Percorrer por autor "Quintela, Joana A."
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- Specificities of thermalism in health tourism: the mediating role of the territoryPublication . Brandão, Filipa; Liberato, Dália; Duarte, João; Liberato, Pedro; Quintela, Joana A.Wellness is recognized in several research studies as a common term regarding health, quality of life and satisfaction, in association with or replacing wellness. Also, the concept of quality of life is important to complement health tourism. Quality of life is useful in conceptualizing well-being by establishing links between objective and subjective features of this concept. In the search for a better quality of life, individuals look for ways to improve their well-being. In this sense and in the framework of this work, thermalism as a health activity arises as one of the most natural ways to improve well-being. Thermalism is defined as the use of natural mineral water and other complementary methods for prevention, therapy, rehabilitation or wellness. This research proposes a development strategy for thermal springs in the North of Portugal through the identification of the currently existing health and wellness, tourism, cultural and heritage attributes in the region. A qualitative methodology is applied, through semi-structured interviews, having as objectives to contextualize thermal tourism in health tourism and to identify the specialized thermal services available in the thermal regions of Northern Portugal. The results show the existing difficulties in the sector, namely the marked seasonality of demand and human resources, the non-diversity of age among thermal users, the lack of innovative equipment, the impact of the pandemic, the restrictions imposed on the thermal operation during the pandemic, the lack of tourist support structures, the scarcity of available and quality accommodation, the missing municipal and/or regional support, which permanently challenge the sector. In what concerns the identification of the specialized thermal services available in the thermal regions of Northern Portugal, it emerges the availability of opening services for the school community, free transportation and reception of local users in a thermal environment, specific thermal circuits; thermal massages, and differentiating treatments by the mineral-medicinal properties of the thermal waters of each geographical location.
- Strategic approach to thermal tourism during and after Covid-19Publication . Liberato, Dália; Quintela, Joana A.; Neto, Paulo; Liberato, Pedro; Brandão, Filipa; Costa, ElgaHealth and wellness have become important motives for consumption, attracting the researchers’ interest. 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 in Europe, 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. Although the pandemic period led to the stagnation of tourism businesses, health tourism capitalized on the opportunity and developed successfully from the impact of the pandemic. The main objective of this work is to understand the challenges and strategies of the sector during and after Covid-19, namely whether the impact of the pandemic confirmed the need to reassess products and services, with complementary and composite offers that combine nature, sports, and nutrition, among others. A qualitative methodology approach was used to answer this objective, drawing on semi-structured interviews. The results report the challenges that Covid-19 represented to the sector, regarding the expenses increasing with disease prevention and equipment maintenance, the lack of investment, and the decrease in wellness products consumption.
- A study conducted on the Tripadvisor reviews of thermal spas in Portugal and Spain. Analysis of the service model and user satisfactionPublication . Toro Sánchez, Fernando; Quintela, Joana A.; Liberato, DáliaThe aim of this paper is a comparative study between different thermal spas located within the countries of Portugal and Spain in order to reveal the degree of compliance with the variables that make up the SERVQUAL service model, considering the reviews registered by users on the Tripadvisor platform as the basis for the study. This study takes the texts of the reviews, decomposes them into different sentences, and subsequently associates them with each of the variables contemplated within the study model so as to obtain a more accurate association between the data source and the aforementioned study model. Results were taken from Tripadvisor reviews of Portuguese (n1 = 622) and Spanish (n2 = 529) thermal spas, and using the study model, a correlation analysis (r) combined with an unsupervised cluster study was performed to assess the relationships among various factors. The results obtained in both analyses were compared between the two countries. The findings frame the level of equilibrium that can be seen in the service model variables of the different thermal spas analysed. In this way, similarities and differences are revealed between spa users in the two countries analysed in terms of the key variables. It will be of great interest to academics interested in the study because of the methodology applied on the basis of Machine Learning on the data source of the reviews, which generates valuable information for tour operators for direct application in the design and development of tourism activities.
- Thermal tourism in Europe: exploring the wellness dimensionPublication . Liberato, Dália; Quintela, Joana A.; Neto, Paulo; Liberato, Pedro; Brandão, FilipaHealth tourism is considered a strategic product for the development of many tourist destinations with thermal resources (Pereira et al., 2023). Europe has one of the richest and best-documented areas of thermal waters – the use of which dates to Greek and Roman cultures where they formed part of everyday life – being one of the most ancient forms of western therapy (Solimene, 2020). In recent decades, health and wellbeing have become essential motivations for consumption (Kervankıran, 2016), drawing the interest of researchers from various disciplines (Río-Rama et al., 2018). However, one of the current challenges for academic research and the wellness tourism industry is the conceptual development related to the critical term ‘wellness’. Wellness is one of the new trends, not only in health tourism but also in modern tourism. It is a ‘state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and includes attitudes and actions that prevent diseases, improve health and quality of life, and lead to physical and mental balance’ (Šušić & Dimitrijević, 2015: 69).