Motivations to the practice of thermal tourism: the case of North and Centre of Portugal

Health and wellness tourism should be particularly valued in the post-pandemic phase, as a strategic product to enhance the population's well-being and quality of life indicators, at social, physical, and environmental dimensions, with different proposals for specialized experiences that complement the destination's offer, positioning regions as health and wellness destinations. Thermal tourism should be encouraged, as a specific product, due to the innovation and diversification observed in the services made available and the benefits recognized at different age levels of tourists and destinations communities. Considering the relevance of thermal springs and thermal tourists for tourism destinations image, positioning, and development, this research aims to identify the specific motivations of tourists to the practice of thermal tourism, to understand how the benefits that thermal tourists search for, and their sociodemographic profile influence the motivations, and how the motivations determine the travel characteristics. This research was developed on the North and Centre of Portugal, for their relevance in the context of thermal springs and related tourism activities. To achieve the research objectives, a questionnaire survey was applied to thermal tourists, through a non-probability by convenience sampling, using bivariate tests, such as Pearson’s chi-squared test, one-way ANOVA, and t-student. The results highlight that most respondents practiced thermal tourism due to leisure and relaxation benefits, such as the escape from daily stress, spend time with family, and being "pampered"; relaxation is the most valued motivation, followed by the search for psychological and physical wellbeing. The research found relations between the benefits expected by thermal tourists, and their travel characteristics such as the composition of the group, the general travel motivation, the thermal destination chosen, and the number of nights spent. In thermal tourism, new challenges emerge, demanding the development of strategies, products, and services responding to the needs of specific market segments.


Introduction
Due to the technology of work and life systems, wellness imbalances are prominent, leading to a need for time away from sources of stress in the workplace, school, and other life settings. Consumers are turning to vacation travel to improve health and wellness. The tourism and hospitality industry can design experiences and services that support optimal health and wellness outcomes for consumers [1]. Wellness has become an The focus of health and wellness tourism is on healing the physical body, which can eventually induce greater happiness [17], as well as spiritual well-being [18]. [5] agree with the aforementioned authors and add that experiences of this type of tourism can satisfy tourists' needs from emotional and psychological perspectives, decreasing physical and mental stress through spiritual discovery and relaxing escape from everyday life [5]. [19] state that in order to have a qualified wellness tourism experience, experiences need to focus on the overall well-being of the individual [19].
Bearing this in mind, "health tourism" can be defined as a set of products that, with health as the main motive and natural resources as support, aim to provide tourists with the improvement of physical or mental well-being [20]. [21] adds that health tourism also refers to someone who has one or more medical conditions that motivate them to travel to experience therapies that can help to improve their health. [3] believes that health tourism integrates three dimensions: therapeutic or curative, preventive, and recovery or rehabilitation. People who engage in wellness tourism are generally healthy but search for therapies to maintain that state of well-being [21]. According to [22] wellness tourism can also be defined as "the sum of all the relationships resulting from a journey by people whose motive, in whole or in part, is to maintain or promote their health and well-being, and who stay at least one night at a facility that is specifically designed to enable and enhance people's physical, psychological, spiritual and/or social well-being" [22]. [23] add that wellness has been identified as a societal need and desire, so there is potential for wellness to play a key role in consumer decision-making regarding destination choice and vacation typology. They note that vacations focused on improving wellness need not focus on luxury spas and upscale accommodations, because vacations (in general) contribute to an individual's wellness, and often these wellness-enhancing activities are at a low (or no) financial cost to consumers [23].
Spa tourism, hot spring tourism, medical tourism, yoga tourism, health and wellness tourism are examples of subsets of the general area of "special interest" tourism. In the same perspective as the above-mentioned authors, "health" tourism is sometimes differentiated from "wellness" tourism. The former emphasizes activities oriented towards medical treatment, such as heart surgery or plastic surgery, and wellness tourism concerns tourists who seek to improve general well-being by participating in activities and programs of a self-care nature, such as yoga, tai chi, hot springs/spa, massage, and physical activities [1].
In what concerns its significance, health tourism may not be the main type of tourism when measured by the number of tourists, but at present it is considered one of the market segments with the highest level of generated income due to the high cost of services [24].

Thermal tourism
In parallel with the changes that have been observed in tourism trends towards a more individualized tourism, in the fragmentation of vacations and in the preference for natural environments, a new group of people seeking thermal spas for vacations related to rest, with intense contact with nature and, at the same time, enjoying body care-oriented services (weight loss, skin treatment, anti-smoking, anti-stress, among others) has emerged in recent years [25].
