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Tourism and wellbeing
Abstract
Wellbeing has been a philosophical and sociological concern since the beginning of time, and research has extended over time to disciplines such as psychology, health sciences and economics to name just a few. Tourism studies has also become more focused on wellbeing in the last few decades, both from a theoretical and methodological perspective. After examining the philosophical background of wellbeing from different perspectives, the paper takes a closer look at how these frameworks can inform tourism research and practices. It explores the relationship between diverse terminologies and perspectives as well as the ways in which hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing can be derived through tourism experiences. A spectrum and a model are proposed which outline the relationship between various types of wellbeing, tourism and activities.
... The concept of well-being is defined as optimal psychological functioning and experience (Ryan & Deci, 2001). Tourism is important for creating a good life (Chen & Yoon, 2019;Smith & Diekmann, 2017). Individuals' satisfaction of a leisure trip improved their evaluations of other life domains (e.g. ...
... Two dimensions are included in the conceptualization of tourists' well-being: (1) hedonia (induced pleasure experiences and enjoyment, representing the pleasurable aspect of tourist experience; Rahmani et al., 2018;Smith & Diekmann, 2017); and (2) eudaimonia (resulted from self-growth and self-development, demonstrating the meaningful aspect of tourist experience; Huta & Waterman, 2014; Ryan & Deci, 2001). Tourism has long been viewed as a pleasure-seeking activity and thus was studied by a hedonic approach to explore its determinants and formation (Goossens, 2000;Ma et al., 2013;Smith & Diekmann, 2017). ...
... Two dimensions are included in the conceptualization of tourists' well-being: (1) hedonia (induced pleasure experiences and enjoyment, representing the pleasurable aspect of tourist experience; Rahmani et al., 2018;Smith & Diekmann, 2017); and (2) eudaimonia (resulted from self-growth and self-development, demonstrating the meaningful aspect of tourist experience; Huta & Waterman, 2014; Ryan & Deci, 2001). Tourism has long been viewed as a pleasure-seeking activity and thus was studied by a hedonic approach to explore its determinants and formation (Goossens, 2000;Ma et al., 2013;Smith & Diekmann, 2017). However, it is problematic to equate tourists' well-being with pleasure and ignore the meaning and values of experiences (Filep, 2014). ...
... Researchers have paid extensive attention to well-being in tourism. Studies have addressed how travel contributes to personal happiness and have uncovered well-being's role in tourism (Buzinde, 2020;Filep & Laing, 2019;Smith & Diekmann, 2017;Wen et al., 2022). Within the tourism context, well-being refers to a person's "response to the experiences they would have liked to make and/or did have" (Rahmani et al., 2018, p. 155). ...
... Tourism scholars have conceptualized hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing to develop an in-depth sense of well-being based on positive psychology (Ryan & Deci, 2001;Smith & Diekmann, 2017;Vada et al., 2020;Voigt, 2017;Voigt et al., 2010). It is necessary to strike a balance between hedonia and eudaimonia in tourism to avoid overestimating the influence of an experience on hedonic well-being (Nawijn & Filep, 2016;Vada et al., 2020). ...
... Well-being was evaluated from hedonic and eudaimonic perspectives. These empirical findings detailed how tourism and travel experiences contribute to individual well-being as suggested elsewhere (Buzinde, 2020;Filep & Laing, 2019;Smith & Diekmann, 2017). This research also painted well-being as a form of psychological and functional pleasure tied to resort hotel experiences by differentiating between hedonic and eudaimonic forms. ...
Guests' experience in an experiencescape (e.g., resort hotel) is a critical pathway for them to cultivate hedonic and eudaimonic well-being from the perspective of positive psychology. Nonetheless, the mechanism between guests' experience, hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, altruism and electronic word of mouth (eWOM) intention remains unexplored. This study utilized the stimuli-organism-response (SOR) model to advance the understanding of the psychological mechanism underlying guests' experience, well-being and eWOM intention by further integrating altruism as a moderator. In total, 445 questionnaires from China were analyzed via partial least squares structural equation modeling. Results illustrated significant mediating effects of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being between guests' experience and eWOM intention. Unexpectedly, altruism had no moderating effect on eWOM intention. Theoretically, this paper extends the SOR model's application to expe-riencescapes by describing novel stimuli and organisms, and to enrich the understanding of well-being in tourism and hospitality. Practically, this paper provides guidelines for resort hotel marketers and operators to identify the mechanism of guests' voluntary eWOM behavior and to devise strategies for encouraging more active eWOM.
... The above concepts merely present a general view of hedonic happiness. Hedonic happiness and tourism were reviewed by several experts such as White [19], Smith and Diekmann [33], Veenhoven [34]. Hedonic happiness is often interpreted as a self-manifestation as part of a person's positive attitude [31]. ...
... White [19] defined tourist happiness and hedonic activities as those that can bring pleasure in food, drink, and sex. Meanwhile, according to Smith and Diekmann [33], the relationship between tourism and hedonic happiness is complex. These two studies offer another spectrum of tourist experiences by adding tourism hedonics as a tourism activity that offers alternative types of tourism such as natural tourism (sun, sea, sand), parties, shopping, and nightlife activities. ...
... The tourist experience variable was based on the concept of Pine and Gilmore [31], Kim et al. [32], and Tan et al. [30]. And for tourist hedonic happiness, we used White [19], Smith and Diekmann [33]. Those three concepts were used as a reference for constructing and developing hypotheses about the hedonic happiness of foreign tourists visiting Bali (Fig. 1). ...
There are many reasons why tourists travel or visit certain places, and chief among them is to seek happiness. For example, they feel happy when they get the hedonic experience. Unfortunately, the effect of hedonic values and tourism experiences on tourists' happiness has thus far remained unclear. This study was aimed to analyze the effect of hedonic value on the tourist experience, prove the effect of hedonic value on tourists' hedonic happiness, and examine the effect of tourist experience on tourists' hedonic happiness. This research took place in Bali, and the research subjects were foreign tourists who visited Bali. The total number of respondents was 171. All structured interviews and questionnaires were performed and distributed online. Data analysis was conducted using SEM (Structural Equation Model). The research findings show the positive and significant effect of hedonic values on tourist experience. There is a positive and significant effect of tourist experience on tourist hedonic happiness. It was found that there was no direct effect of hedonic value on tourist hedonic happiness. Out of the demonstrated intervariable correlations, we managed to create the Model of Hedonic Tourist Happiness (MHTH). This study concludes that the MHTH consists of hedonic value, tourist experiences, and tourist hedonic happiness variables. This MHTH can be applied to improve tourism services in Bali, and particularly to boost the tourist experience and tourist happiness. Keywords: Bali, Hedonic Happiness, Tourists Experiences.
... The first approach views 'meaning' as an intrinsic property of consumption. For instance, spiritual and wellness tourism is considered more meaningful than visiting an amusement park (Smith & Diekmann, 2017). Serious, thought-provoking movies are considered more meaningful than comedies (Oliver & Raney, 2011). ...
... For instance, learning a challenging dance helps participants comprehend their authentic selves (Matteucci & Filep, 2017). Travel allows people to disassociate from current concerns and comprehend their lives (Smith & Diekmann, 2017). Participants gain an understanding of their strengths and weaknesses after an interactive video game (W. ...
... It is one of the foremost mechanisms to enhance meaning. Self-growth, goal pursuit and accomplishments are recurrentthemes in the reviewed articles (Durgee & Agopian, 2018; Filep & Laing, 2019; Hao & Xiao, 2021; Jirásek & Hurych, 2019; Kono et al., 2020; Lamont & Ranaweera, 2020; Lengieza et al., 2019; Li et al., 2021; Mackenzie & Hodge, 2020; Matteucci & Filep, 2017;Oh & Pham, 2021;Sirgy et al., 2016;Smith & Diekmann, 2017;Zarantonello et al., 2021). Consistent with past research, we find that physical and creative pursuits (such as skiing, dancing, crafts, music, theatre, drawing, sports and cooking) offer the maximum potential for self-realization(Bosnjak et al., 2014).Zarantonello et al. (2021) found that intellectual experiences associated with cooking, like learning about ingredients, make it meaningful.Sirgy et al. (2016) showed that shopping is perceived as meaningful when associated with effort and self-realization. ...
The quest for finding meaning in life is central to human existence. Evidence supporting consumption as a source of meaning in life is scant and lies in discrete studies across multiple disciplines. We call consumption that engenders a sense of meaning in life ‘meaning‐oriented consumption’. In this paper we conduct a systematic literature review of 102 papers, using the Scientific procedures and rationales for systematic literature reviews (SPAR‐4‐SLR) (Paul et al. (2021). International Journal of Consumer Studies, 45(4)). We draw on the theory of meaning in life to arrive at a theoretically grounded conceptualization of meaning‐oriented consumption. We discuss the antecedents and consequences of meaning‐oriented consumption, categories and processes that make consumption meaningful. We gather insights into the relationship between hedonic and meaning‐oriented consumption. Finally, we identify knowledge gaps in theory, context, constructs and methodology. This review identifies several consumption contexts and situations that offer potential for marketers to design meaningful offerings.
... The previous perspectives share these common elements: 1. The impact of social components on individual relationships (e.g., Filep & Laing, 2019;Wilson & Harris, 2006); 2. The effect of cognition on the recollection and attribution of meaning (e.g., Coudounaris & Sthapit, 2017;Wilson et al., 2013); 3. Personal development and self-growth (e.g., Buzinde, 2020;Smith & Diekmann, 2017;Vada et al., 2019b); 4. Fulfilment of positive emotions (e.g., Filep, 2014;Filep & Deery, 2010;Filep et al., 2013). ...
... Individuals experience higher levels of positive emotions and sensations, pleasurable activities, excitement, escapism, self-expressiveness, reduction of stress and tensions, significant relationships, a strong meaning of life and purpose, accomplishment, self-realisation, self-confidence and autonomy (e.g., Coudounaris & Sthapit, 2017;Pourfakhimi et al., 2021;Vada et al., 2019aVada et al., , 2019bYi et al., 2021). (2010); Frochot et al., 2017;Goolaup & Nunkoo, 2022;Huang et al., 2020;Kim & Kim, 2019;Li et al., 2020;Lin et al., 2014;Loureiro et al., 2019;Miyakawa & Oguchi, 2022;Pernecky (2006); Pourfakhimi et al., 2021;Rivera et al., 2019;Servidio & Ruffolo, 2016;Sie et al., 2021;Smith & Diekmann (2017); Sthapit (2019); Sthapit & Coudounaris (2017); Tan et al., 2020;Vada et al., 2019b;Wang et al., 2020;Wei et al., 2019;Wilson & Harris, 2006;Wilson et al., 2013;Yan & Halpenny, 2019;Yin et al., 2020;Ying et al., 2020; Cognitive Meaning Motivational ...
