Abstract:

The innovation process, and its application to tourism, has been gradually gaining ground in the academic community as a field of study. Similarly, in recent decades, tourism has received greater attention from researchers in several sciences. The present manuscript intends to gather and sistematize the main aspects related to innovation process in specific tourism context, in particular the case of thermal tourism in Peninsular Northwest. In specific, in this region, thermal tourism still constitutes a vector of sustainable development, serving as leverage for complementary activities like healthcare and thermal tourism. The study has as purpose to provide a better understanding regarding the essence of innovation process and entrepreneurship: theoretical and practical implications. With a theoretical perspective, the manuscript aims to bring together the major components of entrepreneurship and its implications tourist perspective and relationship marketing (i.e. consumer perspective). In the end, we intend to explore the relationship with thermal tourism consumers, suggesting a conceptual model (to be tested empirically) that relates relational marketing and the result of innovation in tourism (favoring trust, commitment, quality of service, satisfaction and loyalty). A future study should include emotional factors. The new vogue of thermal tourism forces us to challenge and re-visit the power relationships that exist within contemporary tourism and the host–guest relationship.