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

Natural wellness - Health and wellness as nature-based tourism product
Edward H. Huijbens
Director,Icelandic Tourism Research Centre
edward@unak.is
Abstract
This paper is set in the context of a two year research project funded by the Nordic Innovation
Centre (NICe), dealing with Nordic wellness and wellbeing. The researchers of the project
collaborate with budding health and wellness destinations, one in each of the Nordic countries
in order to establish a Nordic wellness concept and develop user-drive product improvements.
This paper deals specifically with the Icelandic case being studied under the terms of the
project and will combine nature-based tourism with that of health and wellness. Nature-based
tourism is by far the most prominent form of tourism in Iceland. Albeit vaguely defined it
entails tourism in natural settings, tourism focusing on elements of the natural environment
and tourism developed to conserve or protect natural environments. This paper looks at a
development of a geo-thermal spa, much like the Blue Lagoon, but in the NE corner of
Iceland near Lake Mývatn, a famed nature-based tourism destination in Iceland. The current
spa facility was erected in 2004. It builds on a long history of locals using the thermal waters
and steam coming from the ground for wellbeing, and is gaining steadily in visitor number per
annum. Emerging from research amongst stakeholders involved in the building up of the
Mývatn Nature Baths in NE Iceland was the role nature plays in health and wellness. Both as
a fundamental concept of being in nature and/or at one with nature, and more specifically
through health and wellness related activities in a natural setting. The paper will explore some
of the tentative product manifestations and ideas of these emerging themes and their
implications for product development in health and wellness tourism for NE Iceland.