Demand Trends on European Thermalism

Authors

Keywords:

Thermalism, Europe, demand profile, trends

Abstract

Thermalism is a popular form of therapy that involves the use of the healing properties of mineral waters for health and wellness purposes. In Europe, thermalism has a long history and is widely practised in many countries across the continent (Rawlinson & Heap, 2017). In recent decades, health and wellness have become important motives for consumption, attracting the interest of researchers from different disciplines. However, one of the current challenges in academic research and in the wellness tourism industry is the conceptual development related to the key term wellness. In recent years, classical thermalism, focused essentially on the 'cure' dimension, has been replaced by modern thermalism, which is particularly based on the 'wellness' dimension, and the offer is more focused on preventive therapeutic motivations, combined with recreational and tourism aspects. Following this trend, spas are starting to regain some dynamism in betting on a diversified offer, which not only considers therapeutic assumptions but also a holistic perspective, which simultaneously includes the assumptions of health and wellness. This research aims to analyze the main European thermal destinations in order to trace the demand profile. In order to meet this objective, a qualitative approach methodology was used, using semi-structured interviews. In the main conclusions, it is possible to highlight a change in the consumer profile in Europe, which is moving towards a younger demand, with more specialized services focused on physical and psychological well-being, beyond the so-called "classic" ones.

Author Biography

  • Joana Alegria Quintela, Universidade Portucalense - Departamento de Turismo, Património e Cultura

    Joana Alegria Quintela is Assistant Professor at the University Portucalense (UPT) and Head of the Short Master – Sommelier and Global Wine Market and she has been the coordinator of the degree in Tourism between September (2019-2020). She holds a European PhD in Tourism (2021), and a Master's degree in Tourism Planning and Management, from the University of Aveiro (2008), and a Bachelor's degree in History of Arts from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of University of Porto (FLUP, 2003). She also holds a Specialization Course in Hotel Management, issued by the Association of Hotel Directors of Portugal, Lisboa (ADHP, 2017).
    Throughout her professional career, she has held various operational roles, and management positions in the hospitality industry (hotels, restaurants, and SPA) in Portugal and abroad. Over a period of 5 years, she has accumulated these functions with those of trainer, internships coordinator, and consultant in Tourism and Hospitality Management, working in several companies in the sector.
    She was granted Doctoral scholarships by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (FCG) and by Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). Since 2018, she has been lecturing on the Bachelors of Tourism and Hospitality Management and Master in Tourism and Hospitality at the Department of Tourism, Heritage, and Culture of UPT. She was responsible for the coordination of the degree in Tourism (2019/2020), and she is a curricular traineeship supervisor, fostering a set of partnerships with several stakeholders in the sector. As a researcher, she is an integrated member of the ‘Territory and Development Research Group’ of REMIT – Research on Economics, Management, and Information Technologies (UPT). Over the past decade, she has participated in several international conferences since 2009 and she has been publishing scientific papers in refereed international journals, book chapters, and opinion articles on specialized tourism publications. She is also a member of the editorial and scientific boards of academic journals, as well as a guest editor. Her research interests focus on tourism and hospitality, service quality, health, and wellness tourism, with an emphasis on marketing, sustainability, happiness, and quality of life. Over the last few years, she has participated as a coordinator and researcher of different ERASMUS + projects.

References

Downloads

Published

2024-12-18

Issue

2024

Section

Extended abstract