Traditional health tourism, exclusively associating the water to the therapeutic component, has evolved over time. Consequently, this concept is no longer restricted to the use of natural resources to provide health care or therapies to sick people. It has progressively taken on a preventive and recuperative character based on mental, physical, and sporting activities that allow tourists to recover or improve their health, prevent possible health risks, and mitigate the psychological and physiological imbalances caused by modern life with stressful routines and pressures. Health tourism as a product is becoming increasingly important in the worldwide thermal scene. Its main goals are the satisfaction of preventive health care (preventive medicine); the provision of therapeutic services (curative medicine) and the performance of recovery treatments (rehabilitation medicine) [26]. The main strengths of thermal tourism are, firstly, its high average length of stay, higher than in any other type of tourism; secondly, its low dependence on the season and, thirdly, the fact that health spas are usually located in the countryside, constituting a determinant factor in boosting the local economy [27].
Considered as a segment of health tourism, thermal tourism is one of the oldest tourism types in the world and has undergone significant changes over time. If initially the thermal springs and spas were mostly associated to healing places and, for many, a matter of "fashion", nowadays, the perspective of thermal tourism is different. Its field of action extends to environmental issues, aesthetics, quality of life and prevention. In this way, the concept of "health resort" expands giving rise to the concept of "Thermal Tourism" [26]. The history of the development of bathing establishments and water use in Portugal is often associated with the Roman culture [28]. [20] adds that for many years, the concepts to designate and identify the activities related to treatments based on natural resources located in sites characterized by the existence of specific factors or elements were uncontested and well established: thermalism, thalassotherapy and climatism. Climatism has several healing properties, which with the help of the climate and the quality of the air are at the basis of the climatic resorts. Thus, while thalassotherapy has as natural resource essentially water, this modality relies on air quality, with preferential locations in mountains [3]. Spa or thermal tourism is, thus, a source of healing for the body and mind [29]. [20] defines "hot springs" as a mineral water source with important therapeutic properties for the treatment of certain diseases that has centuries of existence. Visiting spas is recognized as a type of health tourism associated with curative and/or preventive reasons [16], the most relevant motivation to engage in this practice. Besides promoting physical, psychological, and social wellbeing, it also contributes to improve aesthetics. Ultimately, it provides an overall wellbeing that includes body, mind, and spirit.
The supply related to health and wellness tourism has, in recent years, undergone a significant development and diversification, evolving from the therapeutic and curative concept to the symbiosis of therapy with wellness. Similarly, demand segments have also diversified greatly, since the focus is no longer only on physical health, but also on wellness and physical appearance. The concept of wellness, also understood in various ways by different authors and countries, can be an "umbrella" concept that encompasses both health and wellness and should seek to enhance and promote the physical, psychological, spiritual, and social wellbeing of the individual. Thus, it is important to associate the concept of wellness to the use of thermal water, as a generator element of that general wellbeing, enhancing its beneficial effects combined with other offers that the spa may come to offer [30].
It is acknowledged that health tourism extends to two fundamental segments: those who travel for primarily medical reasons and whose dominant motivation is healing or recovery and those who do so for reasons of prevention or well-being. In addition to these two fundamental segments, one can add a third consisting of people who do not wish to have access to any form of private care but choose destinations or health resorts to enjoy the existing environmental conditions for reasons of rest, escape or contact with nature [20]. Thermal and health and wellness therapies are tending to become increasingly important in health tourism for three main reasons: i) the increase in the average longevity of populations, associated with the increase in the number of elderly people traveling; ii) the migration to large cities and the distance from nature, which causes psychosomatic imbalances (stress, anxiety, depressions, among others); and iii) sedentarism, unhealthy eating habits, incorrect body postures and by the civilizational crisis that affects the most developed countries, which translates into a significant increase in loneliness and the affective, emotional and spiritual crises associated with it [26]. The stay in thermal spas is experienced as a period of renewal of physical and emotional balance and updating of socialization, lifestyles, and social identities [31].
The thermal tourism market is constantly evolving, internal and external competition is increasingly dynamic, quality and management requirements are growing, and the consumer is constantly looking for new solutions, new experiences, new responses to needs [32]. Therefore, in this context of permanent change, and due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, new challenges emerge, demanding for the development of strategies, products and services responding to the needs of specific market segments. This will allow to recover attractiveness and competitiveness at business and destination level, and to strengthen the sustainability of thermal tourism facilities in the long term.

Motivations for thermal tourism
Regardless of the main motivation, a tourist travel has the potential to contribute to the tourists' overall life satisfaction, generating a positive effect, feeling relaxed, rested, and mentally recharged after the trip and frequently feeling that one's own health has improved [33].
