A importância da certificação no turismo de saúde e bem-estar O caso das Termas de São Pedro do Sul

Resumo

Objectives | The main objective of this paper is to understand the importance of certification in health and wellness tourism, especially in the Termas de São Pedro do Sul, and also to understand the perception of those responsible for local tourism accommodations, restaurants and recreational companies on the subject. The specific objectives are to: (1) reflect on the importance of the various types of certification and good practices linked to sustainability in the health and wellness tourism sector; (2) identify the requirements and impacts that the existing certifications pursued by Termas de São Pedro do Sul have on business management and on stakeholders in the destination; (3) analyze whether the rest of the destination's tourism offer values this commitment to certification, reflect on its impacts and what measures they take in relation to sustainability; (4) and define sustainable development guidelines for Termas de São Pedro do Sul.

Methodology |The chosen methodology is based on a mixed qualitative and quantitative approach, based on data collection linked to the consultation of various documents and secondary data on the subject and case study, as well as the application of surveys to (47) local business owners of tourism accommodation, restaurants and recreational tourism companies present in the Termas de São Pedro do Sul, and also an interview with the Administrator of Termalistur, E.M., S.A., the company responsible for managing the Termas de São Pedro do Sul.

Main Results and Contributions | The results of the surveys applied to the existing tourism offer at the Termas de São Pedro do Sul show that the vast majority confirmed that sustainability is one of the main trends in the evolution of tourism destinations, reinforcing the fact that customers are concerned about issues related to sustainability. With regard to certification programs, it prevailed that certification is a differentiating factor that brings improvement to companies, however, the vast majority do not have any award, quality management system or certification. They also say that one of the main advantages of certification is that it strengthens the concept of sustainability. In the interview with the Administrator of Termalistur, he said that there is a concern to pass on good sustainability practices to suppliers and partners through the dissemination of their letter of commitment to sustainability. They are increasingly careful when choosing suppliers to see if they are aligned with these commitments. He believes that the commitment to sustainability is a path that is being taken, although it is still associated with high costs, but that it will probably have greater economic gains in the short and medium term.

Limitations | The study's limitations lie in the fact that the surveys were only applied to the tourism supply side, as well as only focusing on one case study.

Conclusions | According to the data analysis, it was concluded that certification is a very important investment, as it provides greater security for visitors and clients of health and wellness tourism.  Sustainability certification is important for the company and the destination, as it is a differentiating factor and a competitive edge over competitors. Certification and the adoption of sustainability practices has guided Termalistur's current management and has been one of its major bets, always bearing in mind its social commitment to the society in which it operates and to its customers, which is in line with the majority of the participants who were questioned.

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