Hot Springs Initiative
The Hot Springs Initiative is a global network of hot springs owners, operators, academics and industry participants dedicated to exploring the diverse potential of geothermal waters to contribute to the health and wellbeing of visitors as well as the economies and societies in which they are located.
The Latest News and Resources
INITIATIVE RESOURCESÂ Â Â INITIATIVE TRENDSÂ Â Â INITIATIVE ARTICLES
Initiative Leadership
Initiative Chair
Prof. Charles Davidson, Co-Founder, Chairman and Creative Director, Peninsula Hot Springs
Charles Davidson is the co-founder & Chairman of Peninsula Hot Springs; Vice-President FEMTEC Asia-Pacific; Adjunct Professor in the Institute for Sustainable Industries & Liveable Cities at Victoria University; Founding Director Bathe the World Foundation; founding member and past vice-president of the Australasian Wellness Association (ASWell) and a founding member of the Global Hot Springs Initiative. Charles’ passion for hot springs started the moment he entered the waters at Kusatsu Onsen in Japan in 1992. Since then Charles has travelled to 51 countries on hot springs research missions in a search to find how cultures of the world share the gift of thermal waters for health, wellbeing and community creation. Connect with me on LinkedIn.
Initiative Vice-Chair
Mark Hennebry, Chairman, Ensana
Mark Hennebry is director hotels at CP Holdings, chairman of Ensana Health Spa Hotels and vice chairman of Danubius Hotels. In these roles, he is responsible for 45 properties across 5 countries, employing 4,300 people with total revenues exceeding €250 million. Within this portfolio, Ensana is Europe’s leading health spa operator with 26 properties across 4 countries in Central and Eastern Europe. He has spent over 25 years in the hotel, financial and private equity sectors working for global brands including the Maybourne Hotel Group, Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts and PricewaterhouseCoopers. He has a wealth of international experience and has lived and worked in Hong Kong, Brunei, Thailand, the USA and across Europe. Connect with me on LinkedIn.
Objectives
We seek to connect communities who have geothermal water and provide opportunities to meet, share thoughts and collectively grow the industry while generating consumer and political awareness of this unique natural and sustainable resource found in every country on earth.
- Coordinate and contribute to the Hot Springs Forum at the annual Global Wellness Summit
- Provide a forum for sharing best practices from around the world: cross-culturally, historically and archaeologically
- Provide opportunities for hot springs facilities to share best practices, triumphs, challenges and sustainable business models
Featured Reports and Resources
Balneotherapy
Using natural thermal and mineral waters as a healing approach–which is studied medically as balneotherapy–has a history of over 4,000 years, and is used all over the world as part of traditional therapies. It includes not only hot and mineral springs bathing, but mud packs/treatments and drinking and inhalation therapies.
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Global Thermal Think Tanks (G3T)
Each year before and after the Global Wellness Summit, hot springs owners, operators, senior managers and researchers from across the globe discuss a range of industry issues and opportunities to collaborate and grow together.
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Hot Springs Initiative Organizations
The Hot Springs Initiative strives to connect the community of global hot springs. If there is a hot spring organization you feel should be included on this list, or if this list needs to be corrected in any way, please send us an email.
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Hot Springs & Geothermal Mineral Waters: A User’s Guide for the Global Wellness Travler
This user’s guide, published by the Global Wellness Institute and written by Ed Moffett and Amy McDonald, was created to help wellness travelers grasp the value of, and more specifically learn facts about, participating in hot springs bathing.
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Initiative Members
Meet the renowned thought leaders in this field who are collaborating to educate and evolve wellness in this area of global importance.
Initiative Resources
The Hot Springs Initiative intention is to connect the global community of hot springs and geothermal resources.