Nowadays, the tourism and hospitality sectors present opportunities and challenges of unprecedented magnitude. Environmental stress, political division, along with the technological advancement of artificial intelligence and other factors have brought stressful living conditions, which have led to an increase in undesirable "modern" physical and psychological conditions [1]. People take every opportunity to travel, to break the rhythm of the hectic and tiring life of modern societies, seeking to rest and recompose their physical and mental strength [26]. This need for "escape" is manifested in the growing interest by consumers in this line of travel products and the increasing number of destinations around the world that are positioning or repositioning themselves around the theme of "wellness" [1].
The causes that lead people to travel are immense and multiple. The reasons are many and as diverse as cultural, religious, sport, professional and even the intention of combining rest with physical and mental wellbeing [26]. Also "relaxation and relief", "escape", "self-reward and indulgence" and "health and beauty" are important factors that motivate tourists to visit spas or have wellness tourism experiences [8]. [5] state that the most important motive for wellness tourism, is self-development to achieve personal growth or have learning experiences and relaxation and escape [5]. For people engaged in medical tourism, the main motivations are improving quality of life, diversifying treatments, peace of mind and sense of relief, leisure/adventure activities for their medical conditions, and vacationing with the family (from young to old) [34]. Being able to access medical procedures that are not accessible to patients in their home area due to cultural, ethical, or legal reasons is also one of the reasons tourists choose medical tourism [35]. [6] add that relaxation, nature, physical therapy, meditation, health awareness, mental therapy are also motivations for health and wellness tourism [6].
The various theories related to motivation present divergent perspectives regarding its construction, emphasizing several components that activate motivation in the individual. They also aim to understand the individual's behaviour in the environment that surrounds him, since it is both internal and external factors that drive his behaviour [36]. [12] in their study on tourists' motivations regarding health and wellness tourism, stated that the internal factors concern physiological, social, and psychological needs; unique personal needs that stimulate them to seek tourism; psychological factors and attitudes related to health, health perception, spa and wellness + "escape", getting out of routine, rejuvenation, and relaxation. The external factors are the motivating effects of various goals or social relationship, where motivation can be activated by changes in the external environment; the preferences and perceptions of individuals; destination and spa attributes as a tangible resource and the physical and image of the tourist.
With regard to the thermal springs and spas, which are one of the most traditional health and wellness tourism travels, tourists motivations are relaxation and "escape", as mentioned earlier, and also, prestige entertainment and expectations of spa facility services, such as the equipment provided, water temperature and quality, associated qualified staff, service staff to comply with hygiene rules, quality of service offered, tranquillity of the facility, the presence of health staff on the premises, to provide detailed information about the water characteristics and spa facilities. There is a positive relationship between travel motives and expectations of spa facility services from local tourists [37]. It is worth noting that in what relates to the quality of life resulting from going to a thermal bath, [38] concluded that the most mentioned benefits are "Health" for 61,4% of respondents, "Economic and physical safety" (54,8%), "Natural and living environment" (51,6%), and "Leisure and social interactions" (51,3%). Usually, the tourists who seek the spa, present symptoms of respiratory, rheumatic, digestive, and others, and see in the thermal waters the cure or the mitigation of these manifestations [39]. According to [8], the motivations of spa/thermal tourists and health and wellness tourism experiences are: seeking relaxation and relief; health and beauty (treatments incorporating elements of medical care or healing, such as hydrotherapy or thalassotherapy); being 'pampered', as treatments should be designed and delivered with expertise, empathy and meticulous care. The experience should please all five human senses (sight, touch, hearing, taste and smell), thus achieving a physical, emotional and mental state of comfort. The research developed by [38], who compared Portuguese and Hungarian health and wellness tourism and its contribution to quality of life and happiness, confirmed that, in the case of Portuguese tourists, the main motivations to go to thermal bath/spa is Stress relief and relaxation, the main motivation for 41.5% of the respondents, followed by the improvement of physical health (23.6%), and the search for a specific cure/treatment (22.6%). The need for 'escape' to the pressures of work, social life and daily routine are on the top of thermal tourists' motivations [8].
The understanding of tourists' behaviour relates to the study of their travel/holiday motivations [12]. Understanding what motivates human behaviour is not an easy task, since there are several factors that condition it [36]. Motivations are generally related to tourists' behaviour and decisions during trips and vacations. In this regard, there is a push & pull motivational dimension. Push factors derive from to internal motivations, and relate to goal satisfaction and self-fulfilment in relation to the needs and desires of tourists to relax, either as a reward for oneself after the professional pressure associated with career or to relieve the stress and tension of everyday life; in pull (external attraction) factors, the spa assigns itself an important role in activating the needs and desires for spa treatments during vacations and the consequent health and spa demand in the destination. In many circumstances, the initial needs and desires are the unconscious motivators that are activated into actions (spa visit) by the spa's own tangibility sources [12].

