Health Tourism Destination Research Articles

The Effectiveness Of Regulatory Socialization In Supporting The Use Of MSMEs Products As Hotel Amenities And Its Impact On Guest Trust

This research explores the effectiveness of regulatory socialization in supporting the use of MSMEs natural cosmetic and medicinal products as hotel amenities, as well as its impact on guest trust. The survey results of hotel industry players indicate that the adoption of MSME products is still low, with the main obstacles being a lack of understanding of regulations and product costs. This study concludes that increasing business and regulatory literacy through integrated programs and providing certified e-catalogs of products can enhance the competitiveness of MSMEs and strengthen Indonesia's image as a wellness tourism destination. This research provides an innovative contribution to the empowerment strategies of MSMEs in the hotel and tourism industry.

Building the future of rural-based wellness tourism: Infrastructure and policy considerations for rural Thailand

Rural-based wellness tourism presents a unique opportunity for sustainable economic development in Thailand, particularly in regions rich with natural and cultural resources. The significance of this study lies in its focus on addressing the gap in understanding how rural-based wellness tourism can be supported through infrastructure development and policy frameworks. While wellness tourism has been extensively studied in urban settings, there is a clear need for research that examines the unique attributes of rural wellness destinations, particularly in Thailand, where rich cultural heritage and natural landscapes provide a strong foundation for wellness tourism development. This study examines the key attributes of rural-based wellness tourism destinations, emphasizing how infrastructure development and policy frameworks can support their sustainable growth. Quantitative method using structured questionnaire is the primary research tool. Using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), six core attributes—Uniqueness, Facilities, Activities, Attractions, Natural Setting, and Wellness Therapy—were identified as critical components that shape tourist experiences and drive destination success and validates them using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The article highlights the vital role of infrastructure, such as transportation and wellness facilities, in enhancing the accessibility and appeal of rural destinations. Additionally, policy considerations are explored, focusing on environmental protection, community-based tourism, and investment incentives that encourage the sustainable development of wellness tourism in rural Thailand. A proposed model integrates these attributes with infrastructure and policy measures, offering practical recommendations for stakeholders to promote rural-based wellness tourism that fosters local economic growth while preserving natural and cultural heritage. The findings contribute to the broader understanding of how rural wellness tourism destinations can be developed to meet the evolving needs of modern travelers and support long-term sustainable tourism strategies.

First Steps towards Ecosystemic Governance for Health and Recreational Tourism Destinations

The concept of the business ecosystem emerged at the turn of the century, drawing inspiration from biology to describe the economic community. Since its inception, this concept has found applications across various domains, including technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship, where it significantly contributes to strategic management. However, within the realm of tourism, there remains a notable dearth of literature on this subject. While it is acknowledged that tourism destinations embody many characteristics of a business ecosystem, concrete tools for adopting an ecosystemic approach in tourism management, particularly across different tourism types, are lacking. The current study seeks to address this gap by undertaking a theoretical exploration of health and recreational tourism. It aims to identify socio-economic aspects that could facilitate the adoption of an ecosystemic approach in the governance of tourism destinations, with a specific focus on these types of tourism. As a result of this endeavor, an initial model delineating the ecosystem of a health and recreational tourism destination is proposed. This model lays the groundwork for empirical validation and further refinement through subsequent studies.

Wellness tourism destination loyalty formation: the role of mental health and eudaimonic well-being

PurposeWellness tourism is growing in importance as increasing numbers of travelers place a priority on their health and well-being by traveling. This study examined the relationships between wellness tourism destination attributes, perceived quality, perceived mental health, eudaimonic well-being, overall satisfaction and behavioral loyalty to corroborate a model explaining wellness tourism destination loyalty in Thailand.Design/methodology/approachThe conceptual model of this study was examined using a survey research design. The survey questionnaire was distributed to Chinese tourists who had previously traveled to Thailand and engaged in wellness tourism activities during their trip.FindingsThe findings revealed that healthful food choices, core facilities and staff service significantly influenced perceived quality. This perceived quality was a crucial factor in determining perceived mental health, which in turn impacted eudaimonic well-being. Overall satisfaction was directly influenced by perceived quality, perceived mental health and eudaimonic well-being. Additionally, perceived quality had a direct effect on behavioral loyalty.Practical implicationsWith the growing global interest in wellness and travel, this study offers valuable insights for tourism marketers in Thailand to enhance their wellness tourism strategies. Tourism organizations should emphasize the quality of food, facilities and staff service to attract wellness-oriented travelers.Originality/valueThis study highlights the interconnectedness of perceived quality, good mental health and eudaimonic well-being. High-quality experiences contribute to improved mental health and in turn enhance eudaimonic well-being.

