Resumen
The world is changing; it is slowly running out of resources. The change and the depletion of energy resources are being discussed all the time. The rapid development of sustainable tourism is constantly changing and shaping the concept of sustainability. Every country has its own way for this reshaping and some countries have chosen sustainable renewable and environmentally-friendly energy resources in this movement.Due to its geographical position Turkey has advantage in using a wide range of renewable energy resources. This study is related to one of this green energy ? geothermal energy (GE). Turkey has a great potential regarding geothermal energy. Turkey is Europe?s number one and the world?s number seven country concerning its geothermal resources. The most significant geothermal systems are located in the western, central and eastern parts of Turkey. The first search for geothermal energy was launched in Turkey in the Aegean region. Geothermal energy is an important sustainable source and this energy is also important for health tourism. Health tourism is developing in the world and Turkey wants to be a part of this movement. Izmir has an important role in health tourism and has a significant advantage in terms of thermal energy. Moreover, health tourism is in Izmir?s program for the EXPO 2020. The aim of study is to provide the information on the sources of thermal energy in the region and to the evaluate the investments in this regard. Firstly the importance of geothermal energy potential is discussed and geothermal energy in Izmir is analyzed. After information of thermal energy sources in the region is collected and investments are examined, the connection of geothermal power with health tourism is evaluated.