Balgarianovinite.com The Innovation Awards of the European Spas Association (ESPA) were presented on Tuesday evening during an official ceremony at Astor Garden Hotel, with Bulgaria among recipients.
The awards recognize visionaries who are redefining the healthcare sector and spa destinations through innovative, effective, and transformative approaches. The distinctions for outstanding achievements in the spa and wellness industry were presented across eight main categories.
The ceremony took place within the framework of the European high-level meeting HEALTHXCHANGE 2026, where the future of sustainable health tourism was discussed. The forum was organized by the European Spas Association (ESPA), the Bulgarian Union of Balneology and SPA Tourism (BUBSPA), and Health Tourism Industry (HTI) Conference & Expo. Hosts of the event are the Ministry of Tourism of Bulgaria and the Municipality of Varna, while Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) is the main media partner. The event is taking place in the year marking the 20th anniversary of the establishment of BUBSPA.
Category C1: Innovative Spa Destination
The main award was won by Aix-les-Bains / Domaine Marlioz (France). A special jury award was presented to the Bulgarian resort Pamporovo for its transformation into a destination focused on health and climatotherapy.
Category C2: Innovative Medical Spa Centre
The main award was won by Egles Sanatorija (Lithuania). A special jury award was presented to Gradiali (Lithuania) for modern innovations in wellness services.
Category C3: Innovative Spa Design
The main award was won by Cashmere Wellness & Spa (Bulgaria) for a concept integrated with nature and therapies using mineral water. A special jury award was presented to 5 Elements Hotel (Bulgaria) for achieving a balance between local natural resources and contemporary hospitality. The project was created by the architectural studio Aeon.
Category C4: Innovative Spa Concept
The main award went to Adora Care (Lithuania) for introducing a wellness hospital for medical care. A special jury award was presented to Kings Valley Medical & Spa Hotel (Bulgaria) for its ambitious combination of an extensive medical base with premium hospitality.
Category C5: Innovative Health Spa Programme
The main award was won by Savoy Westend Hotel (Czechia) for its advanced diabetes treatment programme combining evidence-based medicine with digital monitoring, while a special jury award was presented to Grand Hotel Bansko (Bulgaria).
Category C6: Innovative Spa Product
The main award was presented to the Bulgarian company Rubella Health for its line of longevity supplements focused on cellular health and DNA functionality.
Category C7: Innovative Spa Education
The main award was won by Bled Water Forum / Young Global Academy (Slovenia) for its new approach to education about the importance of water as a health resource.
Category C8: Innovative Research Activities in the Medical Spa Sector
The main award was presented to Spirit Hotel Thermal Spa (Hungary) for its original sleep improvement programme, Spirit Sweet Dreams, which uses artificial intelligence diagnostics.
The hosts of the evening congratulated all participants on their high level of professionalism and contribution to the development of the sector in Europe. Special thanks were expressed to the organizers from the Bulgarian Union of Balneology and SPA Tourism.
Among those attending the forum was Kiril Valchev, Director General of Bulgarian News Agency.
On the occasion of the forum, BTA prepared a catalogue, “BG SPA – Health Through Water,” featuring news from 128 certified SPA, wellness, and medical SPA centres in Bulgaria, whose total number exceeds 200. Copies of the publication in Bulgarian and English were distributed to forum delegates.
The catalogue is available on the website of Bulgarian News Agency in electronic format in both Bulgarian and English.
BTA also presented news from 128 certified SPA, wellness, and medical SPA centres in Bulgaria in its BG SPA section. European Spas Association Presents Annual Innovation Awards, Bulgaria Among Recipients 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-05-12 21:13:10 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law