Tourist Product and Public Policies for Thermal Tourism in Uruguay

The tourist product thermal is one of the modalities of traditional tourism in Uruguay and one of the destinations most frequented by the Visitors. The present work is of historical character [1941-2014] on the thermal centers of Arapey and Dayman, Department of Salto, Uruguay. Being the thermal tourist product a complex and multidimensional concept in this text is chosen to treat two of its components. Also, a panorama of the public policies elaborated by the departmental government linked to the tourism in the thermal centres is drawn up. In addition, it is analysed the role that the departmental government fulfilled during this process. As for the collection of dice, this was done on the basis of qualitative methodology, employing several techniques. Going to the results themselves, the origin of the hot water in the thermal baths of Arapey and Dayman is linked with the prospections made in search of oil, having a gap in the time of approximately a decade and a half between both. The incorporation of the tourist attractions in the Termas del Arapey accompanied the growth of the accommodation offer. instead, in Dayman the attractions were configured prior to the rise of the accommodation in the thermal zone. In Dayman, the departmental government intervenes as a supplier of tourist attractions and in Arapey also participates as a supplier of tourist accommodation. Product of the analysis of the normative instruments it was possible to perceive substantial differences between the thermal stations.