The wellness stew
Authors
Mares, Paul Victor ; Tataru, Raluca
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2017
Pages
191271
Abstract
This thesis investigates what motivates tourists to take wellness holidays and whether motivations differ across age groups, using a case study of a wellness resort in Romania. Adopting a qualitative design grounded in a social constructivist perspective, the study first reviews literature on spa, wellness, and tourist motivation, then gathers primary data through on-site interviews with tourists during a study trip. The analysis is framed by push–pull motivation theory. Findings indicate that key push motives include the desire to relax, to maintain or improve health, and to socialize—or, for some, to escape certain social contexts. Pull factors relate to distinctive destination attributes, notably thermal baths and a wide range of facilities and services; unique offerings such as nocturnal bathing, sauna programs led by a sauna master, a medical center, and varied treatments enhance the destination’s appeal for interested segments. The project aims to compare age groups, but specific age-related differences are not detailed in the provided excerpt. Overall, the results suggest that wellness resorts attract visitors when their services align closely with visitors’ intrinsic needs and health-oriented goals.
Dette speciale undersøger, hvad der motiverer turister til at tage på wellnessferie, og om motivationerne varierer mellem aldersgrupper, med et casestudie af et wellnessresort i Rumænien. Undersøgelsen er kvalitativ og forankret i et socialkonstruktivistisk perspektiv: Først gennemgås litteraturen om spa, wellness og turistmotivation, hvorefter primære data indsamles via interviews med turister på stedet under en studietur. Analysen er struktureret af push–pull-motivationsteori. Resultaterne peger på, at centrale push-motiver er ønsket om afslapning, at vedligeholde eller forbedre helbredet samt at socialisere eller for nogle at undslippe bestemte sociale sammenhænge. Pull-faktorerne knytter sig til destinationens særlige kendetegn, især termalbade og et bredt udbud af faciliteter og services; unikke tilbud som nattelige bade, saunaprogrammer med saunamester, medicinsk center og varierede behandlinger øger destinationens attraktivitet for interesserede segmenter. Specialet sigter mod at belyse forskelle mellem aldersgrupper, men specifikke aldersvariationer fremgår ikke af det foreliggende uddrag. Overordnet antyder resultaterne, at wellnessresorts tiltrækker besøgende, når deres services matcher gæsternes indre behov og sundhedsorienterede mål.
[This apstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]
Keywords
Other projects by the authors