... Coelho & Gosling (2018); Coghlan, 2015;Filep (2014); Filep et al., 2013;Frochot et al., 2017;Gao & Kerstetter, 2018;Gibson et al., 2021;Knobloch et al., 2017;Loureiro et al., 2019;Lin et al., 2014;Mendonca-Pedro et al., 2021;Miyakawa & Oguchi, 2022;Nawijn, 2011;Pabel & Pearce, 2015Servidio & Ruffolo, 2016;Sie et al., 2021;Sirgy et al., 2011;Smith & Diekmann, 2017;Sthapit, 2019;Sthapit & Coudounaris, 2017;Wang et al., 2021;Wei et al., 2019;Yan & Halpenny, 2019 Emotional regulation ...
This study explored the components of meaningful tourist experiences together with their antecedents and outcomes according to a framework of positive psychology and tourism. The theoretical rationale of this systematic literature review was chosen to clarify the synergies between these constructs, wellbeing and mindfulness to understand how tourists derive meaning from their experiences. The scientific platforms Scopus and Web of Science were selected to conduct the search for journal articles. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the final sample was comprised of 70 articles. The results evidence the holistic character of meaningful experiences in tourism in terms of personal, emotional, wellbeing, relational and behavioural dimensions that enable a better conceptualisation of the construct. These experiences were significantly assessed on life satisfaction, meaning and purpose, emotions, authenticity and mindfulness. This review highlights the potential of positive psychology to maximise tourists' wellbeing through their experiences. It represents an opportunity for the tourism and hospitality industry as well as other entities to enhance tourists’ experiences, such as researchers, psychologists, resident communities and universities. Therefore, this study contributes to future research to better assess meaningful tourist experiences and to tourism companies so they can manage enhanced experiences considering the multidimensional nature of the construct from a positive psychology perspective.
... Kay Smith and Diekmann (2017) report the growing indication of a positive association between wellbeing and tourism activities, with most empirical contributions focused on relatedness between nature-based, wellness, and spa activities and physical and mental health. The authors emphasize the emergence of "meaningful" experiences related to the sense of eudemonic wellbeing, i.e. self-realization, and call for more empirical evidence. ...
... We extend the finding of Sue et al. (2020) by provind an eastern society perspective confirming how hedonia and eudaimonia overlap in the sustainable tourism context demonstrating the importance of both concepts as mediators to PEB of Gen Z in India. Furthermore, our findings accentuate the call of Lengieza et al. (2022) to explicitly incorporate the eudaimonic elements into the design of visitor experiences creating a roadmap for tourist transformation (see Pung et al., 2020) and developing optimum wellbeing in everyday life (Kay Smith & Diekmann, 2017). Individuals more connected to nature are happier, and full-field (hedonic wellbeing) but also "feel in control of their own lives" and enjoy a "sense of purpose" (eudemonic wellbeing). ...
... The wellness concept has gained increasing scholarly attention over the past decades and is related to issues like quality of life, personal health, emotional and psychological comfort, and spiritual fulfillment Smith and Diekmann, 2017). Recently, a few studies on wellness in the hospitality and tourism field have explored a phenomenon of wellness associated with a type of niche tourism. ...
... Wellness should be offered not at the surface level of physical aspects but at deeper levels, such as the mind, soul, and spirit (Chen and Petrick, 2013;Chi et al., 2020;Lehto and Lehto, 2019;Sandberg et al., 2022;Smith and Diekmann, 2017). A human being is a unity of body-mind-spirit in constant interaction, and wellness for humans is fully understood through history, legacy, heritage, space, artifacts, the monastery, values, and the mission. ...
... Tourists today are interested in participating in a variety of sports and physical activities, are becoming more appreciative of natural touch, and, most importantly, value the availability of recreational options and facilities (Santos & Fernández, 2010). Wellness has long been a philosophical and sociological concern, and gradually, research has spread to subject areas such as psychology, health science, and economics, among others (Smith & Diekmann, 2017). However, from a theoretical and methodological approach, tourism studies have also centred increasingly on wellness in recent decades, developing tourist experiences based on wellness (Cornelia & Pforr, 2017). ...
... Holistic health, which has numerous components (physical, mental, environmental, spiritual, emotional, and social) and should function harmoniously as a whole, is related to wellness. These three components could result in vacations that combine 1) pleasure and hedonism, 2) altruistic activities, and 3) meaningful experiences within the context of integrated and holistic wellness tourism (Smith & Diekmann, 2017;Liberato et al., 2021). ...
The paper was focused on published news content of the Global Wellness Institute (GWI). GWI is a non-prot organisation empowering wellness globally, educating the public and private sectors on preventative health and wellness. GWI, since its inception in 2014, has been quite proactive in highlighting and disseminating the issues and avenues of the wellness market. Moreover, in academic endeavours , keeping in view the authentic and updated statistics, GWI publications have been consistently quoted. However, the assessment of GWI and its decelerations has not been yet envisioned in academia. This study aimed to accentuate to disentangle this issue and emphasize analysing the news contents of GWI. The interface of NVivo 12 analysed the press release content. Results unveiled the major functional dimensions of GWI incudes Stakeholders Collation and Partnership, Pluralistic Sightedness, Statistical and Research Resilience, Wellness Internationalization, Non-Commercial Agenda, and Contextual Adaptations. These ndings revealed that the manifesto of GWI with regards to wellness empowering for the global industrial and academic arena associated with tourism is perfect. Furthermore, these inductive themes from the news content of GWI provided touchpoints for the academic and industrial stakeholders that are needed to be emphasized the in future wellness tourism framework.
... Industrial development affects resident well-being through the depletion or creation of different types of capital stocks-economic, human, social and natural-that must be managed efficiently for sustained intertemporal well-being [21,31,32]. Curiously, despite growing attention to well-being issues in tourism research generally [33,34], little effort has been made to analyse the links between resident well-being outcomes and capital stock changes associated with tourism development. ...
... Human well-being covers the full range of economic, social and environmental factors that affect individual and social quality of life [49]. It is regarded as a multidimensional concept comprising variables relating to material circumstances, physical and mental health, psychological state, freedoms, opportunities, capabilities, flourishings, sense of meaning or purpose in life, thrivings and functionings, self-acceptance, social relationships and their relationship to diverse features of the environment [7,10,19,33,50]. The well-being concept is informed by a range of disciplines, including economics, psychology, sociology, theology, biology and philosophy, providing a wide variety of perspectives relating to well-being study [9,17,26,49,50]. ...
Substantial conceptual and empirical challenges face tourism researchers, practitioners and policy makers in articulating the concept of sustainable development and in formulating strategies to achieve and maintain sustainable development of the tourism industry. These challenges include better understanding of the dynamics of the sustainability concept and its essential interconnection with human well-being; better appreciation of the complex nature of well-being pertaining to present and future generations of destination residents; improved understanding of the role played by changing quantities and qualities of capital stocks in well-being transmission; and the extent to which capital stocks are substitutable for each other. Addressing these challenges can inform useful directions for future research on theory and good practice in the area of sustainable tourism development.
... Well-being is now present in almost all discussions related to human daily life and activities (Smith and Diekmann 2017). In an early examination of the meaning of well-being, Ryff and Keyes (1995) suggest it is the degree to which one has an excess of positive over negative affect. ...
... Other scholars have defined well-being as being multidimensional, with links to physical, mental, social, cultural and environmental aspects of living (Pinto et al. 2016). Additional definitions have emerged from psychology and economics (Smith and Diekmann 2017). However, despite there being no unanimously accepted definition, a predominant theme that emerges from these many definitions is the association of wellbeing with life satisfaction (Hardy et al. 2022). ...
This book explores island resilience and how island communities come together to achieve wellbeing, have agency over their future and resist ongoing neo-colonialism during disruptive events such as COVID-19 and the increasing threats of climate change. This collection provides examples of lived experiences and the responses of island communities, many of them based in tourism-reliant locations. These examples are based on intensive research by a team of diverse academics and practitioners. The chapters offer case studies that interrogate theories related to resilience, wellbeing and social inclusion and provide cutting-edge insights that demonstrate the multifaceted complexity of island resilience.
This book examines the islands, their developing economy and social development themes. It is relevant for academic researchers, students, and practitioners interested in the multiple components that contribute to the resilience of island communities, including community development, economic development, tourism, disaster response, community wellbeing, social justice, globalisation, decolonisation, and neoliberal governance in island communities. As many of the island economies examined are also developing island-states, this volume is also essential to scholars investigating economies in transition. The collection is truly interdisciplinary and offers state-of-the-art knowledge on island communities and their resilience.
... Well-being is now present in almost all discussions related to human daily life and activities (Smith and Diekmann 2017). In an early examination of the meaning of well-being, Ryff and Keyes (1995) suggest it is the degree to which one has an excess of positive over negative affect. ...
... Other scholars have defined well-being as being multidimensional, with links to physical, mental, social, cultural and environmental aspects of living (Pinto et al. 2016). Additional definitions have emerged from psychology and economics (Smith and Diekmann 2017). However, despite there being no unanimously accepted definition, a predominant theme that emerges from these many definitions is the association of wellbeing with life satisfaction (Hardy et al. 2022). ...
This chapter focuses on people living on islands, specifically, the links between their well-being and resilience to external shocks and threats. Contrary to popular myths of islands as idyllic havens, and the images of ‘smiling faces’ of island dwellers used in tourism promotions, there are constant challenges to the health and happiness of those living on islands worldwide. We start by examining well-being and what dimensions of well-being are relevant to understanding the realities of life for people living on islands, particularly Indigenous peoples. In the case studies to follow, examples from Fiji, Cook Islands and Tasmania show how people have adapted in the face of the pandemic, some of which involve ‘looking back to look forward’ (learning from the past). While some communities have been highly stressed by the challenges of COVID-19, others have adapted effectively and feel there have been significant improvements in community well-being as a result. The physical boundedness of islands and their isolation from mainland areas with greater infrastructure can mean that when disasters or other threats hit, they rely heavily on their own social, physical and economic resources.KeywordsIsland statesWell-beingResiliencePacificAdaptationPandemic
... Travelers' attitudes and well-being are determined by the degree of traveler satisfaction, such as experience and activities during the trip related to anxiety, enjoyment, relaxation, stress, and other emotions formed during activities and traveling, which incorporate different affective responses [3]. Although tourism studies focus on well-being through an extensive range of philosophical and psychological terms, such as quality of life and life satisfaction, tourism and individual well-being issues are understudied [14,16]. Research studies have explained how behavioral preferences impact travelers' mental and physical well-being, the type of holidays, duration, and preference of a specific destination, and what level or even activity could significantly affect well-being outcomes [17,18]. ...
... The experience gained through religious tourism improves travelers' well-being and quality of life [1,16,[29][30][31][32][33][34]. Individuals' past and current experiences are profoundly impacted by the trips they take throughout their lives, whether for a grant or therapeutic purposes [29]. ...
