How a culture of wellbeing is positive for tourism and economy. University of Girona, 15 march 2024.

1. How a Culture of Wellbeing
is Positive for Tourism and Economy
Dr Melanie Kay Smith
Budapest Business University
Email: smith.melanie@uni-bge.hu

2. Definitions and Concepts
• Quality of life could be defined as the
general wellbeing of both individuals and
societies, whereas wellness represents the
process of making informed choices to
improve those areas of life (e.g. health,
happiness) that contribute to wellbeing
(Oliver et al., 2018).
• Jarden and Roache (2023) suggest there is a
gap between how academics conceptualise
wellbeing compared to how ordinary people
would define or experience it in terms of
feelings, functions or overall life satisfaction.
• For example, they might emphasise
happiness, kindness, fun, safety, mental
health, feeling valued, meaning, work-life
balance, inner harmony.
• Perceptions will differ according to age,
culture and lifestage too.
• Think for a moment about yourself......

5. How’s Life in Spain?
OECD (2020) How’s Life? 2020:
Measuring Well-being

6. Frangipani Framework
of Wellbeing (South Pacific)
(Scheyvens et al. 2023

7. Lifestyle Trends Affecting Wellbeing?
• A trend is something that is
fashionable or popular right now (e.g.
fitness trend, diet trend).
• Trends are affected by social and
economic changes and can be
influenced by media.
• What are the latest trends in
society and wellbeing?
• “Growing interest in wellness across health, fitness,
nutrition, appearance, sleep, and mental health
are leading to considerable shifts in consumer
attitude towards wellness”.
TechSci Research, 2024:
https://www.techsciresearch.com/blog/global-youth-trends/2374.html

8. Wellbeing
Trends
Mental
wellness
Stress
management
Lifestyles of
health &
sustainability
Re-connecting
to nature &
outdoor fitness
Healthier
nutrition
Self-
development &
transformation
Spirituality
Active ageing

9. Wellness as a Path to Wellbeing
• Some of the tourism products, services and experiences
that can form part of wellness domains (Smith, 2022):
• Physical (e.g. beauty treatments in spas; relaxation in thermal
waters; fitness activities)
• Emotional (e.g. retreat programmes based on counselling or
mindfulness)
• Spiritual (e.g. yoga and meditation retreats; temple stays;
nature-based therapies)
• Social (e.g. couple and family spas; group activities in retreats)
• Occupational (e.g. stress relief in spas or nature; work-life
balance retreat programmes)
• Intellectual (e.g. creative activities in retreats; psychological
workshops)

10. Spaces for Self-care
• Self-care experiences should provide:
• Rest and relaxation inside and outside of water
• Light, nutritious, immune-boosting food and
drinks
• Gentle physical exercise (e.g. yoga, pilates)
• Outdoor spaces for recreation (e.g. gardens,
nature walks, cycling paths)
• Digital-free zones for maximum disconnection
• Mental wellness, mindfulness and stress
management workshops
• Spaces for peaceful or spiritual meditation

11. Wellness Concepts around the World
• Hygge (Danish)
• Lagom (Swedish)
• Sisu (Finnish)
• Friluftsliv (Norwegian)
• Ubuntu (Zulu)
• Ikigai (Japanese)
• Mерак (Serbian)
• Mindfulness (India)
• Waldeinsamkeit (German)
• Fjaka (Croatian)
• Wu Wei (Chinese)
• Còsagach (Scottish Gaelic)
• Ataraxia (Greek)
• Niksen (Netherlands)
SEE e.g. https://www.uk-
saunas.co.uk/wp/index.php/2019/09/11/17-wellness-
trends-around-world/
• Discussion: what are Catalonian wellness
concepts?

12. Regenerative Tourism
• One of the Sustainable Development Goals focuses
specifically on Good Health and Wellbeing (SDG3).
• “Regenerative tourism, at its simplest, seeks to ensure
travel and tourism reinvest in people, places and nature
and that it supports the long-term renewal and
flourishing of our social-ecological systems” (Dredge,
2022, p. 271).
• “Regenerative tourism departs from the sustainable
development paradigm by positioning tourism activities
as interventions that develop the capacities of places,
communities and their guests in harmony with
interconnected social-ecological systems” (Bellato et al.,
2022, p.1026).
• Destination success is measured in terms of wellbeing
(Sheldon, 2022).
• Resident wellbeing should be a primary policy objective
in tourism economics (Dwyer, 2023).

