Management Models of Spas in the Galicia and Northern Portugal

Abstract

The Euroregion Galicia and northern Portugal makes up the territory with more thermal resources in Europe. This fact is supported by the amount of mineral water springs that emerge in geography, in addition to the quality and variety of its waters. This quantity of mineral water allows the construction of a large number of spas, which are a reference in their sector. This research aims to analyze the situation of spas in Galicia and northern Portugal in 2015, in order to create a classification that allows to organize the thermal establishments in relation to their characteristics. This organization will help simplifying information related to the Euroregion spas for future studies. Structured Interviews to spas responsibles and Document Analysis have been used to extract the necessary information for this research. It is also necessary to emphasize the use of the MAXQDA 2011qualitative and quantitative analysis tool, which facilitated the generation of meaning and conclusions of the study. The study results allow a classification of the Euroregion spas based on four distinct models: “Belle Époque” Spas, Classic Spas, Current Spas and Traditional Spas.