Transforming hot-spring cities into innovation hubs: A comparative cluster-based analysis of Beppu, Bath, and Vichy

Hot-spring cities can transform into innovation hubs not through resource abundance alone, but via institutional coordination and strategic integration of wellness, heritage, healthcare, and education sectors. A comparative analysis of Beppu (Japan), Bath (UK), and Vichy (France)—two UNESCO-listed Great Spa Towns—reveals that Bath and Vichy leverage limited hydrothermal resources more effectively through governance, long-stay tourism demand, and quality branding, achieving higher-value urban development. In contrast, Beppu, despite vast resources, remains reliant on volume-based tourism due to weaker cross-sector orchestration. The study underscores the developmental potential of hot-spring cities as a place-based institutional process rather than an automatic outcome of resource endowments, offering policy insights for Japanese spa cities.

Kubo, T., & Yamasaki, A. (2026). Transforming hot-spring cities into innovation hubs: A comparative cluster-based analysis of Beppu, Bath, and Vichy. Regional Science Policy & Practice, 18(9), 100333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rspp.2026.100333