13. Regenerative Wellbeing-Enhancing Tourism
Adapted and developed from Smith & Diekmann, 2017

14. A Typology of Tourist Experiences
According to Wellbeing Benefits
Hedonic wellbeing
• Party tourism (e.g.
sun-sea-sand holidays,
stag & hen parties in
cities)
• Wellness spa tourism
(e.g. pampering and
beauty treatments)
Eudaimonic + Hedonic
combined wellbeing
• Cultural tourism
(education) + nightlife
(fun)
• Volunteer tourism
(altruism) + beach
(relaxation)
Eudaimonic wellbeing
• Transformational
tourism (e.g.nature-
connection, holistic
retreats, spiritual
activities, pilgrimages,
volunteering)
Utilitarian wellbeing
• Regenerative tourism
(e.g. ecotourism,
nature conservation
holidays, indigenous
community-based
tourism)
Individual wellbeing
Societal and
environmental wellbeing
Adapted from Smith & Diekmann, 2017 and Konu & Smith, 2024

15. Future Predictions for Wellbeing,
Lifestyles and Tourism
 2034: greater provision of personal wellness journeys (e.g. in retreats, resort spas and wellness hotels) leading to
more eco-friendly and socially compassionate and empathetic mindsets.
 2044: an increased number of communal living environments with circular economies and regenerative
agriculture (e.g. transition towns, slow cities, eco-villages) which become wellness tourist attractions and provide
inspiration for more sustainable living.
 2054: a decrease in urban living and greater opportunities for employment in rural landscapes within communal
environments. A ‘living systems’ approach is taken by stakeholders. Sustainable transport takes people to
alternative settings for holidays to learn about different cultural and smart processes. Personal wellness and
communal wellbeing are the major focus of life and at the forefront of government policy, business and tourism
practices.
(Smith, 2024)

16. Who are we targeting and what are they looking for?
Solo travellers?
Groups of friends?
More men?
(Romantic) couples?
Families?
Senior tourists?
Need for lifestyle and lifestage segmentation and more persona marketing

17. Examples of Interesting Practice
Lifeclass Hotels & Spa, Slovenia
• Different packages for seniors,
couples, families
• Six wellbeing centers based on
wellness, beauty and anti-aging,
recreational and medical services
• Emphasis on ‘strengthening the
immune system’ by the sea (e.g.
Thalasso Detox package)
• Nearby salt spa: Lepa Vida
• Highlights the healthy Mediterranean
dishes
• https://www.lifeclass.net/en/
Obanjan Island, Croatia
• After being uninhabited for 10 years,
it was revived as a “curated island
destination” with a two-month-long
creative programme of music, talks,
art, health and workshops
• Advisers from Cornwall’s Eden Project
were involved to ensure the project is
eco-friendly and low impact
• The island offers wellness treatments
like massage, yoga, spa hot-tubs as
well as beach side DJ’s, water-sports,
restaurants and bars
• https://obonjan.hr/

18. Transformational Tourism
• It has been suggested that solo travel is more likely to result in transformation......
• Transformational tourism has traditionally focused more on wellbeing benefits for individuals, but increasingly examines
how far a change in individual consciousness can help to create societal change, community development and ecosystem
protection (Sheldon, 2020; Tasci & Godovykh, 2021; Teoh et al., 2023).
• Connecting to nature and society through tourism is thought to be especially important for transformational wellbeing
(Filep et al., 2022).
• More challenging experiences and interactions can make tourists question their perceptions and assumptions and maybe
change behaviour (Coghlan & Weiler, 2018; Sheldon, 2020; Soulard et al., 2021).
• Travel needs to become more conscious in order to ensure more regenerative forms of tourism (Ateljevic, 2020; Hussain,
2021), which take a transformational approach to creating net positive effects for human societies and ecosystems
(Bellato et al., 2022; Luong et al., 2024).
• Indeed, it has been argued that truly transformational experiences can contribute to sustainable and responsible tourism
(Nandasena et al., 2022).
Renew
Re-think
Regenerate
Recuperate
Rest
The 5 Rs of Transformational Tourism

