Digital Accessibility and Emerging Technologies in Cross-border Tourism: A Bibliometric Review for the Euroregion of Northern Portugal and Galicia

The practice of healthcare and wellness management depends on successfully informing potential customers about procedure options, service excellence, treatment facilities, tourism opportunities, travel benefits, and destination choice. As a tourism segment example, health, wellness, and thermal tourism is becoming an increasingly popular option for visitors looking to access procedures that are seemingly unavailable to them in their home countries due to lack of affordability, lack of availability. or lengthy waiting lists. This research seeks to gather and present the main aspects related to marketing and relationship management process in specific tourism context, in particular the case of health, wellness and thermal tourism in cross-border destination Portugal–Spain. In specific, in the Galicia Northern Portugal Euroregion, this activity still constitutes a vector of sustainable development, serving as leverage for complementary activities like healthcare and thermal tourism. The study has as purpose to 2provide a better understanding regarding the essence of innovation process and relational marketing: theoretical and practical implications, in specific contexts of health, wellness and thermal tourism in cross-border destinations. Regarding the methodology used here, this is a conceptual paper with a literature review that brings together the major components of innovation and its implications tourist perspective and relationship marketing (i.e., visitor perspective). The present manuscript intends to contribute theoretically to the management of innovation in specific tourism contexts (i.e., wellness, health, and thermal tourism) in cross-border tourist destinations (Portugal and Spain, specifically the Euroregion of Northern Portugal and Galicia). In the end, we intend to explore the relationship with thermal tourism consumers, suggesting a conceptual model. The model should be tested empirically in the cross-border tourist area of Northern Portugal and Galicia (with the partnership of four thermal tourism companies, as one of the main types of tourism common to the territorial space). A future study should include emotional factors. The new vogue of wellness, heatlh, and thermal tourism forces us to challenge and re-visit the power relationships that exist within contemporary tourism and the limitations imposed by the new coronavirus.

Navigating the intertwined challenges of digital transformation, sustainability, education, and social inclusion is crucial for equitable global progress. This study contributes to this challenge by presenting an integrative model based on a systematic review of the scientific literature exploring their intersection. Following the Consolidated Meta-Analytical Approach Theory (TEMAC) methodology, core studies from the Scopus and Web of Science databases were systematically selected using strict inclusion criteria and Kappa index reliability testing. The review identified five key research fronts: digital inequality, inclusive education, public policies and infrastructure, digital accessibility, and sustainable educational models. These findings collectively reveal how improving digital access, fostering inclusive governance, and ensuring equitable education emerge as interconnected drivers of sustainable development. In this regard, the proposed model aligns with the broader objectives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, offering a multidimensional framework to guide future research and inform the development of effective public policies for sustainable digital education.

This chapter explores how international volunteering shapes the image of cross-border tourist destinations in Europe, focusing on four Euroregions: Galicia–Northern Portugal, Pyrenees–Mediterranean, Alps–Adriatic, and the Black Sea. Through a mixed-methods approach combining surveys and stakeholder interviews, the chapter examines the transformative role of volunteer tourism in enhancing destination image, fostering community engagement, and reinforcing cross-border cooperation. Findings reveal that volunteers often act as informal ambassadors, contributing to the visibility and sustainability of peripheral regions through authentic narratives and community-driven initiatives. The analysis highlights common patterns and divergences among Euroregions, emphasising the need for participatory governance, strategic integration, and long-term collaboration. The chapter contributes to the academic debate on sustainable tourism and territorial branding, offering insights for policy-makers, practitioners, and researchers interested in leveraging volunteer tourism for regional development.

This chapter establishes the theoretical foundations for a critical understanding of the dynamics of nature-based tourism in mountain destinations within the Galicia-North of Portugal Euroregion. It sets the stage for subsequent empirical analysis and contributes to a more integrated and strategic perspective on the sustainable development of cross-border tourist destinations. Preliminary insights from exploratory readings are presented, highlighting sectoral trends and potential research limitations. Finally, gaps in the management and promotion of nature-based tourism are identified, and future research avenues are suggested to explore the topic further.