The holistic conceptions of multi-dimensional well-being that synergize the constructs that capture all elements of the well-being of travelers are lacking in current literature. This study aims to develop an instrument to measure religious travelers’ well-being based on multi-dimensional well-being from the perspective of Muslim travelers who traveled to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah to gauge their level of well-being. The scale development technique was employed by creating, refining, and validating the instrument. The final survey instrument, which was administered using a purposive snowball sampling procedure, featured 30 items representing six dimensions of well-being. The final dataset included 202 Muslims who traveled to perform Umrah and were analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using AMOS 21.0 software. Four low-loading items were removed, leaving 26 items with a satisfactory model fit that covered six wellness dimensions: physical, spiritual, emotional, social, intellectual, and financial well-being. The findings contribute to the literature on religious tourism by providing an in-depth description of the experience of a religious pilgrimage for Muslims and their subsequent sense of fulfillment. The newly constructed instrument is believed to provide a more comprehensive view on well-being, allowing for a more nuanced assessment of a traveler’s well-being upon return.
... Originally, the idea of authentic happiness was raised by Seligman in discussions on the orientation of happiness theory (Durayappah, 2011). In line with this theory, well-being is not a one-dimensional construct (Yilmaz et al., 2022), but includes three orientations: positive emotion and pleasure (hedonic), engagement state, and meaningful experience (eudaemonic) (Durón-Ramos & García-Vázquez, 2018;Smith & Diekmann, 2017). In the only empirical piece of tourism and hospitality research Fu and Wang (2020) found that the experiential value of accommodation has a positive impact on customer happiness. ...
Drawing on the authentic happiness theory, the aims of this article are threefold: first, to propose a refined measurement scale for tourists' sense of well-being; second, to investigate the impact of four categories of tourist experience on tourists' sense of well-being; and third, to explore the effect of the sense of well-being on tourists' satisfaction and loyalty. Data were collected from tourists spending their holidays in the Algarve, Portugal. To address the lack of an integrated measurement scale for assessing tourists' sense of well-being, an exploratory factor analysis was initially conducted. Subsequently, the data were analyzed using structural equation modelling in WarpPLS 8.0. The findings reveal a three-dimensional scale for tourists' sense of well-being, consisting of meaningfulness, active pleasure, and release. The results also show a significant positive impact of the four realms of tourists' experiences on the sense of well-being. Finally, positive relationships between well-being, tourist satisfaction and loyalty are confirmed. The theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and potential directions for future research are discussed.
... Originally, the idea of authentic happiness was raised by Seligman in discussions on the orientation of happiness theory (Durayappah, 2011). In line with this theory, well-being is not a one-dimensional construct (Yilmaz et al., 2022), but includes three orientations: positive emotion and pleasure (hedonic), engagement state, and meaningful experience (eudaemonic) (Durón-Ramos & García-Vázquez, 2018;Smith & Diekmann, 2017). In the only empirical piece of tourism and hospitality research Fu and Wang (2020) found that the experiential value of accommodation has a positive impact on customer happiness. ...
Proposal & Originality
In recent decades, women empowerment through tourism entrepreneurship has attracted increasing attention from both academia and practitioners, particularly regarding the great potential of tourism in promoting female involvement and gender equity (Movono & Dahles, 2017; McCall & Mearns, 2021). The main objective of this study is to assess the effect of tourism entrepreneurship on different aspects of women’s empowerment including economic, political, psychological, and social based on the measurement instrument for empowerment proposed by Scheyven (1999).
Methodology
This study adopts a quantitative approach to evaluate the relationship between variables. The self-developed questionnaire includes 4 latent variables and 22 items. The data were gathered from Iranian women running a tourism business. Finally, Smart-PLS was used to test the hypotheses.
Results & Implications
The results revealed that entrepreneurship in tourism has a positive impact on four aspects of female empowerment, with the relationship being stronger for the psychological and social empowerment of Iranian women. This study has implications for both practitioners and researchers. From a theoretical standpoint, this study focuses simultaneously on women's entrepreneurship and empowerment, then, extends existing knowledge on their relationships. Also, the necessity of developing supportive policies for entrepreneurial women is the major practical implication of this study.
Limitations:
Due to the lack of reliable data on female entrepreneurs, the researchers were unable to access a higher number of respondents where the results might have been different.
... Originally, the idea of authentic happiness was raised by Seligman in discussions on the orientation of happiness theory (Durayappah, 2011). In line with this theory, well-being is not a one-dimensional construct (Yilmaz et al., 2022), but includes three orientations: positive emotion and pleasure (hedonic), engagement state, and meaningful experience (eudaemonic) (Durón-Ramos & García-Vázquez, 2018;Smith & Diekmann, 2017). In the only empirical piece of tourism and hospitality research Fu and Wang (2020) found that the experiential value of accommodation has a positive impact on customer happiness. ...
Drawing on the authentic happiness theory, the aims of this article are threefold: first, to propose a refined measurement scale for tourists’ sense of well-being; second, to investigate the impact of four categories of tourist experience on tourists’ sense of well-being; and third, to explore the effect of the sense of well-being on tourists’ satisfaction and loyalty. Data were collected from tourists spending their holidays in the Algarve, Portugal. To address the lack of an integrated measurement scale for assessing tourists’ sense of well-being, an exploratory factor analysis was initially conducted. Subsequently, the data were analyzed using structural equation modelling in WarpPLS 8.0. The findings reveal a three-dimensional scale for tourists’ sense of well-being, consisting of meaningfulness, active pleasure, and release. The results also show a significant positive impact of the four realms of tourists’ experiences on the sense of well-being. Finally, positive relationships between well-being, tourist satisfaction and loyalty are confirmed. The theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and potential directions for future research are discussed.
... Like retreat tourism, pilgrimage tends to be a eudaimonic form of tourism that contributes to long term wellbeing and existential authenticity (Smith & Diekmann, 2017 ...
The aim of this paper is to explore young people's perceptions of spirituality as well as analysing the role that spirituality plays in their wellness and travel. The work builds on previous studies that examined young peoples' attitudes to spirituality, as well as research that examined cross-cultural differences in understandings of spirituality. The research draws on questionnaire data (a sample of 227) that was collected in two languages from young people in Generations Y and Z aged 18-39. The questionnaire was designed in English but was also translated into Mandarin Chinese. Both generations and cultural/language groups view spirituality as more connected to the self or nature than to religion or God. Attention to religion and spirituality scored much lower than other lifestyle and wellness domains. When travelling, the desire to engage in religious and spiritual activities were also ranked low compared to other activities. The data shows that young people tend to define spirituality more in relation to their own self and nature than to religion. Spirituality is ranked relatively low compared to other domains of wellness. However, although religious and spiritual motivations and benefits are ranked lower than some other experiences during travel, many young people prioritise trips that involve better connections to nature and the self, which reflects their original definitions of spirituality.
... Dolnicar, Yanamandram and Cliff (2012) included the domains of physical health wellbeing, psychological wellbeing and social wellbeing in their study of tourists' subjective wellbeing. Smith and Diekmann (2017) discuss the concept of wellbeing in the context of tourism and build on the work of previous authors (e.g. McCabe, Joldersma & Li, 2010;Pyke et al., 2016) suggesting that wellbeing refers to both hedonic and eudaimonic elements of experience. ...
Regardless of their age, gender or cultural background, humans naturally graviate towards wanting to be well and are prepared to invest in the future of their wellness, including travelling to destinations where their wellness can be enhanced. This chapter demonstrates that the wellness tourism sector can offer a broad spectrum of educational, aesthetic, escapist or even entertaining experiences. These range from hedonic spa treatments offering relaxation and temporary stress relief to retreat programmes which can help to transform one's life and to develop new skills or spiritual practices which can be transcendent leading to a new sense of self and purpose. Different wellness experiences may be desired according to age and gender, cultural and religious background, as well as life-stage. In terms of experience creation, research on spa and wellness facilities highlights the importance of an attractive, clean environment and calm atmosphere, friendly empathetic staff and a smooth, reliable process. Wellness experiences can also be personalised, customised or co-created according to individual characteristics and personality traits or even the guest's mood at that moment. The chapter emphasises the need for innovative wellness experience creation as an important social and business proposition for many years to come.
... However, tourism research has revealed that such certainty might be misguided; SWB may also be influenced by travel or vacation experiences Huang et al., 2020;Kay & Diekmann, 2017;Kwon & Lee, 2020;Sirgy et al., 2011), although a paucity of empirical evidence exists to support this supposition. ...
Although customer engagement’s (CE) effects on marketing-related outcomes are well documented, its broader impacts on life domain constructs (e.g., subjective well-being [SWB]) have received less attention. We propose CE as a viable mechanism for prolonging travel’s positive effects on SWB. Specifically, this study adopts a three-wave design to investigate the linkages between destination brand experience (DBE), CE, and SWB over time. Our results indicate that sensory destination experience ( t1) and affective destination experience ( t1) stimulated CE with a destination ( t2), which contributed significantly to SWB ( t3). Findings from this longitudinal study contribute to the literature by demonstrating that CE significantly mediates the effects of the sensory and affective dimensions of DBE on tourists’ SWB over time. The study highlights the importance of CE beyond key marketing performance indicators.
... In contrast to these theories, recent studies show no economic and sustainable progress in the territories where tourism occurs [90]. Rural tourism is not exempt from this reality [91]; spaces are characterised because visitors' happiness cannot be separated from the residents in tourist destinations. It should not be forgotten that both actors are consumers of leisure activities that improve their life satisfaction, such as restaurants, accommodation, or historical heritage [22]. ...
Abstract-Background Health and safety protocols have become a requirement to promote rural tourism (PRT). From this perspective, this paper empirically analyses how the health and safety dimensions influence the happiness of hotel managers and rural tourists in the post-Covid 19 era.
Methods- A theory-based structural equation model will be carried out of activation of norms, that measure variables: sanitary, socioeconomic, and safety. Precisely, we will measure how those three attributes affect the managers-guests’ health in rural areas and their search for happiness at the rural destination. Based on the above, a field of study has been 215 rural tourist accommodations in the Extremadura region (Spain) and a sample population of 443 guests. Data were organised through the SEM-PLS path modelling.
Results The results achieved statistically show the need to undertake a new model of healthier and safer tourism consumption that values the tourist resources of rural areas, especially nearby and sustainable destinations, based on the guiding principles of safety, health, and happiness.
Conclusions The first conclusion is that promoting tourist destinations under safe and healthy conditions has become a priority objective in the tourism industry. The second conclusion that follows from the first is that the variables safety and health and the pursuit of happiness are essential factors in promoting tourist destinations for rural
hotel managers and rural tourists. The third conclusion related to the first two is that the opportunity that this study provides to develop strategies of an innovative, sustainable, and creative nature based on the relationships of the new trinomial of health, safety and happiness, from the perspective of happiness management.
Keywords Health and safety protocols, Happiness, Managers, Rural tourism, Rural areas, Tourist resources
... Meanwhile, others find a positive association between the two, especially when considering the role of cultural exchange (Kim et al., 2013), cultural involvement (Li et al., 2021), and income levels (Lee et al., 2021). Recent studies by Kay Smith and Diekmann (2017) and McCabe and Qiao (2020) provide an extensive literature review on tourism and well-being. ...
The relationship between the subjective well-being of the local population and international tourism is complex. We argue that tourism dependency exacerbate the negative implications arising from international tourism. Using data from 146 economies from 2005 to 2021, we estimate a dynamic panel model that accounts for potential endogeneity and simultaneity issues and an interaction term that captures the dynamic effects between international tourism arrivals and tourism receipts as a share of exports, our measure of tourism dependency. We find evidence that international tourism can promote residents' happiness, however, as economies become dependent on tourism as an export, this effect becomes negative. Policy implications are discussed.