Relationship Between Tourists' Perceived Restorative Environment and Wellness Tourism Destinations

ABSTRACTThis study aims to determine the importance of tourists' perceptions of wellness tourism destinations and their performance based on tourists' perceived restorative environments. An empirical analysis was conducted using sample data collected through a survey with 428 tourists who have experienced wellness tourism. According to the analysis results, there were differences in the level of tourists' perception of the restorative environment. Based on these differences, tourists were subdivided into “the high‐perception group,” “the medium‐perception group,” and “the low‐perception group.” A clear difference in the importance and performance of wellness destinations considered by tourists based on clusters was also found. This segmentation based on the restorative environment can be applied to the development of tourism resource tailored to tourist characteristics.

Advantages and Challenges of Health Tourism Development in Croatia

This paper presents the advantages and challenges of Croatia as a health tourism destination. Croatia is a popular tourist destination where tourism significantly contributes to the country's GDP. Health tourism in Croatia is based on natural health resorts, preventative medical and rehabilitation programs, and various wellness offerings. However, the current state of health tourism is not very promising, as large medical institutions (such as clinical hospital centers, general hospitals, and polyclinics) show little interest. Previous guests have expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of innovation in the programs offered and the limited accessibility for persons with special needs. Significant investment in hotel and medical infrastructure is necessary to meet contemporary global tourist demand, including staff education and increased competitiveness in the international market. This research highlights the importance of health tourism as a selective type necessary for the current and future development of tourism at both local and international levels. The objective is to understand the existing potential of the Saint Nicholas Polyclinic and explore possibilities to further valorize health resources. The research methodology included a survey questionnaire, with results displayed graphically. The findings indicate that Croatia has the prerequisites for health tourism development, particularly in medical tourism. Keywords: tourism, health tourism, sanatorium, polyclinic, development

Enhancing Sustainability in Health Tourism through an Ontology-Based Booking Application for Personalized Packages

Currently, health tourists primarily rely on independent facilitators to manage and book their medical appointments and vacation plans. There is a notable absence of dedicated booking applications for health tourism packages. This paper proposes HealthTourismHub, an application designed to provide personalized packages that include medical appointments, accommodation options, and recommended tourism activities. It also serves as a platform for medical experts and accommodation providers, allowing health tourists to discover and connect with them, promoting local resources, and contributing to the sustainable growth of health tourism destinations. To incorporate personalization, HealthTourismHub uses an ontology that organizes medical and tourism data, along with a reasoner that generates new knowledge. This approach enables the application to offer customized packages and identify the most suitable providers for each user. Providers are strategically paired and located in close proximity, encouraging shorter travel distances and more efficient travel planning, with the package also including personalized tourism recommendations that benefit the local economy and contribute to a conscious tourism industry. A survey was conducted to assess the usability of the application and general perspectives towards health tourism, including motivations, concerns, and preferences. The results revealed an above-average SUS score, indicating that users found the application user-friendly and effective. Some areas for improvement were identified, such as error handling and additional functionalities. Nonetheless, HealthTourismHub shows great potential as a pioneer in the field of sustainable health tourism applications.

Evaluation of the Coupling and Coordination Degree of the Wellness Tourism Industry in Panxi Area

