which organised the French Days of Thermalism commented: “We are very pleased to be hosting the 2023 International Congress on Thermalism and Wellness in Nancy. The French thermalism sector meets regularly to discuss important issues, and we are glad to have the opportunity to share our experiences and knowledge with a wider audience outside France and of course to learn from others too. We are delighted to see the new complex in Nancy opening this year and hope to see a great audience there in November.”
Looking forward to the event is also Ion Vilcu, Director of the UNWTO Affiliate Members Department:
“We are very happy to be supporting our Affiliate Member EHTTA to raise awareness about the many benefits of thermal tourism. Nancy is a great destination to keep building on the knowledge and experiences already discussed during the latest congress in Ourense. We look forward to meeting in Nancy and further explore how thermalism can be developed in other destinations.”
More details about the 2023 International Thermal Congress in Nancy (France) can soon be found here: www.thethermalcongress.com.
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#thermalcongress23 #thermaltourism #nancythermal #thermaltravels #historicthermaltowns
Download the full press release in English here.
For further information please contact:
Simone Zagrodnik, EHTTA Executive Director: simone.zagrodnik@ehtta.eu
Notes to Editors:
1. EHTTA is a membership organisation representing nearly 50 members in 17
countries.
2. EHTTA was certified as a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe in 2010 and is one of 48 Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe which provide a wealth of leisure and educational activities for all citizens across Europe and beyond and are key resources for responsible tourism and sustainable development. The certification “Cultural Route of the Council of Europe” is a guarantee of excellence.
3. EHTTA was founded in 2009 with six Founding Members: Acqui Terme (Italy), Bath (UK), Ourense (Spain), Salsomaggiore Terme (Italy), Spa (Belgium) and Vichy (France).