NEWCOMMUNICATIONAPPROACHESIN THERMAL SPA SOCIAL MEDIA: A SENTIMENT ANALYSIS OF COMMENTS

This article reflects on the use of social media to communicate thermalism with a view to arouse curiosity about thermalism. Through strategic communication it emphasises both the medium (social media) and the objective (engagement with users). With the aim of researching and developing communication strategies in social media that can be used by thermal spas to increase the engagement of their followers, this study analyses the comments on social media and the opportunities that may arise when looking into the future of communication. The results come from the analysis of the social media of Termas de Chaves and Termas de S & atilde;o Pedro do Sul in Portugal, revealing that people are increasingly motivated to experience thermal services and products. Artificial intelligence was used to identify the sentiments in the comments, which provided relevant results to develop a model capable of maximising the benefits of thermalism and minimising communication problems with its audiences. This model supports a plurality of digital communication strategies, with different characteristics and objectives, but which fulfil a collective purpose: to disseminate information about thermalism in order to build a solid knowledge about it. This study highlights the need for further research on thermalism, with a special focus on communication.