... The impacts of education on individuals' wellbeing Most wellbeing concepts in the literature are related to a positive philosophical vision of the world. Wellbeing is primarily viewed through the individual lens and what makes people feel happy and good (Cloninger, 2004;Smith & Diekmann, 2017). There are now a multitude of wellbeing measures that have developed to assess individuals' wellbeing, ranging from scales that assess individuals' satisfaction with life and mood (Larsen et al., 1985) to those which assess anxiety and depression (Kessler, 2002) and those that consider individuals' ability to deal with difficult situations (Luthans et al., 2007). ...
The COVID-19 pandemic created an extremely challenging landscape for the tourism and hospitality industry, particularly in terms of the wellbeing of those employed in the sector. In mid-2020, in response to the pandemic, the University of Tasmania, in conjunction with the Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania, designed a fee-free Graduate Certificate of Tourism, Environmental and Cultural Heritage for Tasmanian residents employed in the tourism sector who were impacted by COVID-19. The course was designed to upskill participants, but as the course progressed, anecdotal evidence emerged about the wellbeing side-benefits of this online educational offering.
As a result, an empirical study was conducted as it was not clear from previous research whether online education could contribute towards psychological wellbeing during a pandemic. A web-based survey and focus groups were designed to collect data. The findings revealed the extent that online delivery in tourism higher education can contribute towards wellbeing during a prolonged crisis event. It revealed that the free education attracted students who would not normally attend university. As a result, they felt a great sense of achievement and, ultimately, wellbeing during and following the completion of the course. The findings also revealed that the hybrid online model employed for this teaching model generated a sense of community and wellbeing.
... Genuineness and authenticity in nature may also be the focus of pursuits of minimalist lifestyles, harmony, reflexivity, and peace (Vidon et al., 2018;Bertella, 2016), and alternative and responsible forms of hedonism concerned with rejecting consumerist hedonism (Soper, 2009). Context-sensitive linkages among genuine naturalness, alternative hedonism, minimalist and Eastern perspectives on consumption are increasing and should be explored more in NBT Smith & Diekmann, 2017;Joshanloo, 2014;Harvey, 2013). ...
The holistic digitalization of human lives impacts nature-based tourism (NBT). More than simply enhancing experiences, digital technology provides lifestyle scripts, identity myths, and marketplace cultures associated with the consumption of nature - referred to here as digital technocultures. Following consumer-dominant perspectives on tourism experience and value creation, this thesis argues that digital technocultures drive how tourists value themselves as experiencers, as well as nature, on site. NBT tourists and their experiences, the thesis argues, are contested among different digital and disconnected selves. Tourists assemble valued digital “experiencers” and link them to valued in e-tribes according to identity projects driven by digital technocultures. At the same time, tourists negotiate technocultures disciplining their lifeworlds in order to embody a valued escapist, liberated and disconnected Self-in-nature. Thus, I argue, NBT tourists as experiencers are fragmented into a heterotopia of valued identities. Moreover, digital technocultures discipline, abstract, and extremify specific experiential aspects of nature. These are sought, desired, imagined, and experienced as digital hyperrealities in NBT according to consumer cultures which I refer to as "pornification of wilderness".
The thesis explores implications of digitalization for NBT and digital-free tourism. It adopts a mix of novel, in-depth, and interpretive methodologies: netnography, immersive netnography, and field group interviews.
... Hitherto, very few studies have integrated the literature on vacation-taking and wellbeing. The few existing reviews either focused only on hedonic well-being and paid no attention to vacation effects on eudaimonia (e.g., Chen & Petrick, 2013) or considered the individual experience (e.g., Kay Smith & Diekmann, 2017) and outcomes of vacation-taking without attending to the context including vacation features, destination characteristics, social norms)'s influence. A few exceptional studies emphasize a limited number of variables from either individual or vacation context (e.g., Lehto, 2012;Vada et al., 2020). ...
... The structured development of social tourism in the early twentieth century was in the first place the result of social imbalances and a lack of access to holidays for some strata of society. The motivation for social organizations becoming involved in tourism provision of this kind was always based on a recognition of the positive contribution made to health and well-being (Walton 2013;Smith & Diekmann 2017). With increasing democratization of tourism and the development of 'mass' tourism in the second half of the twentieth century, providing access to holidays became less of a priority for governments and social tourism funding schemes have been declining, in most European countries at least. ...
... Various studies also indicate that certain types of tourism or activities contribute more than others to people's happiness. Kay Smith and Diekmann (2017) assert that some forms of tourism, like retreat tourism and volunteer tourism, may have more eudaimonic or long-term benefits, which is not necessarily true for the usual tourism experiences. McCabe and Johnson (2013) showed that participation in a holiday for disadvantaged groups enhanced aspects of SWB and overall life satisfaction. ...
This paper presents the results of an analysis that compared two types of tourists who hold a different view of and interact differently with their surrounding environment. It evidenced that more consumptive and consumer‐oriented tourists are normally less happy than those practising more appreciative and sharing‐oriented activities. To explain the differential, it offers a theoretical interpretation based on the idea that individual choices are not autonomous and independent, and that aspects like comparisons, observability of possessions and level of competition in the reference group may dampen the effect of various correlates on people's life satisfaction.
... It is now widely accepted that well-being is a multidimensional concept that encompasses all aspects of human life. Sustainability theories increasingly incorporate utilitarian concepts of well-being, demanding the development of destinations that provide more advantages to a higher number of people within the constraints of available resources (Kay Smith and Diekmann, 2017). The overall welfare of a community necessitates that together these various components work well and maintain a healthy balance (Christakopoulou et al., 2001). ...
The local communities living around national parks or areas like World Heritage Site (WHS) are crucial stakeholders to such settings. Their well-being needs to be unraveled so that the holistic management of the national park is in good condition to stabilize its status as WHS through the support and empowerment of the community. Numerous studies have been conducted on the biodiversity and geology of Gunung Mulu National Park (GMNP), but the community psychology aspect that is the foundation of conservation efforts has not been addressed. Therefore, this study aims to examine the community well-being dimensions in terms of environment, economics, social aspects as well as authority intervention based on the perspective of the local community and professionals with an emphasis on the current issues in GMNP. Quantitative and qualitative approaches were used in this study through a questionnaire to 99 local communities, and individual interviews that were conducted in GMNP and four nearby villages. Data were analyzed descriptively with four themes: environment ; economics; social; and authority intervention. The findings showed that locals were satisfied in residing area in terms of environmental conditions. However, it does not reflect the actual situation, i.e., river water cloudiness, wildlife threat, degradation of wetlands, and solid waste issues are still happening. The constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic portrayed that they were very dissatisfied with their monthly income, which is very low compared to before. In terms of social, the services and facilities, especially treated water and electricity need improvement. It also noted that authority intervention especially related to road proposal , financial and skills assistance, and community conflicts could influence locals' support for the planning and policies implemented in the national parks or WHS areas. This study suggests that relevant stakeholders should emphasize bottom-up approaches by considering aspects of community well-being that stem from multiple dimensions in order to achieve holistic national park management.
... Studies on transformation through tourism are crucial as they respond to the search of new generations who are more sensitive to today's environmental, social and economic problems and aware of the world they live in (UNWTO, 2016). In particular, altruistic (for example, volunteer tourism) and other forms of tourism sensitive to the Other have the opportunity to transform both the traveler and the host (Kay Smith & Diekmann, 2017). This transformative power of tourism comes from the fact that it is a space for encounter. ...
... Eudaimonia is related with finding a purpose or meaning in life, growing as a person and achieving self-actualization (De Vos et al., 2013). Eudaimonia relates essentially to the realization of human potential focusing on psychological well-being connected to meaningful and valuable actions (or activities), in opposition to "vulgar" pleasure-seeking (Smith and Diekmann, 2017). To analyze the definition: values should be included when measuring eudaimonia, representing the final meaning or purpose of an individual. ...
Purpose
This study analyzes the effect of content marketing on women's happiness through eudaimonia and hedonism factors and the final result on desires and actions taken.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 227 valid questionnaires were collected from women respondents. The data analysis used partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to clarify the relationships in the proposed model.
Findings
Content marketing turns out to be a crucial factor affecting both eudaimonia and hedonism. Moreover, while eudaimonia plays a particular role in women's behavior, hedonism works likewise on desires.
Practical implications
A crucial decision before developing content marketing is to consider if the final result is to produce desirability or feasibility in consumers. Content marketing addressing eudaimonia will impact feasibility; while the content aims to create desirability, the hedonic aspect of happiness should be emphasized.
Originality/value
Though content marketing and the effect of content marketing on brands' performance and consumer decision processes has been deeply analyzed in the literature, there is a lack of research into the effect of such content on consumers' well-being. Another contribution of this study is the focus on local brands and on women's eudaimonia and hedonism.
... Tourism studies' foray into leisure travel and well-being is an answer to such calls. This genre of research is partly influenced by philosophy and psychology (Smith & Diekmann, 2017) and engages with concepts like 'quality of life' (e.g. Dolnicar et al., 2012;Gilbert & Abdullah, 2002;Uysal et al., 2016), 'wellness' (e.g. ...
This exploratory paper contributes to a theorization of the relationship between leisure travels and subjective well-being (SWB) among older adults. Although it is generally agreed that leisure travel contributes to one’s mental well-being, the processes that lead to various forms of well-being are often understudied. It is argued that a more nuanced understanding of these processes can lead to better appreciation of the meanings of travel for the older adults. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 30 older travellers to garner their thoughts on how leisure travels have contributed to their SWB. Through a thematic analysis of travel narratives, four recurring themes, namely (1) reminiscing the past, (2) bonding with family members, (3) rediscovering self and (4) forming informal networks of care (RBRiC), were identified as processes leading to various elements of SWB among older adults. Although non-exhaustive, these processes reveal the embodied meanings and experiences of travel for the individual and can potentially lead to more meaningful discussions on how various aspects of SWB are attained.
... Family vacation also has intensifying family bonds by providing an escape from the routine life, strengthening family cohesion, creating lasting memories and providing future life decisions (Shaw et al, 2008). Smith and Diekmann (2017) cited that the shared activities among family members during vacations can create experiences which lead to an increase in bonding and attachment, moreover creating loyalty within the family. Additionally, Gilbert and Abdullah (2004) emphasized that the anticipation of a family vacation is also believed can increase positive feelings about life, family and health. ...
Nowadays, family vacation is becoming one of the most essential sectors of the tourism industry. It is a fact that family tourism and vacation provide benefits to family relationships, lifetime memories, communications, marriage, family happiness and also family wellbeing. A preliminary study involving 30 respondents was conducted to further design and analyse the instrument used to explore the contribution of vacation to the Malaysian family wellbeing. Several questions were proposed to fulfil the study; (1) Does vacation strengthen family bonding? (2) Does vacation contribute to the lifetime memories among family members? And (3) Does vacation create good communication among family members? The findings contributed to further study by using the tested instrument to fulfil the goal of the National Family Policy Malaysia (NFP) which aims to develop prosperous, healthy and resilient families to ensure social stability families. It significantly will support the Principle 4 of NFP which is to produce strong family relationships, a culture of sharing resources and mutual responsibilities to ensure family wellbeing. Further, the study is also significant to invigorating domestic tourism and ensuring business continuity by the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry.
