Objectives 
	
	The objective of the project is to preserve the thermal water resources of the area of Gure in the Aegean region of Turkey, and exploit fully their therapeutic qualities. There is already a sizeable tourism activity that is based on the archeological site of Hierapolis and the attraction of the unique thermal spring travertines but the therapeuting potential of the thermal waters is not exploited. Developing therapeuting tourism will broaden the tourist attraction base of the area, strengthen significantly its economy, provide new jobs, and establish conditions for sustainable development.  The project will develop fully documented plans for regulating the usage of thermal waters to ensure the sustainability of thermal water resources and for introducing thermal health facilities and developing therapeutic tourism, and will initiate their implementation.
	
	Actions and means involved 
•	Assess and monitor current usage of thermal water; locate al thermal water users, measure usage characteristics, install metering equipment in selected user establishments to monitor usage.
•	Determine level of maximum usage that will secure sustainability of the thermal water resources; conduct geological survey.
•	Determine therapeutic qualities of thermal waters; conduct chemical analyses and draw on specialist opinion.
•	Determine demand of thermal water; conduct market demand survey and take into account projected tourist accomodation as set by Development Plan, inluding projected usage for therapeutic tourism 
•	Prepare plan for therapeutic tourism development; conduct feasibility study for Therapeutic Health Centre facility , prepare business plan and implementation plan.
•	Design operations and management system for regulating the use of thermal waters; conduct feasibility study, prepare business plan and action implementation plan.
•	Establish Thermal Waters Management agency with responsibility for implementation plans and thermal water regualtion nd control; conduct feasibility and organisational design study.
•	Coordinate and manage project; establish Steering Committee that will include, apart from the beneficiary and partner, represetation of the Special Environmental Protection Council and of thermal water users in a consultative role, including Gure Hotel Association and pension owners who will be invited to organise their representation in the Committee.
•	Inform and involve users of thermal water throughout the project duration; disseminate information on project objectives and progress through newsletters, establish  user panels to consult on options available before decisions are taken.
	 
	Expected results 
	
•	Assessment of present-day situation of thermal water resources, the risk of depletion and determination of the level of thermal water usage that will secure their sustainability.
•	Business plan and implementation plan for an operations and management system for the regulation and control of the thermal water, that will secure the sustainability of thermal water resources.
•	Plan for maximizing the health potential of the thermal water resources by developing therapeutic tourism, including business plan and action implementation plan for a Therapeutic Health Centre. 
•	Initiation of implementation through the setting-up of Thermal Water Management Agency and developing and piloting prototype state-of-art metering and control equipment for the the thermal water regulation and contol management system. 
Consensus with thermal water users regarding the thermal water regulation and control system to be introduced, and active involvement in the process of developing therapeutic tourism

Vilnius, Lithuania