The party's 20th report points out that green and healthy development is an extremely important part of the China's modernization drive, an important guarantee for the sustainable development of the country, and a basic means to realize that "clear waters and green mountains are gold and silver mountains". Sichuan province actively promotes the construction of a strong wellness industry, and strives to build Panxi region into an international sunshine wellness tourism destination. In recent years, the mass tourism market demand escalating, promote the tourism market emerging industry development, wellness industry, in response to the mass tourism market development status, this paper built covers two evaluation dimensions eight elements 16 evaluation index wellness brigade industry coupling coordinated development index system, using the entropy method and coupling coordination model in panxi area wellness industry and tourism industry coupling coordinated development level, based on the evaluation results. The study results show that: (1) with good coupling development degree and strong interaction; (2) the coordinated development level of wellness tourism industry in Panzhihua is low, Panzhihua is in moderate imbalance, Liangshan Prefecture is on the verge of imbalance, with large development space; (3) from 2017 to 2021 is wellness lag type, Liangshan Prefecture is tourism lag type in 2020 alone. Through the research and analysis of the coordinated development of wellness tourism in Panxi region, the comprehensive level of coordinated development of wellness tourism in Panzhihua is revealed, and then three suggestions are put forward: (1) improve the construction of wellness facilities and enhance the coordinated development level of wellness tourism; (2) build the integrated development mechanism of wellness tourism and tourism and promote the coordinated development of wellness tourism industry; (3) optimize the wellness tourism environment and promote the sustainable development of wellness tourism.

Determinants of Health Tourism Destination Attractiveness: A Comprehensive Systematic Review

Determinants of Health Tourism Destination Attractiveness: A Comprehensive Systematic Review

The Physical, Mental, Spiritual, and Environmental (PMSE) Framework for Enhancing Wellness Tourism Experiences and Its Validation in the Context of Kerala, India

Wellness tourism has emerged as a thriving sector in Kerala, India, renowned for its Ayurveda treatments, yoga, and holistic well-being offerings. However, a comprehensive framework capturing the key dimensions of wellness tourism experiences remains underexplored. This study aims to validate the physical, mental, spiritual, and environmental (PMSE) framework within the context of Kerala’s wellness tourism industry. A quantitative research design was employed, utilizing data collected from wellness tourists who participated in various wellness services in Kerala. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to assess the fitness of the PMSE framework. The findings reveal that mental experience and physical experience, with their respective sub-attributes, contribute significantly to the overall wellness tourism experience. The validated PMSE framework provides valuable insights for stakeholders, enabling them to enhance the quality and competitiveness of wellness tourism services in Kerala. By prioritizing the mental and physical dimensions of wellness experiences, Kerala can strengthen its position as a leading wellness tourism destination. This study advances the theoretical understanding of wellness tourism experiences and offers practical implications for destination management and service providers in Kerala’s wellness tourism industry.

Wellness tourism experience and destination brand love

ABSTRACT This study assessed various aspects of the wellness tourism experience in Thailand. A survey was conducted with a sample of 420 Chinese tourists. The findings revealed significant and insignificant effects of the wellness tourism experience on the development of destination brand love. Additionally, it confirmed that barriers and destination familiarity play a vital role in shaping tourists’ responses and strengthening their affinity towards the destination brand. The results highlight tourists’ focus on comprehensive experiences rather than external dynamics like weather. This study suggests collaboration among stakeholders to enrich the overall travel experience and prioritize the emotional wellbeing of tourists.

Destination brand identity as a mediator between accessibility and tourist perception: Promoting Bama Yao as potential wellness tourist destination in China

This study aims to examine the impact of accessibility and destination brand identity on Chinese wellness tourist perceptions. It considers Bama Yao autonomous district’s growth towards longevity tourism and contributes to empirical work on the Chinese wellness tourism market. This quantitative research incorporated a post-positivism paradigm with the non-probability convenience sampling method to collect paper-based questionnaires: a total of 346 were coded for data analysis. The results demonstrated that accessibility positively influenced destination brand identity and tourist perceptions. Equally destination brand identity positively influenced tourist perception. Meanwhile, destination brand identity mediated the relationship between accessibility and tourist perception for wellness tourism destinations. However, the cross-sectional study’s results cannot be generalizable, and the sample may be one of its limitations. The present study provides policymakers and practitioners with the theoretical and practical basis to understand and predict tourists’ perceptions of wellness tourism destinations in China.

