72nd FEMTEC Congress on Thermal Medicine and Thalassotherapy in Greece

The 72nd FEMTEC Congress “Thalassotherapy and Thermal Medicine: a strategic association of Health care, wellbeing and local economic development”, closed its works at the Miraggio Thermal Spa Resort in Halkidiki, Greece, providing significant conclusions on the new challenges of Health Travel and Thermal Tourism, Thalassotherapy and Balneology, in Europe, Greece and worldwide. 

Greece was chosen for this year to host the 72th General Assembly of the World Federation of Hydrotherapy and Climatotherapy (FEMTEC)-which is the NGO in official relationship with WHO-, due to the country’s wealth on natural thermal springs and seaside, and also due to Greece’s ancient cultural and historical traditions, where hydrotherapy is deeply rooted . 

The President of the International Health Tourism Center (IHTC) and President of the Greek National Council on Medical Tourism (ELITOUR ), G.Patoulis, member of the scientific committee of the 72th FEMTEC Assembly, thanked the Federation “for supporting Greece’s developing Health Tourism market and the country’s  national efforts to exploit its natural thermal springs, many of which have been  the first Medical Travel destinations of the world since antiquity .”

“We deeply appreciate the initiative, and heartily thank the organizers of this year’s FEMTEC Congress for giving Greece the chance to host the top scientific think tank of Thermal Medicine, Hydrotherapy and Thalassotherapy on this very special timing: Thermalism and Thalassotherapy are dominant levers in the National Health Tourism Strategic Plan today. It is Greece’s greatest challenge to play a leading role in the rapidly rising international market of spa and wellness tourists, teaching the original Greek experience of wellness to the global audience.”

The President of the Hellenic Academy of Thermal Medicine and President of the Scientific Committee of the Congress, professor Konstantinos Kouskoukis presented in his speech the immense geophysical advantages of Greece in the development of Thermal, Wellbeing and Longevity Tourism.

“The hundreds of Greek natural thermal springs and the thousand kilometers of the seaside, as well as bioclimate, remain a dominant advantage for the development and promotion of Greece’s Health Tourism and for attracting the international travelers interested in Wellbeing experiences. Silver and Golden Tourists of the third and fourth age, who seek thermal therapies and also secondary residency, should be targeted effectively.” 

“ In terms of the secondary residences market, surveys have shown that a 7,5% of the European adults state that wish to reside in Southern Europe after pension and especially in Greece during winter, due to the excellent and unique bio climate. Thus our wider territory will have a demand of 2,7 million holiday residences within the next 20 years”, concluded Professor Konstantinos Kouskoukis.

“Choosing the location and venue for the Congress is not just a logistic matter, but is also an opportunity to introduce a one-of-its-kind region, rich of unrivaled environmental, cultural, and thermal resources integrated into a unique geographic context” stated FEMTEC President, Pr. Umberto Solimene. 

The Congress focused on structure and organization issues of national and international thermal systems, on economic and social strategies and policies for hydrotherapy , on traditional vs. complementary approaches to care, health, and wellbeing, on Climate change and health tourism economics, on thermal rehabilitation methods and also on the topic “Culinary arts and thermal regions”.

The72th General Assembly and Scientific Congress of the World Federation of Hydrotherapy and Climatotherapy, FEMTEC, was held under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Tourism, of the Greek National Tourism Organization, the Athens Medical Association, the Pan-Hellenic Medical Association, and the Greek Medical Tourism Council ELITOUR.

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