Clúster

The department, dependent on Galicia Tourism, will be responsible for the projection of the community abroad as a power in thermalism.

The Xunta de Galicia is going to create a specific department to take advantage of the potential of the community in the field of thermalism and to take care of its projection abroad. The new Thermal Tourism Area, announced by the regional president, Alfonso Rueda, after the last meeting of the Council of the Xunta, will be integrated into the Galicia Tourism Agency and will be based in the city of Ourense.

The Xunta explains that Galicia is the first thermal power in Spain and that this is largely due to the fact that Ourense is the second European city with more thermal springs. The Thermal Tourism Area will assume competences that until now have been distributed among different departments in order to “coordinate and assume” all decisions and initiatives in the field of thermalism.

Among its objectives are the enhancement of the tourist value of the natural and cultural resources linked to thermalism, structuring the offer, resources and services; the promotion of the modernisation of existing infrastructures and the creation of new ones; the diversification of the sector to attract new segments of the population; the promotion of the integration of Galician thermalism in European health tourism projects, and the creation of its own brand that identifies Galician thermal tourism.

The Xunta also stresses that “thermal tourism in Galicia is one of the most specialised and unique tourism products. It has a greater capacity to deseasonalise demand and has the power to attract more segments of the public, with a great attraction for the articulation of tourism supply combined with other products or services related to cultural, natural, food and wine and sports heritage”.