Perceptions and Profiles of Young People Regarding Spa Tourism: A Comparative Study of Students from Granada and Aachen Universities.

Aida Pinos-Navarrete,Francisco Javier Abarca-Álvarez,Juan Carlos Maroto-Martos

doi:10.3390/ijerph19052580

Aida Pinos-Navarrete, Francisco Javier Abarca-Álvarez + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19052580

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Abstract

Spa tourism has undergone important changes in recent decades, actively embracing wellness and wellbeing. However, this transition is taking place in different ways in Europe, and this has led to varying perceptions of thermalism that have little to do with its original conception. The main aim of this study was to analyse current perceptions of spa tourism amongst university students, so as to identify profiles and compare the differences between two study cases: Granada (Spain) and Aachen (Germany). For this purpose, we applied a methodology that combines artificial intelligence techniques with questionnaires containing both quantitative and qualitative variables. This enabled us to identify and characterize a series of profiles, so as to acquire detailed knowledge of the perceptions of these students regarding spa tourism in Granada and Aachen. On the basis of the results, the interviewees were grouped together into seven profiles from which we deduced that young Germans from Aachen visit spas more frequently and have a more realistic perception of the thermal sector than young Spanish people from Granada. This situation could limit present and future demand for spas in southern Spain. With this in mind, in this paper we present an updated assessment of the demand for spas amongst university students, in order to design effective geomarketing strategies in two cities with long spa traditions.

Highlights

The use of hot thermal waters and later spa tourism has a long history [1]
After presenting the recent dynamics and the general challenges affecting spa tourism in the first section of this article, in section two we present the context of the study; in section three we explain the methods used in this research; and in section four we present the results of the case studies for the selected towns
In this map the questions on the form are shown in the rows, while the seven profiles we identified appear in the columns

Summary

Introduction

The use of hot thermal waters and later spa tourism has a long history [1]. In the 19th century, the spa tourism sector became consolidated and began to spread from different cities in Western Europe to the rest of the continent [2,3,4]. Since spa tourism has undergone important changes [5], shifting away from thermalism (i.e., the therapeutic use of hot water springs)—despite its proven therapeutic benefits—towards new emerging forms of tourism related with wellness [6,7,8] These changes have coincided with an update of the subjective concept of human wellbeing, which is defined in many different ways in different parts of Europe [9,10]. One of the most important segments of the market is young people, who are potential clients in the short-, medium-, and even long-term Within this framework, we focused on young university students.

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