Sentiment analysis applied to tourism: exploring tourist-generated content in the case of a wellness tourism destination

ABSTRACT Sentiment analysis of content generated by tourists through social media platforms can be used to generate knowledge about a wellness tourism destination. The present research aims to explore the content generated by tourist reviews, analyse the sentiments about a wellness tourism destination made in comments on hotels, evaluate the sentiment of tourists towards the various components of this kind of destination, and identify the motivations for tourists to look for wellness tourism destinations, such as the Algarve. The analysis of the reviews of the tourism components demonstrates tourists’ opinions about the wellness destination and also grades the infrastructure facilities and the highlighted services for the categories of this type of tourism. In attaining the objectives of this study, quantitative methods were used to review 1294 comments extracted from TripAdvisor, to which text mining algorithms were applied to assess the sentiment expressed in the comments. The results show that the three keywords most frequently used for all component categories in the Algarve wellness destinations are “great”, “love” and “visit”, and also reveal that a hotel providing spa and massage services in the tourist wellness destination mainly satisfies the desires of a tourist.

Study of responsive tourism destination areas to reduce disaster risk: Canden Village, Bantul

Canden Village currently has a vision of a Wellness Tourism Destination. Kiringan Hamlet, located in Kalurahan Canden, was designated a Tourism Village of Jamu Gendong (Herbal Medicine) in 2016. Canden has several natural, cultural, artistic, and culinary tourism potentials spread across Canden Hamlet, Ngibikan Hamlet, Suren Kulon Hamlet, Suren Wetan, and Banyudono. Several problems related to access, namely, the primary entrance to Kalurahan Canden is not feasible, the physical condition of the road could be more suitable for motorized vehicles, and there needs to be an area marker as a wayfinding facility. In addition to accessibility conditions, disaster response in the area is critical. Canden’s location around the Opak Fault and the Opak River causes this area to have several potential natural disasters. This study of disaster response needs to be conducted to enhance a tourism village as a tourist destination that is safe, comfortable, and sustainable. The object of this study is Canden Village in Bantul, which has several disaster risks. The research aims to determine the level of disaster response in Canden as a Tourism Village. The research method is a qualitative research method using grounded theory and space syntax connectivity-visibility analysis. The concept of disaster response consists of evacuation routes, protective areas, safe zones, open spaces, and public facilities. The results of the study show that the aspect of disaster response in the region is essential to support regional security factors. This research can be a study for disaster response tourist spots and support the sustainability of an area as a tourist destination.

Pengembangan Wellness Tourism pada Pemandian Air Panas Lintang Tempuran Melalui Digital Marketing

Development of Wellness Tourism at the Lintang Tempuran hot springs inMagelang Regency through digital marketing, using descriptive qualitative research methods. The development of facilities at Lintang waterpark is already at a fairly good stage, where several facilities that visitors need are already available. From the results of field observations it was found that Lintang waterpark is already included in the standard of good facilities. As for several facilities at Lintang waterpark, such as a large parking area. , clean toilets, prayer areas, changing rooms. This research aims to explore the potential for developing wellness tourism at the Latitude Tempuran hot springs in Magelang district by utilizing digital marketing strategies. Based on the research results, several conclusions can be drawn, the Lintang Tempuran Hot Springs have great potential to become a wellness tourism destination. Digital marketing has a crucial role in increasing the visibility and accessibility of the Lintang Tempuran Hot Springs.

Perceived Destination Restorative Qualities in Wellness Tourism: The Role of Ontological Security and Psychological Resilience

Scholarship on wellness tourism has experienced exponential growth. Despite this, limited studies have explicitly examined how the perceived destination restorative qualities of a wellness tourism destination facilitate psychological recovery. Findings from a survey with 942 Chinese wellness tourists revealed perceived destination restorative qualities positively influenced psychological recovery, increasing ontological security, with the effect diminishing as individual resilience increased. This research provides conceptual clarity on the intricate relationship between perceived destination restorative qualities and psychological recovery, highlighting the critical role of wellness tourism for alleviating stress, and threats experienced in everyday life. Future studies should conduct longitudinal studies focused on the psychological recovery of wellness tourists.