Thermal tourism and the impact of the covid-19 pandemic
The coronavirus (COVID-19), originating in the Chinese city of Wuhan, is caused by SARS-COV2, the causative agent of a potentially fatal disease that is of great concern to global public health. Its transmission has led to the isolation of people who have subsequently been administered with a variety of treatments. Coronavirus primarily affects the human respiratory system. Previous coronavirus outbreaks include severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome which have previously been characterized as agents that pose a major public health threat [40].
The Covid-19 pandemic presented unprecedented challenges to tourism due to the global nature of its pandemic effect. Health pandemics are some of the various types of crises that the tourism industry faces. Although it has faced several crises in the past, few studies have explored whether medical tourism can be a strategy for post-crisis destination recovery [41]. The pandemic had a negative impact not only on the economy, but also on people's physical and mental health [42].
The widespread crisis surrounding the outbreak of the pandemic highlighted the fragility and unsustainable nature of the current global economic system, in which travel and tourism play a crucial role. It was largely due to international tourism and business travel that the outbreak expanded so rapidly. Not surprisingly, tourism is also one of the economic sectors hardest hit by the travel blockades and restrictions that countries have imposed to keep their citizens "in the territory" and travellers from abroad "out of the territory" [43].
This crisis constitutes a unique opportunity to seriously reflect on the future. While it is essential to dream of promising future scenarios, it is important not to forget that the social world is strongly marked by inequalities of various kinds. These inequalities existed before the crisis, were exacerbated during the crisis, and will certainly not disappear after the crisis. It is within this general context that we need to rethink about the travel and tourism of the future, and the future of travel and tourism [43].
The challenges for thermal facilities in the post Covid-19 period relate to customer confidence on safety and sustainability issues; how to be more competitive in the future, namely engaging in innovation, new business models, build loyalty or "re-loyalize"; align and realign external and internal objectives and prices (promotions and different price dynamics). Another determining factor is the importance of marketing, as it has a very significant job in demonstrating to clients that spas are meeting standards that ensure health and safety. The role of marketing is to highlight that the establishments are doing what is necessary to keep customers safe. An additional challenge will be internal marketing, as it is necessary to have proactive and informed employees [44].
Post-pandemic recovery plans should include products that focus on mental healing. The tourism industry should introduce alternative products focusing on travellers' wellbeing, such as "healing tourism" as an opportunity to achieve mental comfort through travel [42].
The post-pandemic tourism industry needs to confront its historical role in perpetuating structural inequalities and implement policies and practices in daily operations to ensure a safe, clean, and fair environment for all employees. Destinations should strive to recover quickly while devoting significant resources to developing a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable tourism industry [45].

Methodology
The state-of-the art pointed towards a set of motivations of health and wellness tourists to engage in this type of travels. However, there is little research on the specific motivations of thermal tourists and on the factors that influence their relevance.
This research aims to analyse the motivations of health and wellness tourists, in what concerns their practices of thermal tourism. Specifically, it is intended to i) identify the specific motivations of tourists to the practice of thermal tourism; ii) understand how the benefits that thermal tourists search for, and their sociodemographic profile influence the motivations; and iii) if thermal tourists' motivations influence the travel characteristics. The focus of this research was on the North and Centre of Portugal, for their relevance in the context of thermal springs and related tourism activities, and relies on the hypothesis that: H1: There are differences in the motivations to practice thermal tourism between tourists that search for health benefits, and those searching for leisure and relaxation benefits.
H2: The sociodemographic profile influences the importance given to the motivations to practice thermal tourism.
H3: The benefits for health and for leisure and relaxation searched for thermal tourists influence the characteristics of the travel.

Data collection and sampling
To achieve the research objectives, a questionnaire survey was applied to thermal tourists. The survey is composed by 20 questions divided in 3 parts. The first part aims to characterise the last experience (travel) to a thermal destination; the second part includes questions regarding the motivations and benefits sought when practicing thermal tourism; the third and final part is dedicated to the respondents' sociodemographic profile. Data was collected between May 25th, 2020, and September 25th, 2020, both inperson in thermal facilities located in North and Centre of Portugal, and through an online version of the survey, to overcome the limitations resulting from lockdown measures due to COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 201 valid surveys were collected.
The defined population includes thermal tourists, aged between 15 and 85 years old, that had practiced thermal tourism in the North or Centre of Portugal. The sampling technique used was non-probability by convenience since it was selected according to the availability and accessibility of the members of the target population. The sample consists of 201 thermal tourists. Considering we are facing an unknown population, the sample error reaches 6.91% and the confidence level is of 95% with Z=1,96.

