Thermal Tourism and Local Community Impact in Low-Density Territories

Wellness tourism has emerged as a development path for low-density territories in Europe. According to the Global Wellness Institute, the wellness economy and, within it, wellness tourism, which includes the thermal springs, are among the fastest-recovering sectors since the pandemic. So, the chapter focuses on the Chaves-Verín Eurocity, on the Portuguese-Spanish border, where a dense concentration of geothermal mineral springs has shaped the local economy and governance well before the current wellness boom. Drawing on documentary analysis of institutional sources and peer-reviewed research, the chapter examines how thermal tourism can generate employment, reinforce local identity, and engage communities, and where it falls short or produces tensions that governance must address. What makes Chaves-Verín Eurocity analytically interesting is not the thermal resource by itself, but the governance structure built around it. Whether that model can deliver lasting social and economic sustainability rather than merely institutional recognition is the question this chapter addresses.