The organisation of the ESPA Congress and SPA-CE B2B workshop would not be possible without the contribution of local partners. Partnering with CzechTourism helped the SPA-CE B2B Workshop break the attendance record for hosted buyers.

The Czech Spa tradition is one of the oldest in Europe and the Spa has long been one of the main marketing products of the CzechTourism. In campaigns to support the Spa industry the high-quality healthcare, infrastructure, skilled medical professionals, and attractive tourism destinations are stressed continuously. Nowadays the main promotion is orientated to two core segments: nearby neighbor markets from which the main spa clients are arrived in the overwhelming majority and domestic market.

In neighbor markets the campaigns emphasize accessibility, high-quality healthcare, infrastructure, skilled medical professionals, and specific focus of the spa on the treatment of certain diseases such as post-covid programmes. It is clearly a matter of finding a replacement markets for Russian clients, there has been a significant drop in guests from Russia (60 793 → 3 629) based on statistic. Seems strategic to use the so-called secondary markets (former EIS countries) in which Czech Spas have excellent reputation from past and build the collaboration with them (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan etc). The second step is intensifying the collaboration with traditional „medical“ markets such as Israel and The Gulf countries. Nowadays, when there are significant changes in the market, it is also necessary to build the collaboration with new markets (USD, UK, Poland).

Promoting spas on domestic market, CzechTourism place emphasis on maximum connection with the current marketing theme “Active holiday”, i.e., presenting spa wellness stay as a combination of experiences: active, culture, gastro. Those promotions are addressed mainly to the active financially secure middle class of the age category 35+ and families with older children, who are targeted by offers of active holidays in Czech spas with the possibility of sports, both in summer and in winter.

Positive impacts of cooperation at the SPA-CE B2B Workshop

Ms. Alena Kudilkova, Key Account Manager for Spa & Wellness at CzechTourism explained: „CzechTourism appreciates the possibility to invite, as a partner of the SPA-CE B2B workshop, and organized by its expenses the stay for 38 hosted buyers and journalists from preferential countries (Lithuania, Germany, Azerbaijan, Middle East, Israel) who had the opportunity to participate in the B2B meetings and got to know West Bohemia Spa towns during the inspection trips in detail. Additionally, the social part of the ESPA congress was organized with a financial contribution of CzechTourism, as well the logistic part of the whole event.
Collaborating on the SPA-CE meetings, CzechTourism increased the impact of Czech Spa promotion on strategic markets and raised the „Spa theme“ i.e. the changes that the post-covid world brings to Spas among the topic task on European level.“