... Well-being as a Comprehensive Measure of Sustainability Rooted in psychological and social research and expanded to many other disciplines in recent decades, well-being evolved as a holistic concept encompassing temporary feelings as well as long-term contentment (Farkic, Filep, and Taylor 2020;Szaboova, Gustavsson, and Turner 2022). The concept encompasses positive states of being such that people's needs are met in social, cultural, economic, environmental, and many other dimensions from both objective and subjective perspectives (Moscardo and Murphy 2016;Smith and Diekmann 2017;Smale 2019;OECD 2020;CIW 2018;Karst and Nepal 2022). The understanding and measurement of well-being can be attained at individual and collective scales. ...
To reflect the intricate relationships between heritage, tourism, and community pertinent to Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS), the framework of community well-being is adapted to evaluate the status and changes to destination communities imposed by conservation and tourism initiatives. A multi-stakeholder, mixed-method approach is adopted using qualitative interviews and a quantitative questionnaire survey at two villages of the Hani Rice Terraces, Yunnan Province of Western China. Results show that positive impacts from tourism are mainly concentrated on the environmental, conservation, and development dimensions. However, the lack of improvements in the education and health dimensions negatively affected the well-being of the local community. In particular, the subjective well-being is reduced with the increasing need for education induced by tourism. The evolution of community well-being is explored and portrayed through well-being hexagons and measures to enhance the positive impacts of tourism are proposed for GIAHS and other heritage sites or protected areas.
... How to effectively prevent, treat, and improve the general health of these populations thus constitutes an urgent issue and research agenda. Although the merits of tourism for healthy travelers and residents have been widely explored concerning well-being tourism (Smith & Diekmann, 2017), more effort must be directed to populations with psychological disorders. Public crises continually threaten vulnerable populations (e.g., COVID-19; Russia-Ukraine conflict). ...
Vulnerable groups, including travel-eligible tourists with medical conditions (e.g., early-and mid-stage de-mentia), represent an emerging niche market in the tourism industry that has been largely overlooked in the tourism literature. By identifying and addressing the challenges of conducting empirical research for this population , unreliable and misrepresentative data (and resulting imprudent recommendations) can be avoided. Given that tourism-based interventions may provide a new avenue for patient-oriented treatments, rigorous methodological guidelines are needed to advance knowledge in this interdisciplinary area. This paper provides insights into the potential challenges of empirical research involving tourists with psychological disorders. Collecting primary data from target participants requires preparation and deliberate contemplation when identifying and recruiting travel-eligible tourists. Solutions such as clear recruitment criteria, randomized controlled trials, and integrated health research approaches are recommended. Resultant studies on exposure and outcomes can inform tourism management and marketing strategies regarding these populations.
Ez a tanulmány a helymárka, a jóllét és az identitás fogalmát vizsgálja a budapesti helymárka kontextusában, továbbá ezen faktoroknak a fenntartható turizmusra gyakorolt közvetlen hatását elemzi. A szerzők a helyi érdekeltek bevonásának fontosságát hangsúlyozzák a valósághű helymárka létrehozásában, és sorra veszik a fővárosi turizmussal kapcsolatos kihívásokat, így a túlturizmust és a kommunikációs hiányosságokat. A szerzők kiemelik Budapest hagyományos fürdőkultúráját, mint a városi turizmus potenciális, közösen létrehozott értékesítési ajánlatát. A helyi fürdőkultúra kultúrális öröksége bemutatásának szándékával közösen létrehozott értékesítési ajánlatot (Co-Created Selling Proposition, CCSP) javasolnak, amelybe bevonnák az üzleti vállalkozásokat, a civil szervezeteket és a turisztikai hatóságokat. A tanulmány arra a következtetésre jut, hogy a turizmus, a jóllét és a kulturális ökoszisztéma szolgáltatásai közti kapcsolatok feltérképezéséhez további kutatásra van szükség.
This chapter explores the ways in which Robots, Artificial Intelligence, and Service Automation (“RAISA”) will influence the quality of life of tourists, tourism and hospitality employees, and local residents due to the increasing integration of automation technologies into travel, tourism, and hospitality (“TTH”). In order to explain this, the authors explore what is currently defined as quality life, breaking down the concept into generalizable constructs that have a tangible and critical impact upon the well-being of humans. Then, the authors analyze how the incorporation of RAISA will impact upon the quality of life for tourism and hospitality employees, tourists, and local residents at destinations. The chapter ends with a discussion of the trajectory of RAISA and its influence upon the quality of life of consumers, illustrating the net impact of increasing automation of travel-related services will be positive for humanity.
Slow food tourism has emerged as a popular micro trend within the slow crusade expediting the concept of slow foods, slow cities, slow adventures and slow travel. This study explores the extent to which a suburban town (Gilbert, Arizona) in the United States holds potential to embrace slow tourism, based on an important pillar of slow tourism, and enhance quality of life of host communities. Multiple dimensions of social capital are identified from a purposeful sample of iconic food venues in Gilbert. The results of this study show that Gilbert holds potential to become a popular slow food tourism destination. This study can be used as a stepping stone to test the feasibility of slow food tourism from the perspective of social capital in similar suburban towns in the United States and other parts of the world.
Activities and experiences that define the individual and emphasize one’s identity are considered a strong psychological predictor that improves visitors’ sense of well-being subjectively and objectively and increases life satisfaction. However, the concept of identity has not received enough attention in the context of tourism and travel research. Therefore, within the scope of this study, self, personal identity, and travel experiences are examined in depth through the concept of self-identification in relation to hedonia and eudaimonia. This study focuses on self-identification with tourism experiences and its hedonic and eudaimonic consequences from the perspective of eudaimonic identity theory and positive psychology. When individuals engage in experiences that define their identity and self-identification these experiences, it is more likely to experience hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Discussions and implications for destination marketers and suggestions for future research are provided.
Interactions between people have emerged from both psychology and tourism research as important catalysts for quality of life. Conceptualization and measurement of social interaction has remained difficult, however. In this chapter we conceptualize human connection as a key component of social interaction during tourism experiences. We introduce a single-item measure of connection and implement it in longitudinal study of 133 vacation park stays in the Netherlands. The data showed that connection is linked to positive and negative emotions during vacation within participants, and that between-participant differences in positive emotion during vacation mediated the relationship between average daily connection during vacation and positive trait affect 1 week after return home. These findings show that human connection is a readily measurable and useful concept within the realm of social interactions on vacation. Furthermore, experience providers as well as researchers should pay attention to and reinforce tourists’ sense of connection to others during their vacations.
In the field of tourism, authenticity, because of its close link to the tourism experience, has recently been considered a factor favouring an increased quality of life for tourists. Despite this, little is known about the link between authenticity and quality of life. The main objective of this study was to determine, in the context of nature-based tourism experiences, to what extent authenticity perceived by tourists during their tourism experience contributes to increasing their quality of life and how these perceptions of quality of life differ for first-time and repeat visitors. Using a sample of 172 tourists who have participated in international nature-based tourism experiences and the Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) technique, the effect of constructive and existential authenticity on quality of life was assessed. The results revealed that existential authenticity influences quality of life and, in turn, mediates the relationship between constructive authenticity and quality of life. Tourists’ perceptions of quality of life was also found to be different between first-time and repeat-visitors.
Ethnic tourism has recently been promoted as an economic development and cultural preservation strategy in many destinations. This tactic can have significant impacts on residents’ quality of life (QOL) in ethnic communities whose development potential is limited. This study reviews research at the intersection of ethnic tourism and QOL to examine how such tourism affects host groups’ culture, ethnicity, and QOL from a community perspective. The review indicates that although substantial attention has been devoted to the impact of ethnic tourism in general, little effort has been made to link these insights to residents’ QOL. It is argued that a more comprehensive framework is needed which integrates objective and subjective measures to explore the potential of ethnic tourism to contribute to QOL as well as the degree to which it can extend across situations.
This paper is part of a study on the impact of tourism experiences on the psychological wellbeing of individuals. Integrating the approach of positive psychology and research on tourists’ behaviour within the field of marketing, Caroll Ryff's concept of psychological wellbeing and the concept of wellbeing tourism were used for this purpose. The aim of the research was to investigate differences in the level of perceived psychological wellbeing by tourists preferring different types of wellbeing tourism, and the article presents theoretical and practical premises for defining wellbeing tourism. Wellbeing tourism can be defined as a specific type of tourism based on six pillars that ensure a sustainable approach to travel and leisure - simultaneous care for the body, soul, and mind of the tourist, as well as the environment, society, and economy of the destination area. Through analysis of variance, it was found that these differences are significant for those preferring natural and cultural wellbeing tourism, and they are also influenced by the perception of one's financial situation. Applying the results of the study will enable tourism enterprises to design an offer for tourists that will increase their sense of psychological wellbeing.
The stress caused by today's living conditions and the emotional changes associated with this stress are very effective in individuals' work and social lives. Mindfulness is defined as “living the moment, staying in that moment, not thinking about the past and the future”. Regarding the importance of the mindfulness philosophy that shows its influence in the tourism sector as in every sector, the mindfulness levels of the 1264 participants who visited the Göreme National Park- Cappadocia (Nevşehir), Hattuşa-Hittite Capital (Çorum) and Çatalhöyük Neolithic (Konya) which are included in the World Cultural and Natural Heritage List declared by UNESCO, a guide for the popularization of cultural tourism and for tourists who prefer this type of tourism, were measured. The aim of this research is to determine the effect of the mindfulness level on the destination experience and benefit. In the research, the level of mindfulness of the tourists visiting the cultural heritage sites about the visited area was measured and whether they had an emotional interaction with the area they visited, their emotional state during and after the site visit was determined. The survey method was used for the primary data of the research and the data obtained were analysed within the framework of the structural equation model. As a result of this research, in which frequency analysis and difference tests were also used, it has been determined that the mindfulness levels of the tourists visiting the mentioned cultural heritage sites are high. The mindfulness levels of Turkish participants are higher than foreign participants. Mindfulness levels differ according to the education level of the participants and the cultural heritage visited. In this study, the level of satisfaction that tourists have after visiting the cultural heritage site was measured for the first time in the field of tourism in Turkey within the scope of “Mindfulness Model.”
This research draws on shattered assumptions theory and fantasy realization theory to underscore how abrupt changes in worldview could turn into a quest for new kinds of voyages. It proposes a model leading from meaning search to travel intention through the mediation of travel motivation and involvement. The moderations of COVID worry and loneliness are also examined. It further articulates that COVID worry and loneliness can further activate tourists’ mental contrasting strategies to negotiate their quest for life/world meaning. This mechanism offers new insights into how tourists’ goal pursuit through travelling can be strengthened or weakened.
