Wellbeing Tourism Research Articles

Tourism Well-Being and Transitioning Island Destinations for Sustainable Development

The unprecedented growth of tourism over the last century has led to increasing concerns over the sustainable development of many popular tourism destinations throughout the globe. High concentrations of tourists and residents, especially in urbanized areas, have heightened this concern with the arrival of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Over reliance on tourism has left residents vulnerable to external factors, such as the coronavirus pandemic that has halted tourists from coming to this remote destination. As a result, Hawaii’s overall economy is suffering greatly. A survey was developed and distributed to potential tourists in order to acquire their perceptions regarding tourism and well-being, as well as the COVID-19 outbreak. The focus of this study was to examine practices in tourism that moves beyond solely economics which will allow repositioning in a manner that promotes the well-being of both residents and tourists and to transition this unique tourism destination for sustainable development practices for the future. One of the results from the study reported that the majority of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that testing for COVID-19 should be a travel requirement prior to flying to Hawaii, as well as having an additional COVID-19 test administered upon arrival.

The social crisis aftermath: tourist well-being during the COVID-19 outbreak

While travel has long been resorted to as a pursuit for tourists’ well-being, this purpose has been brought into question by the sudden public health emergency of COVID-19, when many tourists found themselves unwelcome in a destination. This study aims to explore the psychological consequences of discriminative experiences through a survey with tourists from the epicenter in China. Building on social identity theory, a conceptual model is proposed to test how perceived discrimination during the pandemic could devastate travel-induced well-being through aroused anxious sentiment. In addition, response styles theory postulates that repetitive dwelling on negative thoughts will prolong the depressive process. The results reveal that worries over COVID-19 trigger ruminative responses to the depressive symptoms and exacerbate discrimination-induced anxiety, whereas active social media participation serves as a means of distraction to buffer the negative effects of psychological distress. The results provide a new perspective by which to view threats to travel-induced wellness, while informing tourism authorities of the buffering mechanisms during a crisis to reconcile tourist anxiety and rumination. This research contributes to sustainable tourism literature that seldom investigates the threats to well-being in public health emergencies, and it sheds light on responsible recovery of travel in the post-COVID world.

THE OPPORTUNITY OF DEVELOPING RURAL WELLBEING TOURISM IN PUGLIA REGION, ITALY IN THE TIME OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The tourism industry is facing nowadays a wide range of issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic or accentuated by it. The dramatic decline in tourist flows in every destination forced stakeholders to rethink the actual model of business and to adapt to the new reality. The need for social distancing and the fear of tourists to visit crowded places prepared the field for more sustainable tourist activity, based on green products and services. In this context, new and innovative products like rural wellness tourism can take momentum and offer the visitors the opportunity of spending the free time in nature, in less polluted areas and with a higher impact of health.
 Italy is one of the most representative tourist destinations worldwide, with a wide range of attractions that make both urban and rural spots to be visited annually by millions of tourists. Tourism also supports the local economy and helps local communities from less developed regions to diversify their sources of income, as is the case of Puglia region, known for its agricultural potential. Puglia is one of the Italian regions where local authorities encourage the development of tourist activities, especially those specific to the ecotourism niche, as a real alternative to agriculture. In the current context of the COVID-19 pandemic, ecotourism can represent the solution for a faster economic recovery of the southern region of the country that was dramatically affected by the lockdown imposed by the authorities in the first part of 2020. Based on the wellness tradition from the region and the international reputation of the Termes from this area, Puglia region can develop the concept of rural wellbeing tourism and promote a more sustainable tourist model.
 The present paper analyses the potential of Puglia region to introduce in its offer rural wellbeing tourism packages taking into account the profile of a spa and thermal center in the area in terms of structure and business model. The results were obtained by applying a structured questionnaire in one of the most representative thermal units in the region and the answers were interpreted using Qualitative Content Analysis. The results show that Puglia region could thrive the concept of rural wellbeing tourism and adapt it to the particularities of the area. Adopting such an innovative tourist concept that is based on a sustainable way to explore natural resources would have a significant impact on Italian tourism by creating a new trend among tourists. In this regard, the guests will have another opportunity to spend their holidays more sustainably, with a considerably lower impact on the environment.

