Spa tourism in Western Europe: reconceptualization and new space functions in a comparative perspective
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Abstract
Spa tourism is significantly changing its traditional characteristics, in its commercial and tourist dimension and in its urban and territorial function. The sector participates in new ways of consumption, which are developed at different scales and competitive scenarios. This research, based on three case studies considered as an international reference in the sector (Spa, Aachen and Valkenburg), identifies, analyzes and critically values characteristics of these tourist and urban phenomena thermal-based. Likewise, it places its origins and relevance in a historical perspective, contextualizing its importance and global positioning. To end up deepening the knowledge of the impacts that, forced by the new values and trends of post-tourism, are rethinking the entire sector. The methodology combines qualitative and quantitative techniques, including interviews with key informants in order to expose cartographic and theoretical results that allow establishing a correlation between recent changes in the thermal supply-demand relationship and the urban structure of spa cities.
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