This research examines the factors that motivate tourists to go on a wellness holiday. Even though the literature provides knowledge regarding tourist motivation in relation to spa and wellness, but this study seeks to enrich it. The study will be conducted at a wellness resort from an Eastern European country, Romania. The research will aim to offer answers to two research questions:
What motivates tourists to visit a wellness resort?
What are the motivational differences behind various age groups for visiting a wellness resort?

The first question is the main question of the research. The second question is asked in order to study more in-depth the tourist motivations in relation to spa and wellness. The research is a qualitative study which was conducted under the social constructivist paradigm.

The data gathered regarding the topic was firstly made through reviewing the literature. Afterwards, the authors went on a study trip to Romania where primary data was gathered through interviewing tourists which were on a holiday at a wellness resort. This data was furtherly used in order to be analysed so that patterns among visitor motivation regarding spa and wellness tourism could be identified.

The findings conclude that the main motivational factors that push a tourist towards visiting a wellness destination are: desire for relaxation, maintain health and socialising. The various distinct attributes of a wellness resort, such as the thermal baths and variety of facilities can act as pull factors. The analysis showed that uniqueness in various services such as the nocturnal baths or sauna programs with sauna master, medical centre, variety of treatments, make the destination attractive for the ones who are interested in this kind of services.

The theory chosen to analyse the findings was be the motivational theory of the push and pull factors. The analysis showed that tourists are motivated to visit a wellness resort if their needs are well catered by the services present at the destination. The intrinsic reasons why tourists expressed their needs to go to a wellness resort were mainly shaped by the desire to improve their health, to socialize or to escape social contexts. On the other hand, the analysis revealed that tourists are prone to be “pulled” to the destination by the unique destination attributes, such as the presence of thermal baths in the case of this project.