Thermal Tourism, Hot Spring Tourism and Turkey’s Reality

Hot springs; Historical and Natural Richness
Using thermal and mineral waters for relaxation and health purposes is as old as the history of humanity. Turkish grounds have witnessed this use via endless historical remains. In Turkish, hot waters and their sources are called “Ilıca” (Hot Spring). With the construction of facilities and baths over these areas, they were called “closed hot springs” and then “kaplıca” (hot spring) was developed. When the Turks brought “Cerge” (steam bath) to Anatolia, they came across the Roman baths and combined them to created and developed the “Turkish Bath” (hamam). In regions where thermal water is found and pools are used, they created the “Turkish Hot Spring Bath” style. This way, the hot springs were used for both health and cleanliness. Due to the rich mineral hot waters in our country, the hot spring tradition continues today as a strong socio-cultural phenomenon. Hot water springs, which are used for health protection-development, treatment and rehabilitation and the modern use supported with scientific knowledge is growing stronger and becoming a widespread approach primarily in our country but also in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.
Hot Springs and Health Today
Wanting to protect one’s health and having the awareness of and wanting a healthier life, prior to developing any disease, is a new characteristic of human beings. It is at this point where health tourism steps in and the so called “health vacation” or “being healthy during vacation” concepts come to mind. It is becoming better understood that a hot spring not only creates an ideal atmosphere for the body and physical state but also for the mind-soul health distant from the stress, fatigue and tensions related to daily life. Hot water baths, mineral springs, inhalations and steam bath applications specific to hot springs are combined with exercise, massage, diet and nutrition and other natural and traditional methods at many hot spring centers where they create the ideal atmosphere for a “health vacation”. In the mean time, treatment concepts that make people stronger are developing like wellness, fitness, anti-stress, anti-aging, that prevent stress and aging effects. The “magical” word of wellness comes from wellbeing and fitness in English, and is an artificially produced word that is used to aim for a healthier life with a vacation-relaxation component where treatment is chosen at the hot spring and return from the hot spring is healthier.

Should I wait to be sick to visit a hot spring?
Prior to becoming sick, we can check into a hot spring facility for 1 or 2 weeks or 10-12 days or for a weekend (to be repeated for a few consecutive weekends) or a couple days of the week (again, repeated weekly) or if we live in a hot spring region, we can get an outpatient “hot spring treatment”; actually everybody has at least one reason:
• Protect and develop your health
• Get away from daily stress, “Stress relaxation”
• Stay with yourself, personal time
• Gain physical and spiritual vigor
• Eat healthy, diet and weight loss
• Pain free physical and worry free spiritual activity
• Learn how to live healthy
• Have a healthy vacation or take a health vacation

Can Turkey be the Star of Thermal Tourism?
These developments make hot spring tourism, within health tourism, stand out such that hot spring treatments aren’t just accommodations for patients receiving treatment but also for healthy individuals to strengthen their health, and support of an active relaxation “holiday”. Actually Turkey is one of the most convenient countries for “ modern individuals” aiming for health vacations. Especially in Europe, there are many factors why Turkey is chosen for hot spring treatments and make the hot spring tourism is very attractive. While the Central and North European person is preferring hot spring treatments today, they are choosing countries, other than their own, with different climate, history, and cultural features. Turkey, in the near future, is a candidate for becoming one of the main countries Europeans will visit for hot spring treatments and health tourism. However, in terms of service, whether it be medical management and services or even educated and experienced personnel, we need to complete our missing points rapidly. Otherwise, just with our advantages of facility, accommodation and hospitality qualities supported by technical equipment, it is obvious that reaching European standards will be impossible.