Demand trends in european thermalism

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 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 In recent years, classical thermalism, focused essentially on the 'cure' dimension, has been replaced by modern thermalism, which is particularly based on the 'wellness' dimension, and the offer is more focused on preventive therapeutic motivations, combined with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 to trace the demand profile.