Thalassotherapy activity in tourism

Thalassotherapy, a health practice dating back to ancient times in coastal areas, is closely linked to the originsof tourism in several regions. This study aims to identify the impacts of thalassotherapy practices on touristdestinations. A systematic review was conducted from the perspectives of tourism and health. A total of 61documents were selected from the Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed databases. The PRISMA (PreferredReporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) method and the VOSviewer software were used forword analysis. The primary findings indicate that thalassotherapy activities in tourist destinations do notgenerate negative environmental impacts and contribute positively to the socioeconomic conditions of theregion. Health-related benefits include improved patient outcomes, enhanced quality of life, and increasedwork capacity. The study highlighted case studies from Greece, Spain, Croatia, and Japan. The co-occurrenceanalysis underscored the relationship between thalassotherapy and tourism development. This researchcontributesto tourism management by emphasising the inclusion of health benefits in assessing tourismdestinations, alongside environmental and socioeconomic impacts. A health-sector method was adaptedto improve systematic reviews in tourism, adding specific items. No economic evaluations were found inthalassotherapy projects despite evidence from case studies.