Cyprus recently initiated the implementation of a strategic plan (spearheaded by the Cyprus Tourism Organization) aimed at establishing the island nation as a preferred Health Tourism destination. And of course, SPA is an integral part and prominent segment of the Health Tourism Domain.

A key aim of the event was to slot in with and provide a boost to this initiative.

The Conference was conceived and organized by Yioula Papakyriacou, an experienced and very able business development consultant (and now part of interFRONTIERS, the business development company and knowledge & training provider, which acted as host).

The venue was the very aptly named Ithaki (the ultimate destination) – home of interFRONTIERS. Sponsorship was provided by the Cyprus Tourism Organization and Neoderma.

The Cyrus Tourism Organization was represented by Athena Theodorou, a senior Tourism Officer deeply involved in health tourism and the national initiative.

Neoderma, a Cyprus-based company manufacturing internationally distributed products derived from herbs and naturally occurring ingredients – and used as part of SPA treatments was represented by Yiola Loizou, the company`s Managing Director.

And, the delegates were welcomed by Lenia Iacovides, the dynamic Managing Director of interFRONTIERS.

The objective of the Conference and Workshop

A fundamental objective of the Conference – like other SPA events at which healthCare cybernetics heads have provided essential input (e.g., Athens, Kingston - Jamaica, Cairo, Moscow) was to provide fresh momentum and encouragement for the further development of Spa and Health Tourism through the provision of knowledge, ideas and methodologies.

The event format was designed to serve as a platform for exchange of thoughts and constructive interaction and collaboration.

Equally important, the organizers intended the event to act as a catalyst and motivator for the initiation of additional concerted actions needed to deal with such issues as domain fragmentation and inefficiency.

The Conference

The conference, through the five presentations, delivered knowledge and some critical analysis and strategic thought . Thanks to the selection of topics and speakers, it proved to be of interest and relevance to both the SPA novice and seasoned insider – and prepared the setting for the workshop which followed.

Conference Program Outline

• Trends, Facts and Figures on the International Spa Industry: Petra Wiedmann (Spa Consultant – PW Consulting International, Germany)



• How to Brand Cyprus as a Spa Destination: Andreas Mesarites (Brand Strategist – AG Mesarites Brandbuilders, Cyprus)



• Beauty through nature (Use of local unique herbs and products for Spa treatments): Gregoris Stavrou (Cosmetologist – Neoderma, Cyprus)



• The Health Tourism Portal as marketing and networking tool: Mario Efthymiou (Business and IT Consultant – CBN, Cyprus)



• SPA – the view from an inside outsider: Constantine Constantinides (Chief Executive - healthCare Cybernetics, Greece)

The Workshop

Quality Management, Quality Seal and Best Practices

The workshop, conducted by Petra Wiedmann – of PW Consulting International turned out to be surprisingly animated and fully interactive.

Although the theme was quality management and standards, these issues were dealt with only in passing and inconclusively. It emerged that the main interest and concern of the participants lay elsewhere.

The change in direction began with the expression of grievances by SPA stakeholders against the supporting authorities (who of course are likewise, stakeholders). Through Petra’s skilful facilitation, all came to realise that the issue was one of “lack of awareness, communication and collaboration”. And that this quite clearly, was a typical manifestation of domain fragmentation and inefficiency.

This in turn led to a discussion on stakeholder mapping and management (a component of domain integration).
The upshot was that it was tentatively agreed to systematically and cooperatively address the issues of stakeholder collaboration and domain cohesion.

Bottom Line

The overall feeling and impression, amongst the delegates and organizers, was that the event achieved its objective of providing motivation and essential knowledge and ideas. The engaged stakeholders, in collaboration with the experts, must now translate these into specific initiatives and concerted actions.