The largest and most renowned event within the health and spa tourism industry, the ESPA Congress, will take place between 4 and 6 October 2023 in the Czech spa capital Karlovy Vary. Three core events of the ESPA Association will take place – the ESPA Congress, the ESPA Innovation Award and the ESPA SPA-CE tradeshow for spa and wellness tourism.
Set to be hosted in the Karlovy Vary conference centre, the event’s central topic will focus on the role of health and natural spas. In light of the recent pandemic, preserving good health has embraced a prominent role. At the same time, the recognition of natural health spas has increased as they help to preserve good health by providing prevention and rehabilitation programmes. An integral part of the expert content will focus on this topic, while the traditional SPA Mayors Programme will again see mayors of spa destinations convene.
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26th ESPA Congress in Piestany, Slovakia
The main topics of the congress will relate to challenges faced in tourism, particularly spa tourism, following the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, ESPA Congress 2023 will delve into sustainability, digitalisation and education in Balneotherapy.
One of the highlights of the congress is the ESPA Innovation Award, fostering the development of tourist destinations and individual providers, such as spa resorts, hotels and wellness centres. The award facilitates the improvement of services and encourages recipients to strive for excellence. Further information regarding the award is available at:
Concurrently with the ESPA Congress, the ESPA – SPA-CE B2B tradeshow will also take place. Representatives of spa destinations in Central Europe will meet with representatives of tourist agencies specialising in health and wellness tourism.
The ESPA Congress will give attendees the opportunity to meet the legendary spa destination that proudly boasts 13 mineral springs. Mineral springs in Karlovy Vary are known worldwide for their healing mineral properties, while spa resorts in Karlovy Vary specialise in healing various diseases. Thermal water ranging from 37 to 72 degrees Celsius is rich with lithium, iron, potassium, magnesium and sulphur.
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Karlovy Vary (Photo: Getty Images)
The ESPA Congress 2023 will be organised in cooperation with the following partners: Region Karlovy Vary, the City of Karlovy Vary, the Czech Tourist Board and the Czech Healing Spa Association (SLL). The Czech Healing Spa Association was established in 1995 as a professional association of spa resorts with the purpose of maintaining and guaranteeing the high healing quality level of spa resorts. Currently, it brings together 42 members – health spas – which account for more than two-thirds of all spa beds in the country.