In the Spanish region of Galicia, 13 thermal springs hotels have come together to create special packages and programmes that combine walking the famed Camino pilgrimage routes with overnight stays and spa treatments.

The programme has been coordinated by the Galician Tourism Agency to highlight two of the area’s most well-known tourist attractions. Galicia is perhaps best known for its pilgrimage route, the Camino de Santiago, which ends in the capital of Santiago de Compostela and has attracted record numbers of walkers in recent years.

“The Way of Saint James (Camino de Santiago) is the tourist experience with the greatest international projection in Galicia,” said Xosé Manuel Merelles Remy, Galician Tourism Agency director.

“Every year, thousands of pilgrims travel to this corner of Spain to enjoy a safe and healthy Camino that combines nature, culture and gastronomy. But among all the elements of our natural and cultural heritage that make the destination unique, the thermal waters stand out.”

Located in the northwest Iberian peninsula, Galicia is known as “Green Spain” because of its lush landscapes, but it is also the biggest thermal destination in Spain, with more than 300 hot springs, many of which were used by the Romans.

Today, more than 20 spa establishments use the thermal water and the 1,500km of Galician coastline is also home to a number of thalassotherapy facilities.

“This thermal and mineral-medicinal wealth is distributed throughout our geography, crossing with the Caminos de Santiago and generating an opportunity for a new offer,” said Merelles Remy. “The Galician Tourism Agency has decided to promote ‘Galicia: Spa Pilgrimage in Spain’ as a healthy travel proposal based on two of our great identifying features, the Camino and the spas, and aimed at the care and wellbeing of the pilgrim.”

The idea had its genesis when architect Mario Crecente, director of Crecente Asociados, heard about the Global Wellness Summit’s 2024 trend on ‘The Power of the Pilgrimage’. He saw an opportunity to connect two ancient and spiritual forms of travel: the Camino and the thermal spring.

Crecente specialises in thermal tourism and is also involved in the European Historic Thermal Towns Association (EHTTA), as president of the Scientific Committee, and he saw that packages for tired walkers to soak their muscles in the area’s rich mineral waters at the end of the day made perfect sense – and would celebrate two of the area’s most special attributes.

“Today the Caminos represent the main attraction for foreign visitors to Galicia, with the Americans at the top of the list,” said Crecente. “But in the Caminos, we have baños, balnearios, termas and caldas, from the beginning of times – Galician spas have roots in the origin of our civilisation. So we suggested that Turismo de Galicia create a concept that connects thermal waters and the Caminos, and a new touristic product was born.”

The offering

Each of the 13 hotels involved in the initiative has put together a package that highlights its distinctive offering; there is a Roman spa, a forest spa, a sacred spa, a seaside spa and even a spa island.

Packages include days of hiking, cultural excursions and spa treatments.

At the Hotel Balnearo de Lugo, for instance, an eight-day package includes spa treatments, a visit to the Roman baths, five days of hiking with transfers to and from the route and a visit with the hotel’s medical doctor, as well as breakfast and dinner.

The new tourism offering was presented to the public for the first time in October at Saratoga Springs, New York, at the International Spa Heritage Festival organised by EHTTA.

Crecente hopes it will bring a new kind of tourist to the area – the kind that is looking for wellness on a deeper level.

“When I travel from Galicia, I often meet pilgrims who have walked the Caminos and are returning home, and when I ask them about their experience, they always use the same word: ‘transformative’,” he said.

“In creating Galicia: Spa Pilgrimage in Spain, we hope tourists will enjoy authenticity, nature and culture in a true wellness experience that has that intangible value of being transformative,” he said.