Türkiye, which is geographically located in one of the world’s most important geothermal zone, is recognized as one popular thermal tourism destination due to its natural thermal water resources as well as their qualities. Within Türkiye’s thermal tourism potential, Erzurum, located on the foothills of Palandöken Mountain in Eastern Anatolia Region, has a significant potential for thermal tourism as well as historical, cultural, and archaeological riches. This study aims to unveil the thermal tourism potential of Erzurum, which has been used as a permanent settlement in the historical process with the advantage of its geographical location and examine the usability of thermal tourism as an alternative tourism type, as well as developing the recommendations that will enable thermal tourism to progress. For this purpose, a conceptual literature review on the subject of thermal tourism was conducted, and previous years’ research was thoroughly examined. The study revealed that Erzurum does possess a great number of thermal water resources in both quality and quantity in almost all of its surroundings, particularly in the districts such as Aziziye, Pasinler, and Köprüköy. However, it is unable to utilize this potential effectively and efficiently. In this sense, considering the current situation, some recommendations were developed in order to assess the thermal tourism potential of Erzurum and achieve the desired outcome.