The Great Spa Towns of Europe – A Comparative Analysis of the Impact of UNESCO Designation on Spa Towns

This thesis examines a comparative analysis of the impact of obtaining UNESCO World Heritage status on selected spa towns included in the Great Spa Towns of Europe collection. The main objective of the thesis is to determine whether inclusion on the World Heritage List has influenced the development of tourism in the destinations under study and whether their development after 2021 differed from that of comparable spa towns without this status. At the same time, the study analyzes whether any such effect manifested differently among domestic and international guests and whether it also influenced the number of overnight stays or the average length of stay. The theoretical part of the thesis defines the issues surrounding spa tourism, the significance of cultural heritage in destination development, and the role of the UNESCO brand as a factor in competitiveness and marketing appeal. The practical part is based on an analysis of secondary statistical data from selected cities in the Czech Republic, Germany, and Austria for the period 2015–2024. The evaluation utilized methods of comparative analysis, year-over-year comparison, and interpretation of development trends. he results show that the impact of UNESCO status is not clear-cut and cannot be considered an automatic driver of tourism growth. In selected cases, a positive trend in visitor numbers and overnight stays was observed, but the intensity of the effect varied among individual cities. Other factors also played a significant role, particularly the tradition of spa tourism, the structure of the clientele, transport accessibility, marketing, and the destination’s ability to respond to market changes. At the same time, the interpretation of the results was influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, which significantly disrupted the normal development of tourism.