Top photo, from left to right: Mr. Miguel MIRONES, President of ICTE and Spanish Spa Association; Mr. Thierry DUBOIS, President of ESPA European Spa Association ; Mr. Gonzalo PÉREZ JÁCOME, Mayor of Ourense; Mr. Alfonso RUEDA, President of Xunta de Galicia; Mr. Manuel BALTAR, President of European Historic Thermal Towns Association and President of the Province of Ourense; Ms. Mar DE MIGUEL, President of the Board of the Affiliate Members of UNWTO; Mr. Stefano DOMINIONI, Executive Secretary of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes (EPA) and Director, European Institute of Cultural Routes (EICR); Prof. Francisco MARAVER, International Society of Medical Hydrology (ISMH)

On 27th to 29th September 2022, the European Historic Thermal Towns Association (EHTTA) hosted the International Congress on Thermal Tourism with the participation of the UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization). The Congress was held in the province of Ourense (Deputación de Ourense) with the support of the Galicia Region.

The Congress opened with a special event on UNWTO World Tourism Day on 27^th September and also hosted the bi-annual thermal fair Termatalia: 20^th International Fair of Thermal Tourism Health and Wellness in Ourense.

Three major themes were highlighted during the congress namely Tourism, Heritage, and Experience. Congress delegates had the opportunity to join workshops featuring important partners of Historic Thermal Towns and their best practices, discussions of European funding for tourism, and presentations of thermal projects and strategies from around the world.

The Congress counted the participation of Mr. Alfonso RUEDA, President of Xunta de Galicia; Mr. Gonzalo PÉREZ JÁCOME, Mayor of Ourense; Mr. Manuel BALTAR, President of European Historic Thermal Towns Association and President of the Province of Ourense; Mr. Miguel MIRONES, President of ICTE and Spanish Spa Association; Mr. Thierry DUBOIS, President of ESPA European Spa Association; Ms. Mar DE MIGUEL, President of the Board of the Affiliate Members of UNWTO; Prof. Francisco MARAVER, International Society of Medical Hydrology (ISMH); Ambassador Christian BIEVER, Ambassador of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to Spain and former President of European Institute of Cultural Routes (EICR); Ms. Simone ZAGRODNIK, Executive Director of EHTTA; Ms. Catherine LLOYD, Communications, Projects & Support of European Route of Historic Thermal Towns; Ms. Nava CASTRO DOMÍNGUEZ, Director of Galicia Tourism; Ms. Laura María GONZÁLEZ-DOPESO PORTELA, Head of Quality and European Projects of Tourism of Galicia; and Mr. Paul SIMONS, Secretary General of the Great Spa Towns of Europe among others.

Mr. Stefano DOMINIONI, Executive Secretary of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes (EPA) and Director, European Institute of Cultural Routes addressed welcoming words to the participants and participated in one of the thematic workshops and presented "The Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe: Promoting European values, heritage and sustainable tourism".

The European Route of Historic Thermal Towns is a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe certified in 2010 crossing 16 countries.