The Spa & Health event (3rd annual), the “conference” element of the 2nd International Trade Fair for Luxury Travel, “Luxury Leisure” which attracted this year 82 exhibitors from 19 countries, aimed to provide fresh momentum and encouragement for the further development of Spa and Health Tourism through the provision of knowledge, ideas and methodologies.

The organisers (through the selection of speakers and audience) additionally aimed to provide a platform for exchange of ideas and constructive international interaction and collaboration between Health Tourism Experts and Local Stakeholders.

The topics for the Conference were chosen not only to provide facts and knowledge but to also act as motivators for the initiation of the type of concerted actions needed to further develop health tourism services and effectively promote destinations.

The event was conceived and organized by EUREXPO, a company founded in 1995 and which now has a dual base (Moscow and Vienna). The company’s stated agenda is to promote Russian and foreign companies in the Russian market through the organization of specialized and high impacting exhibitions and conferences.

The events pointedly aim to facilitate business contact and development - and to do so in a highly efficient and effective way.

The delegates (from several countries) were sector / domain stakeholders with a professional interest and involvement in health tourism, especially Spa. The Conference was conducted in Russian and English (with simultaneous translation). The two translators deserve special mention for their admirable handling of a challenging task. The glossary and terminology of health tourism is not exactly mainstream.

Daniela Stocksreiter, Director of the event and the woman behind it all, ensured that the organization was impeccable and that the whole program was executed without a single hitch.

The Conference was moderated by the tireless Nadezhda Manshina, a leading expert and CEO of the Russian Association for Sanatorium and SPA. The 11 presentations (by local and international experts) provided practical knowledge, ideas and successful examples (the program outline appears below).

The overall feeling and impression, amongst the attendees, was that the Conference fully achieved its objective of providing motivation and essential knowledge and ideas. These must now be put to use by the stakeholders in collaboration with the experts, as part of initiatives and concerted actions aimed at further developing services and effectively promoting destinations.

The Program

SPA / Wellness / Balneology: General development aspects (Nadezhda Manshina, “Russian Association for Sanatorium and SPA”, CEO,Russia)

New trends in the SPA industry: A survey of today and tomorrow (Petra Wiedmann, “PW Consulting International”, Managing Director, Germany)

European approach in creating SPA Standards. Example of wellness hotels in Hungary (Andrea Szegedi, “Hungarian Embassy in Russia”, counsellor, Hungary)

Health & Spa Tourism Tendencies in Latvia (Sandra Trupovniece, Head of Spa Project, “Meeting Tour Travel & Spa
Consultants”, Latvia)

Convalescence in urban agglomeration (Sergej Vinogradov, Health improving complex, “Gorodckij Kurort”, Deputy
Director for Treatments, Russia)

SPA Cuisine (Marina Pazkikh, “The International Academy of Spa Aesthetics”, Chief of Training Committee, Russia)

Treatment Abroad – partnership between doctors, tour operators and insurance companies (Ludmilla Kurmacheva, “Medassist”, General Manager, Russia)

New Health Methods. The pros and cons of the introduction and provision of sanatorium-resort services under conditions of active SPA industry development in Russia (Maria Koval, Center of Natural Health Sanitation NAturaMed”, CEO, Russia)

Is it worth to invest in a SPA center? Financial aspects of an investment in SPA (Jochen Baumgartner, European SPA Competence Center, General Manager,Germany)

How to exceed the clients’ expectations by offering first-class service. Staff in the SPA Industry (Karen Reina, “Mandala Spa in Boracay”, owner, Philippines)

Health Tourism Domain Integration and the Long Tail (Constantine Constantinides, “healthCare cybernetics”, Chief Executive, Greece)


2nd International Trade Fair for Luxury Travel, “Luxury Leisure “- the 19 countries represented:

• Austria


• Chile


• China


• Croatia


• France


• Germany


• Great Britain


• India


• Italy


• Latvia


• Maldives


• Mauritius


• Monaco


• Philippines


• Russia


• Seychelles


• Switzerland


• Ukraine


• Vietnam