>> It will be held on September 16 and 17, 2020 in hybrid format and can be followed in person from Ourense or virtual from anywhere in the world

>>The advisory committee of the international fair met this morning to outline the thematic blocks that this event will address and which includes a session in which it will be analyzed how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the health tourism sector worldwide.

Ourense, 07/24 / 2020.- After the cancellation of Termatalia 2020 caused by the world pandemic situation, the International Fair of Health, Thermal and Wellness Tourism organizes the 1st International Congress on Water and Health to bring together the thermal community and to continue positioning itself as one of the largest professional meeting points and one of the most important international forums for knowledge and specialized training in these sectors.

This morning the advisory committee of Termatalia met in a virtual way in which some twenty experts in health tourism and the thermal industry of Spain and Portugal have participated and that one more year is chaired by Manuel Baltar, president of the Provincial Deputation Ourense and the European Association of Historic Cities with Thermal Heritage (EHTTA). The purpose of this meeting was to define the strategic axes and contents of said congress, in order to present a multidisciplinary event that addresses the future of the sector from the current juncture.

This 1st Congress will be held on September 16 and 17, 2020, dates in which Termatalia is usually held each year, and it will be organized in a hybrid format, that is, it can be followed in person by going to the Expourense facilities, located in the thermal capital of Ourense, or follow online through a virtual platform. The speakers at this congress, who will be recognized international professionals, will also participate in a mixed way.

In addition to the president of the advisory committee and the director of Termatalia, Emma González, the first organizational meeting of the Congress is the councilor for Tourism and Thermalism of the Council of Ourense, Flora Moure; the deputy director of the Galician Tourism Agency, Laura González; the general secretary of the Spanish Association of Spas, Luis Miguel López; the president of the Spanish Society of Medical Hydrology, Francisco Maraver; the president of the Spanish Association of Wellness Spa, Alfredo Sainz; the manager of Spas of Galicia, Benigno Amor; the director of the Benestar Area of ​​the Diputación de Ourense, José Juan Cerdeira; the member of the Galician Tourism Cluster, Ovidio Fernández; the president of the Galician Thalassotherapy Society, Lourdes Mourelle; the vice-rector of the Ourense Campus – University of Vigo, Esther de Blas; the director of the Chair of Medical Hydrology at the University of Santiago de Compostela, Juan Gestal; the professor of the Faculty of Business Sciences of the Ourense Campus, Elisa Alén; the technician of Turismo Porto e Norte, Cristina Mendes; the vice president of the Municipal Chamber of Chaves, Francisco Chaves de Melo; the researcher and Dra. in Chemical Sciences and Pharmacy, Marita Souto; Caldaria’s commercial, Vincent Boyer; the member of the Iberoamerican Association of Thermalism and Well-being, Antonio Freire, and the director of the Master of Health Tourism at the University of Vigo, José Antonio Fraiz.

Program

The scientific program of this congress will deal with health tourism from a multidisciplinary perspective. As indicated by the committee’s president, Manuel Baltar, “hydrotherapy must have a special role in the post-COVID-19 stage.” For this reason, one of the sessions will pay special attention to the situation experienced by the sector in relation to the pandemic. It will have conferences in which real cases and experiences will be presented that will deal with the security protocols that are being applied in the sector and discussion tables focused on the reactivation of the sector, on how to face the future with less uncertainty and how to reduce the economic impact.

As revealed by the European Association of Thermal Stations, ESPA, at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic: “this situation is the right time to recognize Balneology and the importance of prevention to prepare the immune system as part of a healthy life style. The current situation has forced the medical community to reinvent itself and lay the foundations to apply new principles in the COVID era. “This is an advantage for countries that have extensive natural resources such as hot springs, which with the adequate training process , certification and legislation can represent an opportunity for the development of new health destinations or enhancement of existing ones.

Participation in this Congress will be free of charge by invitation of Termatalia or of the entities collaborating with the fair. The registration form and the conference program will be available in the coming weeks.

Structure of the Congress:

• Conference dedicated to Health Tourism in times of COVID
• Scientific Session on Medical Hydrology, Hydrogeology, Bottled Water and Health
• Tourism, Innovation and Sustainability Conference
• Thermal Cities Experiences