Data analysis
A univariate analysis is applied to characterise the sample profile. The validation of the hypothesis is made using bivariate tests, such as Pearson's chi-squared test, one-way ANOVA and t-student. The software used was SPSS 26.
The motivations to practice thermal tourism can be grouped in four main dimensions: relaxation, internal motivations, physical wellbeing and psychological wellbeing. These are represented in table 1, as well as the Cronbach's Alpha test, which demonstrates a very good internal consistency of the variables and thus confirming the necessary reliability of the survey. The benefits sought are also an important variable of the study, as it is intended to test how they influence the importance given to the presented motivations. These can be divided in two: i) health benefits (respiratory, digestive, circulatory, rheumatic, musculoskeletal and skin problems), and leisure and relaxation benefits (escape from daily stress, have family time, being "pampered").

Sample characterisation
The sample is mainly comprised by women, which represent nearly 60% of the surveyed individuals. In terms of age groups, the sample is fairly distributed. Nonetheless, as expected, there is a prominence of people aged between 65 and 74 years old (27.4%), followed by the group of 55-64 (16%). The average age of the thermal tourists is 55 years old. In what concerns the academic qualifications, nearly 30% completed primary school (the most significant group), 25% has a higher education degree, and 22.4% completed high school. Nearly half of the respondents are retired or pensioners, which is expected due to the age of the group, while around 42% are employed full-time or part-time. In what concerns the monthly income, around 50% registers less than 1,000€ and one third, between 1,000€ to 2,000€. The overwhelming majority (95%) lives in Portugal. As previously mentioned, four main dimensions are considered for the analysis of the motivations to practice thermal tourism, each including a few variables (see table 15). These dimensions relate to relaxation, internal motivations, search for physical, and psychological wellbeing. In table 3, the average importance attributed to each of these motivations is presented. The higher mean is observed in relaxation (4.51), followed by the search for psychological (4.49) and physical wellbeing (4.02). Internal motivations (3.18) appear to be the least valued dimension. The specific importance of each of the variables included in the four dimensions is depicted in table 4. In relaxation, to 'rest and relax', 'escape from daily routine' and 'enjoy life' register the same level of importance (4.60). Visiting places that the tourists have always wanted to know stands out as the most relevant internal motivation (3.49). 'Biological and physical wellbeing' (4.59) is the most significant variable in the search for physical wellbeing, while the search for psychological wellbeing is positively influenced by the four variables: 'have mental and emotional health' (4.61), 'have pleasure and happiness' (4.52), 'satisfaction with life' (4.50), and 'having freedom and control over life' (4.40). Source: own elaboration The first hypothesis of this research (H1) analyses the differences in the four dimensions of motivations according to the benefits sought, stating that "There are differences in the motivations to practice thermal tourism between tourists that search for health benefits, and those searching for leisure and relaxation benefits". The benefits relate to the cure or mitigation of specific health issues (such as respiratory, digestive, circulatory, rheumatic, musculoskeletal, and skin problems), while leisure and relaxation benefits include the escape from daily stress, spend time in family, or being pampered. Most respondents (53.2%) practiced thermal tourism due to leisure and relaxation benefits which are, as mentioned, the escape from daily stress, spend time with family, being "pampered"). The remaining 46.8% went to thermal spas aiming to cure or prevent specific health issues.
The results presented in table 4 inform that there are no statistically significant differences regarding the health, and leisure or relaxation benefits and the motivation to relax, which means that there are no differences in the relaxation motivations according to previous existent health conditions (or the desire to prevent them) and the need for leisure or to relax.
In what concerns the internal motivations, there are statistically significant differences between the items 'spend time with friends' (p=0.014) and 'visiting places I always wanted to know' (p=0.031) and the benefits sought. It can be observed that health tourists value less these motivations, than leisure tourists (2.86 vs 3.43 for spending time with friends; 3.24 vs 3.71 for visiting places I wanted to know).
The importance given to the search for physical wellbeing as a motivation differ according to the benefits expected by the thermal tourists. The items contributing to the statistically significant difference are the 'absence of illness, injury, or disability' (p=0.000), the 'absence of pain and discomfort' (p=0.000) and the 'accessibility in attendance and services' (p=0.005). Those who search for leisure and relaxation attribute a lower importance to these motivations (respectively 3.39, 3.55 and 3.63), when compared to those focused on health benefits, who present an average importance of 4.32, 4.29, and 4.16 points (in a scale from 1 to 5).
