Session #5:
Tired of TALKING? What has really been done? Transitions - Thermal destinations moving to action and innovation
Marion Roussel
Director of National and European Cooperations – Thermauvergne and La Route des Villes d’Eaux du Massif Central associations (France)
Marion holds a Master’s degree in Tourism and a Master’s degree in Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. With 14 years of experience in the thermal sector, she has built a solid background in tourism, communication and marketing, project management and cooperation programs.
As Director of National and European Cooperations for Thermauvergne and La Route des Villes d'Eaux du Massif Central, Marion works to promote health, hydrotherapy, preventive healthcare, thermal tourism and thermal heritage in France, in Auvergne and Massif Central regions.
She coordinates two European projects:
ThermEcoWat, which addresses the vulnerability of thermal water resources to climate change and supports the energy transition of thermal regions in southwestern Europe.
GreenSPAS, which fosters experience-sharing between European thermal regions and enhances public policies for climate adaptation and ecological transition.
Edvardas Citvaras
Vice Mayor, Birštonas (Lithuania) – GreenSPAS Project
Edvardas Citvaras is vice mayor of Birštonas Municipality since April 2023. He is responsible for organizing and controlling the processes of renovation and modernization of the Municipality's economy, apartment buildings and public buildings; attraction of investments and implementation of projects; environmental protection, business, tourism, energy and water management areas.
Since April 2024 he also is the coordinator of the project of GreenSPAS and Green In Cities in Birštonas Municipality.
In January 2025, Edvardas Citvaras was also appointed president of Birštonas Rotary Club.
Victor Leal
CEO, Termas de Sao Pedro do Sul (Portugal) – ThermEcoWat Project
Victor Jorge Paiva Leal was born in Luanda - Angola, in 1971, and raised up in the place of Vila Maior - S. Pedro do Sul and currently living in Termas de S. Pedro do Sul. He is married and father of 2 daughters.
He holds a Law Degree and Postgraduate Diploma in Public Employment Law from the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra and is currently finishing a Master in Business Administration (academic part finished) from the same Public Faculty. Specialization Course on Municipal Business Sector from the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra.
Advanced Programme for Municipal Managers from the Faculty of Economics and Business from the Portuguese Catholic University - Lisbon.
Advanced Technician of Health and Safety at Work.
For 7 years (January 2004 to February 2011) he was the empowered Director of Termalistur - Termas de S. Pedro do Sul EM, SA, and CEO of this company from November 1, 2013.
Victor Leal is the President of the Board of the Association of Termas de Portugal since April 2018, having been Vice-President for the 2015-2018 term.
He was responsible for Provere Termas Centro between 2016 and 2019.
Chairman of the Board of the General Assembly of ADDLAP - GAL since 2015.
Chairman of the Board of the General Assembly of AquaValor - Water Technology Valorisation and Transfer Centre - since 2019.
Member of the Management Board of ADRIMAG - GAL since 2020.
Simone Zagrodnik
Executive Director, European Historic Thermal Towns Association (EHTTA)
Simone studied business and tourism at the Cologne Business School (Cologne, Germany), graduating in 2002. With a specialisation in destination marketing and incoming tourism, she worked for tour operators and companies in Thailand and Germany.
In 2005 Simone started her job as tourism marketing manager in the German town of Wiesbaden, also known as the “world spa city of the 19th century”. As Head of Marketing and Deputy Managing Director with Wiesbaden Congress & Marketing GmbH, she gained more experience in both health and cultural tourism between 2008 and 2020, while discovering her enthusiasm for the thermal heritage and spa towns in Europe.
After having engaged and participated in the development of the European Historic Thermal Towns Association (EHTTA) from a members’ perspective for almost a decade, Simone was appointed as Executive Director of the EHTTA in 2020.
Certified as Cultural Route of the Council of Europe, EHTTA liaises with various European and International associations and networks promoting its transnational European tourism product with the winning combination of culture, heritage, wellbeing and health. As an Affiliate Member of UNWTO, EHTTA has been organising the International Congress on Thermal Tourism in 2022 and 2023 with the goal to raise more awareness for thermal tourism on a global level.
