On its 40th anniversary and considering it a strategic activity, the Faculty of Business and Tourism of Ourense assumes the organization of the 2nd Edition of the International Congress on Balneotherapy Management, in collaboration with the Agora Termal Forum for Debate and Scientific Dissemination. This initiative, acknowledging the multifunctional nature of thermal resources, aims to combine and highlight the different potentialities of their sustainable use, without losing sight of the essential role of therapeutic applications and the complementarity between uses.
Therefore, it makes sense to place at the center of both academic and professional debate the holistic vision that the conceptualization of health has incorporated over time. In particular, since the World Health Organization (WHO) defines it as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This approach takes on renewed significance in the current context of population ageing and gives greater relevance to the regulatory principle of the Spanish National Health System, according to which “comprehensive care is required, encompassing both health promotion and disease prevention as well as treatment and rehabilitation.” Hence, the potential incorporation of hydrotherapy into the portfolio of services of our National Health System is a matter of clear relevance in the current institutional debate and deserves careful reflection from scientific, financial and regulatory perspectives.
However, this new framework raises planning and management challenges that concern both operators in the spa sector and public institutions. In this regard, adaptation to emerging scenarios will require the intensification of innovation processes and the implementation of new business models. At the same time, the territorial dimension of thermal activity—given the demographic crisis affecting rural areas—will be an important aspect to consider when designing and implementing the relevant public policies. Today more than ever, partnerships between private economic agents and public institutions are understood as an essential instrument for addressing the challenges faced by the thermal sector.
Therefore, the range of issues open to debate in this congress is broad and stimulating, and we hope it will be sufficiently attractive to arouse the interest of the scientific and professional community involved in the development of balneotherapy and its management.