Finally, the only statistically significant difference found in psychological wellbeing related motivations is in 'Having freedom and control over life' (p=0.030). Tourists searching for leisure and relaxation value this motivation in 4.57, while health tourists only attribute 4.22 points.
The existence of differences with statistical significance in the four dimensions allows to validate hypothesis 1, although still partially, considering that it is not verified in every item. The second hypothesis (H2) presupposes that the sociodemographic profile influences the importance given to the motivations to practice thermal tourism. The analysis is made for each of the four dimensions of motivations. In what concerns the motivation to relax, it can be observed in table 5 that there are statistically significant differences according to the academic degree, in the four items. The importance given to 'do nothing' (p=0,000), 'rest and relax' (p=0,000), escape from daily routine (p=0,003), and 'enjoy life' (p=0,000) is influenced by the academic degree. People with lower academic degrees (high school and below) attribute a higher importance to the four items of the dimension of relaxation. The occupation of individuals presents statistical significance in the importance given to 'do nothing' (p=0,006) and 'enjoy life' (p=0,050). In fact, it can be concluded that full-or part-time employed thermal tourists, value less the motivation to 'do nothing' (4.00 and 3.86) when compared to students or non-professionally active respondents (all above 4.50). The same occurs with the item 'enjoy life' (4.33 and 4.63). Finally, the monthly income demonstrates to influence the importance given to all items, and that people with higher income (above 2,000 €) give a lower importance to relaxation, which is globally more valued for those earning less.  Table 6 presents the average importance attributed to internal motivations by the different sociodemographic groups. The t-student and One-Way ANOVA tests show no statistically significant differences between the level of importance in the four items, except for the monthly income and the nostalgic reminiscence (p=*0,011). Respondents that have a monthly income below 1,000€, and between 2,000€ and 3,000€ consider that nostalgic reminiscence is more important as an internal motivation (3,15 and 3,25, respectively), when compared to the other groups. The importance attributed to the search for physical wellbeing as a motivation to thermal tourism is presented in table 7. The age, academic degree, and the occupation register statistically significant differences, while gender and monthly income appear to have no influence, except for the later and the 'accessibility in attendance and services', being this item more valued by respondents with lower income and decreasing its importance for higher earning groups (from 4.04 to 1.50). In what concerns the age groups, we find differences in the items related to 'absence of illness, injury, or disability' (p=0.000), 'absence of pain and discomfort' (p=0.000), and 'accessibility in attendance and services' (p=0.000). The behaviour is similar in all the items, as the level of importance increases with the age, and then decreases in the group with more than 75 years old. There also differences in the four items according to the academic degree. The search for 'biological and physical well-being' (p=0,012) is more important to those with elementary school and master's degree. The remaining three items are most valued by those with elementary school, and all register a p-value of 0,000. Among the several sociodemographic variables and their influence on the importance of the search for psychological wellbeing as motivation (table 8), there is no statistically significant difference according to gender, age group or occupation. According to the academic degree of the respondents, there are differences in the four items: 'have pleasure and happiness' (0,008), 'satisfaction with life' (0,007), 'having freedom and control over life' (0,020), and 'have mental and emotional health' (0,005). The behaviour is similar to the previous motivation, as those with a professional degree and with a PhD attribute lower importance to the four items. It should also be highlighted that people with incomplete elementary school also attribute lower importance to having satisfaction, and freedom and control over life. In sum, it can be concluded that, in what concerns the sociodemographic variables: i) the age influences the importance give to physical wellbeing; ii) the academic degree influences the importance of relaxation, search for physical and psychological wellbeing; iii) the occupation determines differences in the motivation of relaxation, search for physical wellbeing; and iv) the monthly income influences the importance of relaxation, internal motivations, search for physical and psychological wellbeing, and is thus the independent variable with impact in a higher number of dimensions. Therefore, hypothesis 2 is validated.
To validate the hypothesis 3 "The benefits for health and for leisure and relaxation searched for thermal tourists influence the characteristics of the travel", the variable 'benefits sought' was tested with the composition of the travel group, the main motivation for traveling, the selected thermal spa, and the number of nights spent. Chi-squared test results are presented in table 9 and demonstrate that there is a statistically significant correlation between benefits sought and the characteristics of the travel. In fact, traveling alone or accompanied is the only characteristic that is not influenced by the benefits that tourists expect to achieve, either for their health, leisure or relaxation. Despite this, it is worth to mention that most thermal tourists travelled accompanied (89%). In what concerns the composition of the group, it can be observed that it is correlated to the expected benefits (p=,000). Most of those searching for health benefits, namely the cure or prevention of respiratory, digestive, circulatory, rheumatic, musculoskeletal, and skin problems, travelled with the partner/spouse (43), followed by those who were accompanied by friends (24), and relatives (13). Thermal tourists searching for leisure and relaxation (escape from daily stress, family time, being "pampered"), travel mainly with family members (44), followed by those who prefer to travel with friends (26) and, in a lower number, with the partner/spouse (25).
