Health, Wellness and Tourism: healthy tourists, healthy business ...

national and state DMOs, it could potentially become highly appealing to international
tourists. Some international tourists with an interest in Eastern spirituality might feel anxious
or unsafe about travelling to Asian countries, or might be concerned about language barriers.
Therefore, they may perceive Australia as a more appealing destination for visiting Spiritual
Retreats.
In conclusion it can be argued that despite the lack of cultural heritage in wellness tourism
and some ethical difficulties inherent in the integration of Indigenous elements into this
offering, Australia offers an extensive range of wellness services catering to tourists who feel
the need to maintain or promote their health and well-being. Not only are there three distinct
types of wellness tourism providers offering distinctly different clusters of wellness services
and facilities, but Australian wellness tourism providers also seem to successfully blend
American, traditional European and Asian influences, thus creating a unique fusion of
attractive choices for wellness tourists. This, in combination with the general image of
Australians as relaxed, friendly, laid-back and outdoorsy as well as pleasant climatic
conditions which foster active, healthy lifestyles, provide an opportunity for positioning
Australia as a wellness tourism destination. While it is unlikely that international tourists
would be solely drawn to Australia because of its wellness tourism industry – with the
possible exception of the distinctive nature of Spiritual Retreats – wellness tourism offerings
may present an appealing add-on that is in keeping with the general branding of Australia.
Future research is needed that would serve as a validation of the proposed wellness tourism
typology outside the Australian context. More research is also needed to further explore
Lifestyle Resorts and Spiritual Retreats as well as the types of tourists who visit these places.
As previously mentioned, existing research tended to predominantly focus on spa tourists or
spa providers. In addition, this study only included the three core types of wellness tourism
providers without focusing on ‘medical wellness’ providers such as Therapeutic Recreation
Retreats or Medispas in its national census. More research should therefore explore these
‘blends’ of wellness and medical tourism.
Acknowledgements
The Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC), established and supported
under the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centres Program, funded this
research. The authors also thank all the participating organisations and interviewees for their
contribution as well as the other researchers who contributed to the wider study: Professor
Graham Brown, Dr Gary Howat, Mr Richard Trembath, Professor Betty Weiler, and Dr
Meredith Wray.
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