The Role of Affect in Travel Risk Research

The tourism industry is increasingly confronted with an assemblage of events that may threaten the safety and well-being of tourists, as well as the survival of the industry. This conceptual article proposes a new research direction in travel risk research by understanding the role of affect in influencing how tourists perceive travel risk. Despite the phenomenal growth of the tourism industry and the academic interests in tourism-related studies, research related to travel risk perception remains stagnant, focusing predominantly on the identification of risk typologies, risk-reduction strategies, and the impact of varying risk sources on risk perception—viewing travel risk perception or assessment as a cognitive psychological process. Drawing on empirical evidence from risk scholarship, this article proposes to depart from the cognitive emphasis in present scholarship to also explore the role of affect in the study of travel risk perception. An extensive literature review of the existing risk theories and empirical evidence, as well as a proposal of possible directions for future research are presented. A new conceptual model is also developed to demonstrate how affect may be incorporated in future studies of travel risk perception.

Shaping tourists’ wellbeing through guided slow adventures

Against the backdrop of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 3, good health and wellbeing, this paper reports on a study that examined how outdoor guides perceive their role in facilitating the psychological wellbeing of tourists who consume slow adventure experiences. These experiences, such as canoeing, stargazing or foraging, are characterised by a slower passage of time, immersion in the natural world and a sense of belonging to small social groups. Grounded in research on wellbeing from a positive psychology perspective, the study utilised semi-structured, in-depth, interviews with ten outdoor adventure guides in the Scottish Highlands and Islands. Following a hermeneutic interpretive approach to analyse the interview transcripts, the findings revealed how perceptions of time, meaningful moments and a sense of togetherness are choreographed by slow adventure guides to shape tourists’ psychological wellbeing through immersive guided experiences, ultimately helping tourists to re-establish a much-yearned-for connection with nature. The study adds to tourism, wellbeing and sustainability literature by providing new perspectives on psychological wellbeing through guided slow adventures. In particular the findings contribute to positive tourism, or tourism and positive psychology field of research, by revealing how mindful and eudaimonic visitor experiences are organised by adventure tour guides in natural settings.

Slow food justice and tourism: tracing Karakılçık bread in Seferihisar, Turkey

Using actor-network theory and the concept of the sociological imagination, this study follows the traces of an ancestral food, namely Karakılçık bread, in the Cittaslow destination of Seferihisar in İzmir, Turkey. Actor-network theory is used to explore economic, social, and cultural relationships and everyday practices in the making and selling of this ancestral bread. Tracing the bread in the networks of human and non-human relations helps towards understanding how slow food justice may be enacted in the hybrid socio-ecological-technological network of slow food tourism. The study shows the importance of local spaces like local farmers' markets that enable the sharing and conservation of food heritage through the social ordering of traditional Karakılçık bread. The festivalization of bread and the co-created experiences in local food places express values like sociality and conviviality that contribute to the well-being of residents and tourists alike. As interpreted in this study, slow food justice is a holistic concept that considers not simply principles like fairness and equity, but also resident and tourist well-being, cultural flourishing, and heritage conservation.

The service quality to subjective well-being of Chinese tourists connection: a model with replications

ABSTRACT This paper explores how service quality perceptions contribute to subjective well-being of Chinese tourists through their emotional experiences and overall satisfaction with a destination. Over the course of three studies, results showed that perceived service quality can promote positive emotional experience and satisfaction with a destination, and decrease felt negative emotions. Positive emotions were associated with greater overall satisfaction and improved subjective well-being, while negative emotional experiences reduced satisfaction, but not subjective well-being. Satisfaction was found to have a direct positive effect on subjective well-being. Additional mediating and multiple mediating results are discussed.

Positive psychology and tourist well-being: A systematic literature review

This paper examines the current state of research on well-being from tourism from the lens of positive psychology. A systematic review of 82 peer-reviewed articles published in English-language tourism journals indicate that tourist well-being is predominantly examined as a consequence of travel, rather than linked to tourism marketing and management. This study presents a conceptual framework of the antecedents, episodes and consequences of tourist well-being. Practically, results suggest strategies on how well-being can be used to generate better outcomes for tourism marketers and managers. By mapping what is known in the intersection between positive psychology and tourist well-being, this study identifies existing gaps and opportunities for future research in this area.

Effect of Social Media on Tourism during Lebanese Political Crisis

Effect of Social Media on Tourism during Lebanese Political Crisis Rasha Faraj, Hussein Chible Abstract The travel and tourism industry is remarkably vulnerable to any situation that influences the well-being of tourists. Through all the crises that passed by Lebanon, political instability and terrorism have been given extensive attention in the social media as it played a vital role in transmitting such events to the audience worldwide. This research aims on showing how social media can affect the Lebanese tourism sector during political instability and terrorism crises. An analysis of the impact of the social media on society and their interaction with several platforms is carried out. The research is directed through quantitative sources analyzed and results were observed and deducted. The study shows that social media has a direct impact on people’s decision-making when consider visiting any destination. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/jthm.v8n1a9

The relationship between female snow-sport tourists' travel behaviors and well-being