Transformative tourism experiences are powerful life moments with the capacity to elevate individuals’ well-being. With the rise of transformative tourism and the growing attention to well-being, theoretical research is needed to outline the underlying processes that connect transformative tourism experiences with individual well-being. This study employed grounded theory to critically analyze a set of travel blogs that narrate individual tourists’ transformative tourism experiences. Specifically, we explored how sets of activities during transformative tourism (e.g., backpacker tourism, volunteer tourism, and study tours) contributed to travelers’ hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. We took psychological needs as processes of well-being realization to construct an integrated “activities–needs–well-being” conceptual framework to demonstrate how transformative tourism contributes to travelers’ hedonic and eudaimonic well-being.
By being dependent on one of the most impacted industries, the travel industry, Balinese residents experienced a considerable downturn in their well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research aims to examine the extent to which sociocultural, economic and environmental aspects of positive and negative tourism impacts affect the well-being of Balinese residents. Recommendations are made for all tourism and hospitality stakeholders and policymakers. A quantitative research approach has been applied following a descriptive correlational research design. Data were gathered from 442 Balinese locals using an online questionnaire. It revealed that positive impacts of tourism have a significant positive correlation with residents’ well-being, whereas negative tourism impacts do not have a convincing effect. The positive sociocultural tourism effect was identified as a positive predictor of Balinese welfare. The research recommends promoting intercultural exchange between tourists and the local community and releasing stricter regulations to reduce the negative sociocultural, economic and environmental impacts of the visitors to Bali.
Purpose
Wellness tourism offers opportunities for consumers to explore the self. This paper aims to explore how identity transitions occur in a liminal tourism space – a holistic wellness retreat.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors adopt a qualitative methodology, including in-depth semi-structured interviews supplemented by various projective techniques. Following an interpretivist approach, eight consumers were interviewed at the commencement and the completion of a holistic wellness retreat stay. Participant observation was also undertaken during the retreat programme.
Findings
The paper shows an identity transition is facilitated by the liminal space of the holistic wellness retreat and further shaped by self-work during the retreat. As participants gain new knowledge on the self and start living “consciously”, they gain a sense of vision, clarity and direction to a new self, wherein identity transition is a starting point and a process of change rather than an end goal.
Originality/value
While much past research views tourism activities as mainly “play”, the findings reveal the holistic wellness retreat experiences as both identity play and identity work. This paper provides theoretical insights into the process from identity play to identity work and what makes this process effective for identity transition.
The COVID-19 pandemic and associated factors
influence customers' stockpiling intentions. This study
examines the impact of various factors on customers'
stockpiling intentions. It develops a model combining
threat severity and fear of COVID-19, customer wellbeing dimensions, and constructs relating to the theories of planned behavior and competitive arousal to explain the effect of these on stockpiling intentions. Adopting a quantitative design, we analyzed data from 476 respondents using covariance-based structural equation modeling. The empirical results confirm that
threat severity (with the fear of COVID-19 as a mediator) and fear of COVID-19 positively influenced individuals' attitudes toward stockpiling. Additionally, a positive attitude toward stockpiling, subjective norms that support stockpiling, the degree of perceived behavioral control, perceived scarcity, and time pressure positively influence stockpiling intentions. This study's
findings thus contribute to a better understanding of
customers' stockpiling intentions during a crisis and
assist policymakers in developing effective COVID-19
response and recovery strategies.
Although people have been intrigued by happiness for centuries, subjective well-being became a thriving topic of scientific inquiry only relatively recently, with the creation of valid and reliable well-being measures. Growing evidence suggests that happiness is associated with success in multiple domains, such as relationships, work, and health. However, objective life circumstances do not impact well-being as much as people believe, in part because of hedonic adaptation – one of the biggest obstacles in the pursuit of happiness. Fortunately, researchers have found that positive activities, like expressing gratitude or doing acts of kindness, can have a significant impact on well-being.
This study employs a qualitative research approach where focus groups (n = 11) with key stakeholders were used to understand how tourism investors view the concept of well-being in relation to tourism and the potential to use it as a tourism product resource. Findings validated by a wider group (n = 50) exposed the barriers and enablers of implementing well-being in this way. The potential for businesses and policymakers to transform these barriers into enablers was also identified. In addition, study findings were mapped onto a robust model extracted from the public health sector and applied in a tourism context using a systems theory approach. This further highlighted the potential offered to the fields of public health and tourism in the concept of well-being, and demonstrated the well-being value of tourism. Data from this research will aid tourism business practice and development by embedding a well-being philosophy for tourism destinations' strategies.
Background:
Poor health can cause unhappiness and poor health increases mortality. Previous reports of reduced mortality associated with happiness could be due to the increased mortality of people who are unhappy because of their poor health. Also, unhappiness might be associated with lifestyle factors that can affect mortality. We aimed to establish whether, after allowing for the poor health and lifestyle of people who are unhappy, any robust evidence remains that happiness or related subjective measures of wellbeing directly reduce mortality.
Methods:
The Million Women Study is a prospective study of UK women recruited between 1996 and 2001 and followed electronically for cause-specific mortality. 3 years after recruitment, the baseline questionnaire for the present report asked women to self-rate their health, happiness, stress, feelings of control, and whether they felt relaxed. The main analyses were of mortality before Jan 1, 2012, from all causes, from ischaemic heart disease, and from cancer in women who did not have heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive lung disease, or cancer at the time they answered this baseline questionnaire. We used Cox regression, adjusted for baseline self-rated health and lifestyle factors, to calculate mortality rate ratios (RRs) comparing mortality in women who reported being unhappy (ie, happy sometimes, rarely, or never) with those who reported being happy most of the time.
Findings:
Of 719,671 women in the main analyses (median age 59 years [IQR 55-63]), 39% (282,619) reported being happy most of the time, 44% (315,874) usually happy, and 17% (121,178) unhappy. During 10 years (SD 2) follow-up, 4% (31,531) of participants died. Self-rated poor health at baseline was strongly associated with unhappiness. But after adjustment for self-rated health, treatment for hypertension, diabetes, asthma, arthritis, depression, or anxiety, and several sociodemographic and lifestyle factors (including smoking, deprivation, and body-mass index), unhappiness was not associated with mortality from all causes (adjusted RR for unhappy vs happy most of the time 0·98, 95% CI 0·94-1·01), from ischaemic heart disease (0·97, 0·87-1·10), or from cancer (0·98, 0·93-1·02). Findings were similarly null for related measures such as stress or lack of control.
Interpretation:
In middle-aged women, poor health can cause unhappiness. After allowing for this association and adjusting for potential confounders, happiness and related measures of wellbeing do not appear to have any direct effect on mortality.
Funding:
UK Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK.
Management implications: This paper provides original insights into how a cultural ecosystem services framework can help to make sense of the tourism–nature–wellbeing nexus. This perspective advocates an approach to environmental and tourism management which not only takes into account human impacts on natural resources but also how natural resources impact on human psychological well-being. This provides a novel lens through which to manage tourism activity such as by ensuring maximum opportunities for sustainable engagements with nature. Tourism management can also benefit from understanding the importance of these ‘non-material benefits of nature’ in tourist motivations, expectations, behaviours and levels of satisfaction.
The setting of a traveler's goals can influence the traveler's life satisfaction. The travel goal valence principle states that life satisfaction of tourists is high when their travel goals are related more to (1) intrinsic than extrinsic motives, (2) abstract than concrete desired
states, (3) growth than basic needs, (4) approach of desired states than avoidance of undesired states, (5) deprived than nondeprived needs, and (6) flow than nonflow activities. The main purpose of this study is to test the theoretical propositions stemming from the travel goal valence principle
in the context of leisure travel to a national wildlife park (Study 1) and leisure travel experienced recently (Study 2). In Study 1 a convenience sampling technique was used by means of a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 228 fully completed questionnaires were received. Study 2
made use of a web-based survey and a random sample technique was used. A total of 254 questionnaires were used in the statistical calculations of Study 2. The results from both studies indicated that traveler/tourist's life satisfaction can be increased when they have intrinsic goals, growth-based
goals, and goals related to flow activities. To enhance traveler/tourist well-being, it is recommended that marketers in the tourism industry implement programs and services guided by the goal valence model.
This conceptual paper explores the use of psychology, especially positive psychology, to inform the design of travel experiences for a specific health outcome - enhanced participant wellbeing or mental health. It extends the concept of sustainable tourism as a tool for local, regional and societal improvement. Mental health is a growing issue in many developed countries: 30% of Australians report depressive symptoms, with implications for social sustainability. The paper reviews how positive psychology seeks to combine hedonic, eudemonic and social wellbeing into the integrated concept of “flourishing”, creating positive emotions, engagement, and meaning. It uses the charity challenge model to explore tourism experiences that enhance participant wellbeing. Charity challenges are participatory, group travel events combined with extended physical activity, awareness-raising, and fund-raising for charity. These events inherently combine recognised pathways to wellbeing, e.g. being active, doing something meaningful, giving, and connecting with others. Other principles from positive psychology, such as intentional and volitional activity, goal attainment, activation of signature strengths, experiencing positive emotions/gratification, and capitalisation on positive experiences, can be incorporated into the event design to foster wellbeing outcomes. The paper suggests how this design might take shape, as well as management implications and further research questions.
Escapism has arguably always been an important element of tourism, but the visitor gaze has usually been externally rather than internally directed. However, the growth of the holistic tourism sector suggests that there is an increasing desire to focus on the self rather than the Other', and ‘existential’ rather than 'objective 'authenticity (Wang 1999). This represents escapism of a different kind—a paradoxical desire to escape but in order to ‘find’ oneself! Numerous factors have precipitated this growth, not least the apparent anomie of postmodern society. This paper will discuss the way in which holistic products are being developed to meet the changing needs of tourists, considering some of the factors that have apparently engendered this development. This will include an analysis of typologies of activities, profiles of consumers and typical motivations. Holistic retreats tend to offer combinations of therapies and counselling, pathways to spiritual development, creative enhancement, and many other routes to the reconciliation of body, mind and spirit. The latter part of the paper will focus on some examples of this phenomenon, illustrating the diversity of needs that are being catered for within this emergent sector.