The benefits sought also appear to influence the number of individuals in the travel group (p=0,001). Those searching for health benefits travel mainly in groups of 2 individuals (37), or large dimensions such as those over 35 people (20), followed by groups of 4 (16). It can be concluded that they are accompanied by the spouse/partner, friends, and then family. The respondents who travel for leisure and relaxation purposes prefer to do it in groups of 4 people (30), followed by 2 (29) or 3 (15). Large groups are not frequent in thermal tourists who search for leisure and relaxation. Thus, the specific benefits sought influence the dimension of the group when travelling.
Results also indicate that the benefits sought are also correlated with the general motivations to travel (p=0.000) and thus, it can be concluded that the travel motivations depend on the benefits sought. Nearly 60% of the respondents that travel for health benefits, have the general motivation of 'health and wellness', followed by 'holiday' (37.6%). Conversely, thermal tourists aiming to get leisure and relaxation travel mainly motivated by 'holidays' (68.6%), and only 20.6% state to have 'health and wellness' motivations.
The choice of the thermal spa presents a statistically significant association with the benefits that tourists expect to achieve (p=0.000). The thermal spa of São Pedro do Sul, located in the Centre of Portugal, registers the higher number of tourists, regardless of the benefit. However, those focused on health issues prefer to stay in São Pedro do Sul (48) followed by Taipas Termal (11), Gerês (5) and Monchique (5). Thermal tourists searching for leisure and relaxation stay mainly in São Pedro do Sul (39), Chaves (12), Curia (8), São Jorge (5), Vidago (5) and Caldas da Saúde (5). Despite the specificity of these spas and their location which may limit the generalization of these results, it is important to note that the type of benefits that people expect to get from staying in a thermal spa influence the choice of the location.
The number of nights spent also correlate to the benefits (p=0.000). Guests aiming to cure or prevent health issues stay for a longer number of nights (46.5% stay for more than 10 nights, and 17.2% between 6 and 10 nights). Those expecting to relax and experience leisure stay for a lower number of nights, namely between 3-5 (23.8%), 6-10 (22.8%), or 1-2 (21.9%).
The existence of statistically significant relations between all the variables related to the travel characteristics and the search for health benefits, or for leisure and relaxation benefits allow to validate the hypothesis 3 and to conclude that these benefits influence the characteristics of the travel in what concerns the composition of the group (in terms of type and dimension), the general motivation to travel, the selected thermal spa, and the number of nights spent.

Discussion
This research's main objective is to identify the motivations of thermal tourists, namely, to understand how the benefits that thermal tourists search for, and their sociodemographic profile influence the motivations, and how the motivations determine the travel characteristics. One of the main findings is about the tourists' motivations to go to thermal baths. Relaxation is the most valued by respondents, followed by the search for psychological wellbeing, and for physical wellbeing. These results are aligned with those of [38] who, when analysing Portuguese thermal tourists, concluded that stress relief and relaxation and the improvement of physical health are the main motivations for the majority of tourists.
The first hypothesis states that "There are differences in the motivations to practice thermal tourism between tourists that search for health benefits, and those searching for leisure and relaxation benefits". The empirical study's results allow to validate this hypothesis in the dimensions related to internal motivations, search for physical wellbeing, and search for psychological wellbeing. Several authors state that the motivations for practicing health and wellness/thermal tourism are relaxation, health awareness and mental therapy [6]. Also, the variety of treatments, tranquillity and sense of relief, leisure/adventure activities for medical conditions, and vacationing with the whole family (from young to old) are considered motivations [34]. The travel motivations of tourists who practice spa tourism are also prestige entertainment and expectations of spa facility services, such as the equipment provided, water temperature and quality, associated qualified staff, service team to comply with hygiene rules, quality of service offered, tranquillity of the facility, the presence of health staff on the premises to provide detailed information about the water characteristics and spa facilities [37]. [39] in his study on motivations and practices a Thermal Spa's water users, concluded that their general motivation was physical health, such as improvement of symptoms of already identified illness and the maintenance or improvement of health status. [46] adds that the main reasons that lead to do thermal tourism practice are to treat an illness, prevention, or wellbeing (26.4%). The results of the present study confirm the previous research, except for the motivation to relaxation, where no statistically significant differences were found. Despite it, the motivation to relax register the highest mean among the four dimensions.
