The Secretary-General of the Association of Spas of Portugal (ATP), João Pinto Barbosa, said, during the "Wellnessbinar" for the presentation of the new brand Termas Porto e Norte de Portugal, that the Portuguese thermal network is preparing to reactivate not only the usual therapeutic programmes, but also is creating a set of "new therapies" for patients who survived Covid-19 and suffer various sequels.

The spas of Portugal are preparing for the "post Covid-19 demand" and are creating "new therapeutic proposals", which are being "designed to respond to the recovery and rehabilitation of patients who survived Covid-19".

"Soon they may find in the spas solutions defined by medical and service protocols that will be positioned for this type of offer," added João Pinto Barbosa.

The responsible referred that the territory of Porto e Norte de Portugal has 21 spas and that from that total there are already 14 with the 'Clean and Safe' seal (the quality seal attributed by the Tourism of Portugal), in order to receive the clients with the required safety in times of pandemic.

The new brand Termas do Porto e Norte de Portugal wants to bet on the spas' divulgation in the therapeutical field, "but also in the field of well-being and leisure, "so that it can be an optional tourist product for holidays and/or weekends with an added value of what the thermal water has to offer, but also of all the infrastructures and tourist offers in the surroundings", such as the history of the region, the built heritage, nature and natural resources or the gastronomy and wines.

According to that person, the new brand Termas Porto e Norte was also created to respond to the priority markets of the northern spas, namely the Portuguese descendent and family markets.

The president of the Turismo do Porto e Norte de Portugal (TPNP), Luís Pedro Martins, said that the destination Porto e Norte is "developing actions to capture the Portuguese descendent communities" in order to make them "partner clients" and also "ambassadors" of the thermal tourism product in the countries where they emigrated to.

"We want to place Portuguese descendants as one of the audiences to promote the spas in the region and find new solutions," he said, mentioning for example the creation of "promotional packages adjusted" to their countries' own health insurance.