19. Category of Retreat Topics
Physical health
/bodywork
Addiction, Bodywrap, Bootcamp, Cancer patients, Colon cleansing, Massage, Pilates,
Reflexology, Stop smoking
Fitness and sports Adventure and Sports, Cycling, Fitness, Horse riding, Surfing, Walking and hiking
Nutrition Cookery, Nutrition, Organic, Detox, Juice, Raw food
Mental
/emotional
/psychological
Anxiety, Bereavement, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Counselling, Depression, Emotional
Freedom Technique, Hypnotherapy, Mindfulness, Psychotherapy
Life management
/ self development
/ stress management
Life coaching, Burnout, Corporate career retreat, Digital detox, Divination, Divorce recovery,
Executive, Fertility, Grow, Holistic health, Menopause, Natural health, Personal development,
Recovery, Recuperation, Relationships, Stress management, Weight loss and management
Yoga/meditation Breathwork, Meditation, Silence, Sound healing, Yoga
Creative Arts & Creativity, Dance, Music, Singing, Writing
Eastern
/Spiritual
Ayurveda, Buddhist, Kirtan (sacred chant), Panchakarma, Qi Gong, Reiki, Sacred journeys,
Shamanic, Tai Chi, Tantra, Taoism
Nature
/location-based
Coastal, Eco, Nature, Outdoor, Wildlife experience
Source: The Retreat Company portal (2022)

20. Typical vocabulary used to promote retreats
• Supportive and motivating verbs from the retreat organisers, for example, ‘to help’, ‘to guide’, ‘to teach’, ‘to coach’, ‘to
encourage’, ‘to enable’.
• Verbs that encourage self-development and life-changes, for example, ‘to heal’, ‘to cleanse’, ‘to re-balance’, ‘to re-connect’, ‘to
grow’, ‘to renew’.
• Verbs relating to personal growth and transformation, for example, ‘to become’, ‘to improve’, ‘to enhance’, ‘to cultivate’, ‘to
learn’.
• References to the future self and long term wellbeing, e.g. ‘the person you were meant to be’, ‘your purpose’, ‘a clear sense of
your priorities’, ‘the future wellbeing journey of You’, ‘for life ahead’, ‘a new path’ and ‘lasting change’.
Example of Discourse Analysis
Topic Category Activities Discourse examples Transformation
and regeneration
Wellness and
Wellbeing
retreat
Life management
/self development
/ stress
management
Life coaching sessions, life
balance assessment,
personal behaviour
mapping, stress relief
program, mindfulness
sessions, nutritional advice
‘We offer real support, coaching and guidance
for the future wellbeing journey of You’
There is talk of ‘a new path’, ‘your purpose in
the world’ with a longer term ‘concrete plan of
action for lasting change’.
The project of ’becoming’
Virtuous and meaningful
actions
Contribution to universal
harmony

21. Think about your own business.....
• Where are you currently on the spectrum of
regenerative wellbeing-improving tourism?
• Who do you currently attract as guests to your facility?
• Who do you want to attract in the future?
• What are the priorities for your development?
• e.g.
• economic growth?
• high-spending but small numbers of guests?
• familiarising mass beach tourists with wellbeing
activities?
• involving local communities/businesses?
• environmental sustainability?
• promoting Catalan culture, gastronomy, etc.?

22. Final Thoughts.....
• Wellness is still often perceived as a luxury for those without much disposable income.
• But wellbeing and healthy living do not have to be a luxury!
• Future wellbeing-improving packages should encourage self-care, attention to mental
wellness, healthy food, gentle exercise and connection to nature.
• It is important to understand trends, motivations, needs and target markets to be truly
successful.
• Businesses need to decide on their priorities.
• Is it really possible to balance economic, environmental and social benefits?
• Can tourism really be regenerative and lead to optimum wellbeing?
• Regenerative tourism requires wellbeing policy for tourism destinations and
encouragement of transformational paths to wellness in sustainable locations.