The second hypothesis (The sociodemographic profile influences the importance given to the motivations to practice thermal tourism) was also validated, as statistical tests point towards the influence of age in the importance of search for physical wellbeing; the academic degree influences the importance given to relaxation, search for physical wellbeing and search for psychological wellbeing; the occupation determines the level of importance of relaxation and the search for physical wellbeing; and finally the income influences all the four dimensions of motivations. The push & pull motivations are important issues to consider when analysing the factors that influence thermal tourists. Push motivations, or internal motivational factors, are the actual goal satisfaction and selffulfilment in relation to the needs and desires of tourists to relax and pamper themselves, either as a reward for themselves after the professional pressure associated with professional lives, or to relieve the stress and tension of everyday life. Pull motivations (attraction factors) such as the spa dynamics have an important role in activating the needs and desires for spa treatments during vacations and the consequent demand for health and spa in the destination. In many circumstances, the initial needs and desires are the unconscious motivators that are activated into actions (thermal facility visit) by the tangible sources of the thermal destination itself [12]. In hypothesis 3 (The benefits for health and for leisure and relaxation searched for thermal tourists influence the characteristics of the travel), validation results from the statistically significant relations between the benefits expected by thermal tourists, and their travel characteristics such as the composition of the group, the general travel motivation, the thermal destination chosen, and the number of nights spent. These results confirm the findings of previous studies. To achieve a balance between body and mind, individuals satisfy their psychological needs through leisure activities [47]. [22] add that wellness tourists generally prefer to travel alone, to focus and work on themselves, rather than being responsive to someone else [22]. [20] comments that tourists choose "destination places for their geographical, climatic or environmental and landscape characteristics, and for this reason, it is necessary to improve the conditions of their offer and increase the degree of attractiveness" [20]. For the same reason, it becomes necessary to develop new products and services, increasingly exclusive, creative, and unique, able to attract visitors and increase the notoriety of the places [30].

Conclusions
There is evidence in different studies that tourism-related experiences lead to positive psychological and physical states, improving the sense of well-being, happiness, quality of life and satisfaction with life in general. Health and wellness tourism, and thermal tourism, have an uppermost position in terms of the continuous growth rates regarding both the number of tourists and the economic benefits, through the demand for treatments in classical thermalism or in its extension, in the more leisure and relaxationoriented side.
The conclusions of the present research can be framed in similar perspectives to those of previous studies [14] since studying the motivations, within the scope of health and wellness tourism practice, and recognizing the motivations related to health and relaxation, are determinant as starting points for both thermal hotels, thermal infrastructures and equipment, as well as for their marketing departments, due to the need for marketing professionals to assume greater flexibility and adapt to the changing desires and needs of tourists, in addition to improving communication about the health and wellness experience offered and its benefits [14]. From a management perspective, the results obtained deliver a set of implications that can be useful for thermal destinations, realizing that the sociodemographic profile influences not only the motivations of thermal tourists, but also the choice of services made available, determines the operations, the creation of new thermal services, the marketing and its strategy. Adapted to target audiences with diverse interests and motivations, this aspect must be considered as a starting point to know the customer and promote an adaptation, improving the offer, based on new products or services, such as associated diet plans, proposed strategy in the northern region of Eurocity Chaves-Verín [48], between Portugal and Spain, and establishing in a holistic perspective for thermal destinations, a connection between Entrepreneurial Marketing and thermalism in the near future, applying for a change in the thermal establishment's management, attempting to improve the health and well-being tourism sector management and planning [49], also based on studies from diverse but related areas of knowledge [50].
The question of consumer behaviour is crucial to sustain all marketing activities carried out with the purpose of developing, promoting and selling tourism products [4]. This research provides contributions regarding the specific motivations of tourists in thermal tourism, and the benefits that thermal tourists search for. The fact that most of the respondents practice thermal tourism in couple should be considered in the marketing strategies of thermal hotels, designing proposals of health and wellness products aimed at couples, complementing with other offers at the destination, in the gastronomy, wine tourism and nature tourism areas, valuing the perspective of exclusivity, creativity, and uniqueness, considering, in addition, the main strengths of thermal tourism, as its high average length of stay, its low dependence on the season and, the fact that health spas are usually located in the countryside, constituting a determinant factor in boosting the local economy [27].
The research findings also provide scientific and managerial insights for tourism industry practitioners to better prepare for future challenges considering thermal tourism destinations in the post Covid-19 period which will relate to customer confidence on safety and sustainability issues, demonstrating to clients that spas are meeting standards to ensure health and safety, considering innovation in services provided, new business models, build loyalty or "re-loyalize", develop innovative products for proximity tourism [51], align and realign external and internal objectives and prices (promotions and different price dynamics).