Wellness Tourism Development Strategy In Madura Based on Local Wisdom

Wellness tourism is a new niche in the global tourism industry that has high opportunities for product development. It is this local wisdom that underlies their daily cultural behavior that has great potential in the development of wellness tourism in Madura, even though it has to deal with the challenge of Madurese stereotypes for outside communities. This background underlies the importance of designing wellness tourism strategies based on local wisdom in Madura. This study used constructivist qualitative research methods. The determination of this strategy is adjusted to the research objectives that will build a model of health tourism development strategy based on local wisdom in Madura. Observations will be made on Madurese people in the Bangkalan and Sampang regions. The location selection was carried out by considering the socio-cultural characteristics of the Madurese people who have great tourism potential. The result of this study is that Madura has various types of tourism. If associated with the concept of wellness tourism, this potential can be explored deeper with the help of the theory of cultural commodification and become a potential new tourism commodity network called "wellness tourism based on local wisdom." Wellness Tourism can be a model of tourism development strategy that can drive the local economy in the Bangkalan Madura region. The potential of the Madurese people in an effort to increase new tourism, especially wellness tourism, requires efforts to diversify products. This is also a cultural commodification in an effort to strengthen Madura's potential as a wellness tourism destination; product diversification of Madura's resource potential; Strengthening Local Wisdom Education through Non-Formal and Formal Education Institutions. And policy collaboration with the Tourism Office, cooperatives, and village governments is needed.

Tourists' perception of health tourism before and after COVID‐19

AbstractHealth tourism has received increasing attention from academic researchers from a global perspective. Although mainland China (hereafter referred to as “China”) has long been recognized as a health tourism destination, its health tourism development is still in its infancy stage. Hence, to minimize the aforementioned gap, the present study explored the perception of health tourism and effective health tourism promotion methods from the perspective of tourists before and after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. The major findings of this study showed that tourists perceived wellness tourism and medical tourism as critical activities/components after the COVID‐19 pandemic.

소셜미디어를 통한 코로나19 발생 전후 웰니스관광에 대한 인식 변화

Purpose This study aims to identify changes in tourists' perceptions of wellness tourism during the COVID-19 outbreak - spread - recovery through social media big data.
 Methods This study divided the study period into four periods: pre-COVID-19, COVID-19 outbreak, COVID-19 spread, and ongoing recovery, and conducted text mining using wellness tourism as a search term on social media. The collected big data were analyzed for keywords using the TF-IDF index, the centrality of keywords was checked through semantic network analysis, and the structural equivalence of keywords was analyzed through CONCOR analysis.
 Results The TF-IDF index confirmed that words such as forest, healing, and Jeju increased in importance with the outbreak of COVID-19; while travel, health, experience, and spa decreased in importance with the outbreak of COVID-19. The structural equivalence analysis showed that the important words were divided into general characteristics clusters, local characteristics clusters, public characteristics clusters, and festival/event clusters. With the outbreak of COVID19, there was a noticeable increase in the formation of clusters based on local characteristics compared to prior periods.
 Conclusion This study is significant in that it goes beyond a simple comparison before and after the COVID-19 outbreak to a comparative analysis of the recovery period to identify more precise changes in tourists' perceptions. Through this study, it was confirmed that not only the outbreak of COVID-19 but also the ongoing recovery period is changing tourists' perceptions. It is necessary to actively utilize social media in the development and operation of wellness tourism destinations, and to plan and hold more diverse and sustainable wellness festivals and events.

Museum Sebagai Inovasi Destinasi Alternatif Wellness Tourism

Wellness tourism is a form of tourism activity that is predicted to become a form of tourist travel with high interest in 2023. In line with this, the stigma of wellness tourism that has developed in society tends to lead to resort and spa tourism, which does provide refreshing services. physical and psychological health. The limited ability of the community to access this form of resort and spa tourism has opened a gap to develop a new destination, which can also fulfill physical and psychological refreshments. This research aims to dig deeper into this gap, to find the potential for innovation in using museums as wellness tourism destinations. This research was conducted using a literature study method, using a Literature Review and Meta[1]ethnography approach. This approach was chosen, because it is hoped that the conclusions from this research can become a new idea for innovation in museum attractions in Indonesia. Data collection was carried out by reviewing various previous studies related to museums and wellness tourism. Data processing resulting from the literature review is carried out through a synthesis system, where all previous research results are recorded, classified, and then concluded. The results obtained from this research show that developing museums as an alternative to wellness tourism is very possible. Theoretical principles of wellness tourism that can be applied to museums include wellness being multi-dimensional, wellness being relatively subjective or perceptual, spiritual, physical, and intellectual. The criteria for museums to be able to fulfill the above principles are formulated as 1) the museum must have an area large enough to support tourist walking activities, 2) the museum collection has a cultural and historical background, 3) the exhibition layout is neat and equipped with clear supporting information, and 4) the museum must be calm enough to support the relaxation process.