Positive psychology provides an approach to understand different aspects of tourist's well-being. This study investigated the wellbeing associated with snow-sport tourism among women. As part of a larger mixed-methods study, the utility of the PERMA framework (positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment) as a tool for measuring well-being in the context of active sport tourism was assessed. Subsequently, PERMA was applied to investigate the well-being of female snow-sport participants in relation to their sport-related travel. Principle Component Analysis revealed only one dimension for well-being instead of the previously suggested five PERMA domains. One-way ANCOVA indicated that women who travelled to participate in snow-sports had a higher sense of well-being than those who participated locally. Hierarchical Multiple Regression showed a positive relationship between shorter frequent trips and higher well-being. Recommendations for encouraging participation in snow-sport tourism, focusing on well-being are made.

Social sustainability of tourism in Iceland: A qualitative inquiry

ABSTRACTSustainability research in tourism increasingly focuses on social issues such as the relationship between resident quality of life and community resilience through adaptive capacity. This study of resident and tourism relations in Iceland contributes to this growing body of literature. The research was supported by the Icelandic Tourist Board to meet the need to monitor the social sustainability of tourism in Iceland. Observation in public spaces showed disruption in daily routines for residents as physical infrastructure filled with tourists and the activities of tourism enterprises. In-depth interviews revealed residents’ awareness of potential benefits and problems with tourism, but a positive experience of and attitude toward tourists. A concern for the well-being of tourists was a theme in the interviews. However, residents were critical of the tourism industry and tourism management in both the private and public sector and questioned the sustainability of tourism growth. This leads us to consider the concepts of quality of life and resilience and responsible tourism as aspects of how communities experience and cope with tourism. We conclude that social sustainability, understood as both procedural and substantive, is a useful concept in addressing issues in tourism development.

TOURIST CHARACTERISTICS IN FRANCE

Tourists in France force actors and territories to adapt to the demand and needs of visitors from different countries and cultures. This intercultural requirement requires, in particular, a more detailed knowledge of the practices, perceptions and feelings of foreign tourists, particularly Chinese tourists, whose numbers are increasing sharply in France, Europe and the world. The article proposes an exploratory approach to the representations associated with these practices in France through the use of websites and our teaching at the university over the past 3 years and leads to a first typology. The protocol for analysing tourist practices developed for this example makes it possible to understand the level of tourist satisfaction, to analyses what shapes their complex behaviour based on their feelings on the spot, to better characterise the tourist experience in the broad sense and to imagine a model. From a more operational point of view, the approach makes it possible to envisage an improvement in the dialogue between tourist operators and end users, a finer adaptation of supply and demand, an improvement in the well-being of tourists and a strengthening of the attractiveness of the territories.

Rethinking Tourist Wellbeing through the Concept of Slow Adventure.

The necessity for humans inhabiting the 21st century to slow down and take time to carry out daily practices frames the discourse of this research note. We suggest reconceptualising tourist wellbeing through the concept of slow adventure, as a response to the cult of speed and as a vehicle for engaging in deep, immersive and more meaningful experiences during journeys in the outdoors. We suggest that slow adventure has the potential to improve people’s general health and wellbeing through mindful enjoyment and consumption of the outdoor experience and thus bring people back to a state of mental and physical equilibrium. In so doing, we argue that extending the concept to include discussions around the psychological and social aspects of slow adventure is needed.

Environment as a Key Factor of Health and Well-Being Tourism Destinations in Five European Countries

Environment as a Key Factor of Health and Well-Being Tourism Destinations in Five European Countries

Well-being of cycling tourists in Hainan, China

Bicycles are now gradually losing their attraction for utilitarian use, but in recent years, cycling for tourism and recreation has gained in popularity. However, the experiences and well-being involved in cycling tourism from a theoretical perspective have received little attention. This article intends to explore the relationships between cycling tourism and well-being by studying cyclists on Hainan Island in China. Interviews and participation observations were used to collect data. The types of cycling tourists were firstly identified and classified, followed by analysis of how the tourists obtained well-being through physical and social activities and their contexts. The study finds that human–bicycle relationships and China’s collectivistic culture play important roles in how cycling tourists obtain well-being. This study provides a mobility perspective on cycling tourism and well-being.