Background
Mental health disorders are major contributors to the global burden of disease and their inverse relationship with physical activity is widely accepted. However, research on the association between physical activity and positive mental health outcomes is limited. Happiness is an example of a positive construct of mental health that may be promoted by physical activity and could increase resilience to emotional perturbations. The aim of this study is to use a large multi-country dataset to assess the association of happiness with physical activity volume and its specificity to intensity and/or activity domain.Methods
We analysed Eurobarometer 2002 data from 15 countries (n¿=¿11,637). This comprised one question assessing self-reported happiness on a six point scale (dichotomised: happy/unhappy) and physical activity data collected using the IPAQ-short (i.e. walking, moderate, vigorous) and four domain specific items (i.e. domestic, leisure, transport, vocation). Logistic regression was used to examine the association between happiness and physical activity volume adjusted for sex, age, country, general health, relationship status, employment and education. Analyses of intensity and domain specificity were assessed by logistic regression adjusted for the same covariates and physical activity volume.ResultsWhen compared to inactive people, there was a positive dose¿response association between physical activity volume and happiness (highly active: OR¿=¿1.52 [1.28-1.80]; sufficiently active: OR¿=¿1.29 [1.11-1.49]; insufficiently active: OR¿=¿1.20 [1.03-1.39]). There were small positive associations with happiness for walking (OR¿=¿1.02 [1.00-1.03]) and vigorous-intensity physical activity (OR¿=¿1.03 [1.01-1.05). Moderate-intensity physical activity was not associated with happiness (OR¿=¿1.01 [0.99-1.03]). The strongest domain specific associations with happiness were found for ¿a lot¿ of domestic (OR¿=¿1.42 [1.20-1.68]) and ¿some¿ vocational (OR¿=¿1.33 [1.08-1.64]) physical activity. Happiness was also associated with ¿a lot¿ of leisure physical activity (OR¿=¿1.15 [1.02-1.30]), but there were no significant associations for the transport domain.Conclusions
Increasing physical activity volume was associated with higher levels of happiness. Although the influence of physical activity intensity appeared minimal, the association with happiness was domain specific and was strongest for ¿a lot¿ of domestic and/or ¿some¿ vocational physical activity. Future studies to establish causation are indicated and may prompt changes in how physical activity for improving mental health is promoted.
Tourism research on topics such as happiness, quality of life of tour-ists, and tourist well-being has flourished in recent years. This literature clarifies the subjective value of tourist experiences, provides new direc-tions for tourism branding and promotion, and opens doors to fresh re-search on the potential benefits of tourist experiences to mental health. Subjective well-being theory has been typically used by tourism re-searchers to help conceptualize and measure tourist happiness. In lay terms, this theory suggests that happiness is life satisfaction and pleas-ure; the theory is popular and useful but cannot explain tourist happi-ness. To craft a more complete picture of tourist happiness, a deeper qualitative appreciation of meaningful tourist experiences and special and engaging tourist moments is required. This brief critique highlights the problems of conceptualizing tourist happiness and suggests an al-ternative approach to the subjective well-being theory.
Tourism is arguably one of the largest self-initiated commercial interventions to create well-being and happiness on the entire planet. Yet there is a lack of specific attention to the ways in which we can better understand and evaluate the relationship between well-being and travel. The recent surge of scholarly work in positive psychology concerned with human well-being and flourishing represents a contemporary force with the potential to embellish and augment much current tourism study. This book maps out the field and then draws links between tourists, tourism and positive psychology. it discusses topics such as the issue of excess materialism and its fragile relationship with well-being, the value of positive psychology to lifestyle businesses, and the insights of the research field to spa and wellness tourism. This volume will interest those who study and practise tourism as well as scholars and graduate students in a range of disciplines such as psychology, sociology, business and leisure.
This research explores the spiritual benefits of travel for older adults and illustrates how travel meets seniors' self-actualization and spiritual growth needs. The theoretical point of departure for this research is seniors' quest for meaning and self-actualization, which act as push factors inducing older adults to travel. Semistructured depth interviews were conducted with 16 retired senior informants who had extensive travel experience. Using an interpretive method, this research reveals four key themes that illustrate the spiritual benefits of travel, thereby extending the growing literature on the motivations of senior travelers. These themes are described as “traveling generates meaning for older adults,” “traveling reveals the self to older adults,” “traveling encourages older adults to better understand others,” and “traveling enables older adults to better understand their relationship to nature”. In sum, the themes describe how older adults may meet their unique spiritual needs through travel and thereby enhance their spiritual development. This research represents one of a few studies examining senior tourism to employ an interpretive method and provides rich insights as a result. This research also extends the emerging research on spirituality in marketing by illustrating how the tourism industry may benefit from a perspective that considers the spiritual benefits of consumption. The research findings suggest that the intangible spiritual benefits of travel, in addition to the tangible benefits, should be highlighted in travel offers and tourism communications targeted to older adults. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This book provides an overview of the phenomenon of volunteer tourism, its sources and its development as a concept; and focuses on the potential positive social and environmental benefits of volunteer tourism, and the prerequisites for a successful experience. Chapter 2 examines alternative tourism experiences and how tourists themselves construct them, then conceptualizes the concept of volunteer tourism within those boundaries of alternative tourism and, subsequently, mass tourism. Chapter 3 examines one of the 60 environmental projects undertaken by Youth Challenge International (YCI) between 1991 and 1995, which provides a microsocial context for the examination of the Santa Elena Rainforest Reserve experience of YCI participants. Chapter 4 presents the data obtained from the in-depth interviews with participants from Australia, over the 3 years of the Costa Rica project. Chapter 5 examines the elements of ecotourism, volunteerism and serious leisure in conjunction with the themes that emerged from the participant's definitions of the experience and links them to related information in the interviews and the literature. Chapter 6 focuses on the centrality of the natural environment. Chapter 7 explores how volunteer tourism experiences actually contribute to the development of self, framing the experience in the very words of the participants. Chapter 8 examines the growing convergence of aims between local communities and the tourism sector. Chapter 9 argues that the alternative tourism experiences should not be reduced to a dialogic model of impossible realities related to dialectal materialism. Instead, its understanding should be grounded in human interactions and the concrete social reality in which it takes place.
This book deals with the issue of how travel and tourism, if developed in a proper form, can contribute to human transformation, growth and development, and change human behaviour and our relationship with the world. The volume investigates the experiences offered by travel and tourism that can change travellers as human beings and their relationships and interactions with natural, socio-cultural, economic, political and technological environments. The book has been published in two volumes. This first volume focuses on the tourist perspective and the tourist self. It consists of 16 chapters covering different types of tourism, including: wellness, retreat, religious and spiritual tourism; extreme sports, backpacking and cultural tourism; WWOOFing and ecotourism; and volunteer and educational tourism. This book is primarily intended for tourism students and tourism programmes in business and non-business schools. However, it could also appeal to students, academics and professionals from disciplines that deal with human development and behavioural changes.
This research note presents a new tool for analysing the benefits of landscapes for visitors and tourists using the Cultural Ecosystems Services (CES) framework as defined by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) in 2005. The authors reflect on the challenges of defining Cultural Ecosystem Services and interpreting and translating these categorisations for the purposes of questionnaire research. Previous studies had noted the difficulties inherent in capturing many of the intangible elements inherent in the CES terminology. Familiarisation with CES categories arguably affords new opportunities to bring together many of the disparate elements which have often been managed independently in landscape and tourism studies (e.g. cultural and intangible heritage, eco-systems, socio-cultural impacts of tourism and community-based tourism). A questionnaire was designed consisting of nineteen statements which related closely to the CES categorisations. It was translated into eight languages and distributed in autumn 2015 to visitors in Belgium, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Macedonia, Netherlands and Poland in six different kinds of landscape: forest, mountains, lakeside, seaside, mountains, desert and a combination of nature and manmade. In total, 876 valid questionnaires were obtained and were proven statistically to make a useful contribution to the field of CES research, landscapes and tourism studies.
The relationship of a vacation to global and domain?specific life satisfaction was examined. Comparison of pre?and postvacation measures indicated an increase in global life satisfaction and a slight increase in satisfaction within the domain of money, but no significant change in the domains of marriagel/family, work, leisure, community, or outdoors/nature. Retrospective measures of domain and global vacation satisfactions increased the predictability of postvacation satisfaction significantly for four of the six specific domains and for overall satisfaction. The domain specificity of satisfactions was supported only for the domains of marriage/family and work. The results are discussed in terms of their support for a domain?specific approach to life satisfaction.
While there has been a growing interest in the relationship between perceived tourism impacts and residents’ quality of life, little is known about how residents’ well-being is affected by actual tourist arrivals. This article studies the effect of international tourist arrivals on the subjective well-being—happiness and life satisfaction—of residents in European countries. Data come from the six waves of the European Social Survey, conducted in 32 countries in 2002-2013. The results of the OLS fixed-effects and instrumental-variable estimations suggest that tourist arrivals reduce residents’ life satisfaction. This negative relationship tends to be more pronounced in countries where tourism intensity is relatively high, as well as among people living in rural areas. In addition, tourist arrivals have a greater negative relationship with the evaluative component of subjective well-being (life satisfaction) than its affective component (happiness).
Experiential marketing and the quest to create memorable and extraordinary customer experiences have become central to tourism. However, implementing the concept of experiential marketing has been problematic due to a lack of knowledge regarding what makes experiences memorable, as well as inattention to the subjective and personal nature of experiences. This study explores the nature of individual experiences, particularly with regard to personal outcomes, emotions and meanings, by investigating tourists’ experiences of the same activity in three different consumption contexts. The influence of consumption context as well as significant differences in personal outcomes were evident, and more profound and meaningful than previous research suggests. Findings point to a need to understand tourist consumption experiences beyond hedonic enjoyment of the moment, and consider their broader implications on well-being and quality of life. Implications for tourism providers and experiential marketing are discussed.
Transformational Tourism deals with the important issue of how travel and tourism can change human behaviour and have a positive impact on the world. The book focuses on human development in a world dominated by post-9/11 security and political challenges, economic and financial collapses, and environmental threats. It identifies various types of tourism that can transform human beings, such as educational, volunteer, survival, community-based, eco, farm, extreme, religious, spiritual, wellness, and mission tourism.
Geothermal springs constitute a major tourism resource, providing spectacular settings, recreation facilities, a recognised value in treatments beneficial for health and wellness, a sense of heritage and adventure, and links with the natural environment. Health and wellness tourism accounts for a significant proportion of the world’s tourism consumption, with components ranging from hot spring bathing for leisure and recreation, through mineral water use in health treatments under the supervision of highly specialised medical professionals, to water treatments in the wellness and beauty therapy sector and the use of mineral water for drinking purposes. This makes it an economically and socially important area of tourism demanding in-depth analysis. This book explores health and wellness tourism from a range of perspectives including usage, heritage, management, technology, environmental and cultural features, and marketing. © 2009 Patricia Erfurt-Cooper and Malcolm Cooper. All rights reserved.
Classical hedonistic utilitarianism makes the following claims: that our fundamental moral obligation is to make the world as good as we can make it (consequentialism); that the world is made better just when the creatures in it are made better off (welfarism); and that creatures are made better off just in case they receive a greater balance of pleasure over pain (hedonism). The third of these claims is essentially a theory of well-being. Other forms of utilitarianism make use of different accounts of well-being, but whatever the version of utilitarianism, well-being appears in the foundations. Thus a complete examination of utilitarianism includes a study of well-being. We can get at our topic in more familiar ways as well, and our topic is of interest independently of the role it plays in utilitarian theory. We can get at our topic by taking note of some obvious facts: that some lives go better than others; that some things that befall us in life are good, and others bad; that certain things are harmful to people and others beneficial. Each of these facts involves the concept of well-being, or welfare, or of a life going well for the person living it. Many other familiar expressions – ‘quality of life’, ‘a life worth living’, ‘the good life’, ‘in one’s best interest’, ‘What’s in it for me?’ – involve the same notion. We thus make claims about well-being all the time. Such claims naturally give rise to a philosophical question: What is it that makes a life go well or badly for the person living it?
