Into the future with climate competence: A guide for health resorts and spas
As part of the “Into the future with climate competence” (“Klimakompetent in die Zukunft” - KlimKom) project sponsored by the Federal Environment Agency, bifa Umweltinstitut and the Ludwig-Maximilians University created an educational offer for health resorts and spas.
Based on surveys of guests and the experience of experts such as mayors, spa tourist board directors, thermal springs operators and hoteliers from four (Bavarian) case study towns, an educational offer was developed, to teach health resorts and spas how they can respond optimally to (climatic) changes.
The educational offer is entitled “Guide to the Future Climate for Health Resorts and Spas” (“Reiseführer in die Klimazukunft für Heilbäder und Kurorte”). Its prototype was presented and “tested out” at the spring conference of the Bavarian Spa Association (Bayerischen Heilbäderverband) in Bad Endorf on 28 March 2019. More than 60 conference participants took part – whether by giving feedback via smartphone voting, by filling out the working materials on how their health resorts are affected and on climate-relevant areas for action or they reported on adaptation measures in the plenum.
These valuable contributions will now be integrated into the “guide” and its final version will be presented at a closing event held by the Deutschen Heilbäderverband in Berlin on 19 July 2019.
Climate change not only has effects on the macro level in areas such as nature, industry and society, but is also directly noticeable in our everyday lives. Above all, people who are ill or have health limitations respond sensitively to climate changes.
Climate change therefore poses a double challenge for health resorts and spas: On the one hand, they must respond to changes in their basic resources, i.e. their natural, specific local cures such as “healthy climate”, “curative waters” or “mud”; because in the worst case this could lead to loss of their affirmed attributes. On the other hand, new, specific offers must be found for their target group – guests seeking recuperation and healing.
