site.btaRepresentatives of 29 Countries Participate at European Spas Association (ESPA) Summit in Varna
More than 200 representatives from 29 countries attended the European Spas Association (ESPA) summit in Bulgaria, ESPA President and Bulgarian Union of Balneology and SPA Tourism Chair Siyka Katsarova said at the HEALTHXCHANGE 2026 in the Golden Sands resort on Tuesday.
Katsarova pointed out that Bulgaria is a European leader in mineral waters and highlighted ongoing efforts to develop medical tourism as the third pillar of health tourism alongside spa and wellness tourism, with support from the Health and Tourism ministries.
Investments in infrastructure, education, and staff over the past 20 years have made Bulgaria one of Europe’s SPA tourism leaders, Katsarova emphasized, adding that certified Bulgarian medical SPA centres can already provide reimbursable services for German and Austrian insured visitors, while Belgium is also showing growing interest.
She said that a joint working group involving medical universities and the National Sports Academy is promoting Bulgaria as a medical tourism destination and noted that health tourism can help seasonal resorts such as Golden Sands and St. St. Constantine and Helena operate year-round.
Deputy Tourism Minister Mariela Modeva said Bulgaria will update its tourism development plans through 2030, including health and cultural tourism strategies. Health Ministry representative Iliya Tasev stressed the importance of healthy habits and public access to Bulgaria’s natural resources.
The event is organized by the European Spas Association (ESPA), the Bulgarian Union of Balneology and SPA Tourism (BUBSPA) and the Health Tourism Industry (HTI) Conference & Expo - an international platform and event organization focused on the development of health, spa, wellness, and medical tourism. The forum is hosted by the Bulgarian Ministry of Tourism and Varna Municipality. HEALTHXCHANGE Summit takes place in the year marking the 20th anniversary of BUBSPA.
BTA is the main media partner of the event. Especially for the forum, BTA has prepared the BG SPA - Health Through Water catalogue featuring news from 128 certified spa, wellness, and medical spa centers in Bulgaria, of which there are over 200 in total. Copies of the specialized publication in Bulgarian and English will be provided to forum delegates. The catalog is available on the BTA website in electronic format in Bulgarian and in English.
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