How people conceive of happiness reveals much about who they are and the values they hold dear. The modern conception of happiness as private good feeling is the result of a long sequence of changes in dominant conceptions of the ends of life and of humanity’s place in the cosmos. This invites reflection on how the very vagueness of happiness can account for its powerful claim to render diverse values commensurable. In arguing for the importance of a critical, ethnographic approach to happiness— one concerned less with gauging how happy people are than with how happiness figures as an idea, mood, or motive in everyday life—we highlight its relationship to values, as well as questions of scope, virtue, and responsibility. Whether real or elusive, the pursuit of happiness structures time in specific ways and is largely other-oriented, insofar as one’s own happiness would seem best left in the hands of others.
This chapter will take the reader on a voyage where the perceptions of tourism impacts and the satisfaction with particular life domains are discussed. The perceived tourist experience will generate either a positive or a negative affect in various life domains. This influences the sense of well-being in these life domains and leads to satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Both of these play an important role in overall life satisfaction. The subjective, well-being impact of tourism is based on tourists’ perceptions of positive or negative experiences during the trip to a tourist destination. The perceptions by inbound and outbound tourists of positive or negative affects in a specified life domain play an important role in the increase of positive or negative affects within the relevant life domains. Satisfaction in the various life domains is important in determining satisfaction with life overall (subjective indicator of quality-of-life).
This paper applies Self-Categorisation Theory to examine issues of role ambiguity and the balance between prosocial behaviour and personal benefits in volunteer tourism. Using interviews with returned volunteer tourists, the cognitive processing of their experiences was analysed; particularly the processes of individuation uncovered through "I" statements, and depersonalisation, through impersonal "you" statements. Results revealed that "I" statements described the tourist experience and personal benefits of volunteering, whilst impersonal "you" statements described the volunteering experience. Furthermore, as the theory predicts, the depersonalisation process (impersonal "you" statements) co-occurred with prosocial behaviour (co-operation, altruism, empathy, and shared norms). The findings suggest new and promising communication-based methods to better understand tourists' self-assigned roles and prosocial behaviours.
This paper argues that before the tourism industry can truly individualize products, experiences, and niche markets successfully, we need to better understand exactly what benefits a tourist is seeking to obtain through the symbolic consumption of tourist products. This study has made the first attempt to empirically test a model combining self-concept, self-congruity, motivation, and symbolic consumption behavior within a tourism setting. Based on a sample of 410 young “overseas experience” (OE) travelers, the results reaffirm that the self is multidimensional, whilst also suggesting that when buying a product, or consuming an experience abroad, the tourist looks beyond functional utility to social meaning. This study further suggests that when making consumption decisions, a tourist forms perceptions based on the likelihood that the product or experience will be congruent with their self.
Transformative experience in a hospitality service setting is an under-addressed area. The aim of this study was to understand the transformative guest experience at retreat centers and highlight the mechanism that helped trigger the changes. The analysis of 119 online guest reviews about four popular retreats in Thailand dissected the transformative retreat experience, including guests’ pre-trip state of mind, domains of changes, retreat activity participation, and stimuli in the service environment. The changes were further conceptualized on a series of spectra based on durability, magnitude, and tangibility. The findings may serve as an integrative framework to understand the mechanism by which the retreat experience acts as a functional means to guests’ well-being and personal transformation. Theoretical and managerial implications of the findings were discussed, followed by recommendations for future research.
Health and Wellness Tourism takes an innovative look at this rapidly growing sector of today's thriving tourism industry. This book examines the range of motivations that drive this diverse sector of tourists, the products that are being developed to meet their needs and the management implications of these developments. A wide range of international case studies illustrate the multiple aspects of the industry and new and emerging trends including spas, medical wellness, life-coaching, meditation, festivals, pilgrimage and yoga retreats. The authors also evaluate marketing and promotional strategies and assess operational and management issues in the context of health and wellness tourism. This text includes a number of features to reinforce theory for advanced students of hospitality, leisure and tourism and related disciplines.
The point of departure of this paper is the recently emphasised distinction between psychological theories of happiness, on the one hand, and normative theories of well-being, on the other. With this distinction in mind, I examine three possible kinds of relation that might exist between (psychological) happiness and (normative) well-being; to wit, happiness may be understood as playing a central part in (1) a formal theory of well-being, (2) a substantive theory of well-being or (3) as an indicator for well-being. I note that, in the relevant literature, happiness is mostly discussed in terms of either (1) or (2). In this paper, I attempt to motivate a shift of focus away from such accounts of happiness and towards (3), i.e. its epistemic role. When examined in connection to (normative) well-being, (psychological states of) happiness and unhappiness should be understood as psychological states that inform individuals about the contribution of various activities, pursuits, or situations to their well-being or ill-being.
Despite the importance of the youth tourism market to the tourism industry, research on the impact of tourism on quality of life (QOL) of this market and on the factors that influence this impact is still very limited. This article contributes to overcoming the research gap in this
field, implementing a segmentation approach based on the impact of tourism on features related to several domains of youth tourists' QOL (physical health, psychological features, social relationships, and environment). This approach was empirically tested with a sample of university students.
The impact of tourism on youth tourists' QOL was assessed using an adapted version of the WHOQOL-BREF scale. The results reveal that tourism has an impact on the QOL of youth tourists and that this market is heterogeneous regarding the perceptions of this impact. Moreover, travel motivations,
host–tourist interactions, the travel group, and the type of destination visited seem to be the factors that have a higher influence on the perceptions of the impact of tourism on QOL. The article ends with some theoretical and practical contributions to the marketing and development
of tourism destinations.
This study aims to examine the usability and usefulness of ethnographic approaches in new service development (NSD) in tourism. This paper discusses and describes what kind of information is gained through the process. The paper includes a case study which uses an ethnographic approach in one phase of the NSD process. The data was collected during a tourism product test phase on-site by participant observation, conducting surveys and holding group interviews. The results show that an ethnographic approach brings highly versatile and detailed information that benefits different phases of NSD and the development of the service concept, service process and service system. Some challenges were identified during the data collection, mainly related to participant observation. This study contributes to tourism management literature by providing an empirical example of how consumers are involved in NSD in the tourism industry and how an ethnographic approach can be utilised in NSD.
The purpose of this study is to better understand local residents’ support for tourism development by exploring residents’ perceived value of tourism development, life domain satisfaction (material/non-material), and overall quality of life in their community. The study provides the theoretical and empirical evidence of the relationships among those constructs. Using a sample of residents from five different tourism destinations, the results of a structural equation modeling approach indicated that residents’ perceived value of tourism development positively affects non-material and material life domain satisfaction; thereby, it contributes to overall quality of life. Finally, overall quality of life is an effective predictor of support for further tourism development.
While the effects of vacation on tourists have been frequently discussed in the Western context, research endeavors to understand such effects in a non-Western context are rather limited. The current study aimed at investigating Chinese tourists’ subjective well-being and its potential changes associated with vacation experiences. The survey of 302 Chinese tourists confirmed the positive effect of satisfaction with service aspects of travel/tourism phases on satisfaction with travel/tourism services, the positive effect of trip reflections and satisfaction with travel/tourism services on satisfaction with travel experiences, and the direct positive effect of satisfaction with travel experiences on travelers’ SWB. This study further explored the corresponding roles of travel duration and frequency. The results suggested a moderating effect of vacation duration on the link between tourist satisfaction and SWB; vacation frequency did not have such an effect. Theoretical and managerial implications of the findings were discussed, followed by recommendations for future research.
This pedagogical essay examines learning about leisure philosophies by contrasting counter-hegemonic praxis to dominant contemporary ideologies of work in the neoliberal age. Principles of shabbat and Slow Foods were engaged to explore concepts of leisure and time in a senior leisure philosophies course; a teaching memoir contextualizes emergent insights to work/life imbalance among students and professors. We draw on Paulo Freire and Mark Kingwell to suggest conscientization emerged through an experiential and reflective interplay of principles and actions. Critique reflects on concerns involving intellectual labour and the academic workforce in the modern knowledge economy. Humanistic recognition that leisure can foster better living through awareness of being and understanding time as life can contribute to a good life, social change and justice in the academic workplace and beyond. What we learned draws attention to structural dimensions of political economy relevant to a broader understanding of leisure and wellbeing in Canada.
This paper presents an analysis of visitors who engage with retreat tourism, a specialty subsector of wellness tourism. Retreats are usually centres or venues with a pre-prescribed aim of providing a combination of activities, practices and treatments aimed to balance body, mind and spirit in calming, supportive contexts. Wider research has been conducted in recent years on health and wellness tourism, which usefully gives an overview of product and tourist typologies. More in-depth research is presented here, beyond the spa and medical sectors, which have gained the most attention to date. The aim of this work follows on from the author's previous work on retreat operators, to give insight this time to the retreat visitor. Analyses of visitor profiles, characteristics, motivations and behaviours are presented. Methodologically, interviews, questionnaires, participant observation and secondary content analysis are all used to survey retreat participants in different countries. A combination of purpose-built, temporary venues and multi-location retreat companies were sampled to give a breadth of touristic experience. Visitor perspectives on preferred activities, operational issues, regulation and feedback about their experiences are presented within their own right and also within the context of wider wellness tourism, for comparative purposes. Research findings indicate important differences between retreat visitors and general tourists in terms of the often very personal experiences encountered, and therefore the concomitant responsibility of the sector to provide quality instructors and adequate care. The dearth of prior research on this specific special interest tourism niche allows for this work to fill an existing gap in the research literature.
Perhaps no other area of tourism more needs a philosophy than wellness tourism with its transcendental aims and spiritual dimension. This paper explores Heidegger's rich philosophical concept of the ringing of the fourfold—an intimate relationship between earth, sky, mortals and divinities that Heidegger says reveals wholeness and authenticity and brings us into intimate contact with the world in the amazing event that is human existence. This paper argues that the ringing of the fourfold may be a philosophical basis for wellness and suggests tourism may actually facilitate the ringing of the fourfold. It uses the fourfold to explore how wellness tourism might balance and integrate lives unsettled and fractured by runaway time, frantic busyness, disconnection from the natural world and other people, loss of spirituality, and longing for a sense of place in an alien, impersonal and out-of-control world. First, it explores the possible origin of our lack of wellness by explicating Heidegger's ‘epoch of technicity’, a time when the world is seen as something to be managed and exploited for human gain by people who are reduced to little more than the engineer-servants of this management and exploitation. This part of the paper uses tourism literature to confirm the accuracy of Heidegger's predictions of rampant consumerism, ecological devastation, corporate greed, personal hubris, artificial community created by technology, and stress created by too little time, isolation, loss of identity and exhaustion. Next, the paper proffers a philosophical description of existential wellness by exploring Heidegger's concept of the fourfold as an alternative way to understand and experience the world. By returning to the tourism literature again, we show how touring may facilitate appreciation of the fourfold (and a sense of wellness) by bringing tourists into an authentic encounter with not only earth and sky (grounding and freeing nature) but also divinities and mortals who together create a world unlike the world of technicity. Finally, the paper looks at the implications of wellness tourism as a site for the ringing of the fourfold.