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- 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 In recent years in Europe, classical thermalism, focused essentially on the “cure” dimension, has been replaced by modern thermalism, which is particularly based on the “wellness” dimension, and the offer is more focused on preventive therapeutic motivations, combined with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.
- Motives for thermal tourism: an application to North and Central PortugalPublication . Brandão, Filipa; Liberato, Dália; Teixeira, Ana Sofia; Liberato, PedroHealth and wellness tourism should be particularly valued in the post-pandemic phase. It has the potential to be a strategic product that enhances the population’s well-being and quality of life, on social, physical, and environmental levels. Different proposals for specialized experiences that complement what the destination offers allow to position regions as health and wellness destinations. Thermal tourism should thus be encouraged as a specific product designed on the innovation and diversification observed in the related services and the benefits recognized for all ages. Considering the relevance of thermal springs and thermal tourists for the image, positioning, and development of touristic destinations, this research aims to identify the specific motivations of tourists that attract them to the practice of thermal tourism, to understand how the benefits for which thermal tourists search and their sociodemographic profile influence the motivations of tourists, and how those motivations determine the characteristics of travel. This research was developed on the North and Centre of Portugal for their relevance in the context of thermal springs and related touristic activities. To achieve the research objectives, a questionnaire survey was conducted among thermal tourists, through a non-probability by convenience sampling, using bivariate tests, such as Pearson’s chi-squared test, one-way ANOVA, and t-Student test. The results highlight that most respondents practiced thermal tourism due to leisure and relaxation benefits, such as the escape from daily stress, spend time with family, and being “pampered”; relaxation is the most valued motivation, followed by the search for psychological and physical well-being. The research found relations between the benefits expected by thermal tourists and their travel characteristics, such as the composition of the group, the general travel motivation, the chosen thermal destination, and the number of nights spent at the location. In thermal tourism, new challenges emerge, demanding the development of strategies, products, and services that respond to the needs of specific market sections.
- 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.