VILLAGES OF KNOWLEDGE DIGITAL ARCHIVE
www.termascentro-aldeiasdoconhecimento.org
A repository developed by Binaural Nodar for the Associação das Termas de Portugal with 400 audiovisual documents recorded, edited and cataloged about the specificity and memories of the 20 thermal territories of Termas Centro in Portugal.
TCAC.016 – Looking to the future – Termas do Carvalhal, Castro Daire
We gradually will be sharing audiovisual documents contained in the Villages of Knowledge Digital Archive, starting with an interview about the Termas do Carvalhal Spa with Mr. Pedro Pontes, councilor in the Municipality of Castro Daire responsible for tourism, including the spa strategy.
The Termas do Carvalhal Spa is an important tourist and health asset for the municipality of Castro Daire, which benefits from a privileged location in terms of accessibility (proximity, for example, to the main route of Estrada Nacional 2) and is distinguished by its natural richness, heritage, traditions, equipment and potential.
But it is around the warm waters of the resort – which emerge at around 62 degrees centigrade – that a true oasis of well-being has been born and a new development process is being prepared, in a “concerted and structured way”.
In addition to valuing “the most precious asset – water – and human resources”, plans are being made for “a more modernized spa, with associated innovation and technology, and a space consistent with its quality”. Since it is an ambitious project and a major investment, the Councilor of the Municipality of Castro Daire, Pedro Pontes, explains that “it requires a structured planning, so that when opportunities arise, they can be taken advantage of”.
Another aim will be, within the scope of an innovation programme developed by Turismo de Portugal, to create a circuit of outdoor thermal pools, taking advantage of the rocky massifs adjacent to the thermal complex. Pedro Pontes believes that this is “a differentiating concept of well-being”, but one that will not forget – but rather complement – the foundations of classic thermalism.
Combining innovation and sustainability, the Municipality of Castro Daire also intends to make use of geothermal energy to use in the thermal complex, which would be extended to private individuals, boosting economic savings, return and efficiency.
Without taking our eyes off the future, there are some initiatives that have already left the drawing board and are indispensable. “Over the last five years, the Municipality has made a major investment to preserve the water resource and stabilize its properties and qualities”, Pedro Pontes explains, noting that efforts have also been made to “improve the comfort for guests”, through the revitalization of the outdoor swimming pool and the surrounding area of the resort, which is increasingly becoming a haven of health and well-being.