Authenticity and nostalgia – subjective well-being of Chinese rural-urban migrants

ABSTRACTThis study investigates the subjective well-being of Chinese rural-urban migrants by examining the effects of nostalgia and perceived authenticity in the context of rural tourism. Founded on the concepts of tourist motivation and nostalgia and drawn on selected Chinese philosophical values, this study identifies the unique Chinese philosophical value of ‘old home’ as the key factor of motivation for migrants returning to rural destinations. Rural-urban migrants deem rural regions, as well as, mentalities, cultures, and environments in general, as their cultural and spiritual hometowns. The study also reveals that migrants pursue authentic rural destinations, which would have an emotional and memorable appeal, because it stimulates their nostalgic feelings. The study proposes the necessity of investigating Chinese issues through the lens of Chinese philosophical values and invokes an age-old value to understand their perception process of authenticity: ‘one can't have fish and bear at the same time.’ Returning to rural destinations improves these tourists’ subjective well-being because they achieve an important lifetime goal based on their traditional Chinese philosophical value of ‘searching for ancestral roots.’ The study suggests that preserving rural authenticity can improve the social and cultural welfare of hosting communities and the subjective well-being of tourists.

La disposición al pago para la conservación de bienes patrimoniales: Caso del Centro Histórico de la Ciudad de Quito

Esta investigación tiene como objetivo aportar en el estudio y la valoración de los bienes que forman parte del patrimonio histórico, que es un tema poco estudiado por la ciencia económica. En este caso, y para poder valorar la importancia que la conservación del centro histórico de Quito tiene en el bienestar de los residentes de la ciudad y en los turistas que la visitan, se utilizó una metodología de valoración económica de intangibles, como la valoración contingente, para determinar la disposición al pago de los usuarios directos de este bien patrimonial para un proyecto de conservación.

The Relationship of Perceived Service Quality With Revisitation and Subjective Well-Being of Chinese Tourists: The Role of Emotions and Destination Identification

Utilizing Mehrabian-Russell's Stimulus–Organism–Response framework, this research investigates how service quality elicits positive emotions, negative emotions, and destination identification, contributing to tourists' subjective well-being and intentions to return to a destination. Using an intercept sampling approach at a natural and cultural destination, a total of 539 completed questionnaires were obtained from Chinese tourists. The findings demonstrate that perceived service quality can enhance tourists' positive emotions and identification with a destination while decreasing negative emotions. This study also provides empirical evidence for a direct relationship between emotions in tourism consumption and destination identification processes. In addition, the results suggest that emotions and destination identification can bring about both economic benefits to a destination via revisitation and positive social outcomes for tourists in the form of subjective well-being.

Continuing and Emerging Trends of Senior Tourism: A Review of the Literature

The United Nations (2015) has recognised that the numbers of older people are growing rapidly, and has estimated that over two billion people will be aged 60 years and over by the year 2050, which will account for 22% (or one out of five) of the world’s population, compared to 10% in 2000. As a result of this population explosion it is anticipated that senior tourism will become an evolving and changing market segment. However, very little attention has been given in the literature to the impact of travel behaviour on the well-being of senior tourists and has received insufficient attention in the ageing research agenda. This has resulted in many travel businesses operating with a lack of understanding of the characteristics and concerns of senior travellers, and the different ways that they consume tourism. This article provides an analysis of the literature on the socio-demographics of seniors and their increased desire to participate in new and different tourism experiences; discusses different trends in their leisure behaviour, and draws implications for tourism providers. The literature presented in this review was identified through multiple sources including the use of a range of tourism databases and tracking citations from the research literature. This review has a twofold aim: to provide a deeper understanding of the senior market segment in regard to their expectations, needs and wants when travelling; and an examination of the benefits obtained from leisure travelling which has been linked to concepts such as active ageing and wellbeing. Findings generated by this approach will help create innovative ways for tourism providers to address some of the future trends identified in the research literature.

The holiday-related predictors of wellbeing in seniors

ABSTRACTThere has been an increase in research on the relationship between holidays and wellbeing in the last decade. However, only a few studies have investigated this association in seniors and the impact of holiday-related predictors of wellbeing is understudied. The aims of this study were to: 1) compare the profile of senior tourists and senior non-tourists on socio-demographic indicators, health, physical activity, and social relations, 2) compare the profile of senior tourists and senior non-tourists on wellbeing, after adjusting for control variables, and 3) examine the impact of holiday-related predictors (frequency, mean duration, frequency of physical, social, cognitive and relaxing activities, degree of perceived health benefits) on wellbeing of senior tourists, over and above the role of various relevant covariates. A sample of 4130 seniors (Mage = 68.2 years, SD = 5.8, range 60–85) filled out a questionnaire related to the last holiday, daily activities, health, and wellbeing. Results showed that senior tourists were younger, more educated, wealthier, and healthier than senior non-tourists. In addition, the levels of wellbeing were higher in senior tourists compared to senior non-tourists, after adjusting for control variables. Hierarchical regressions analyses revealed that frequent holidays, a greater frequency of social and cognitive activities, as well as the degree of perceived health benefits were associated with higher wellbeing.