Value Co-Creation and Co-Destruction: Considerations of Spa Servicescapes

Buxton, Louise; Michopoulou, Eleni

doi:10.1080/21568316.2021.1873837

Cited by 15 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…Discussion, conclusions and implications 5.1 Discussion This analysis intends to outline the research trends of the theme studied and address the main challenges faced by thermalism nowadays. Similarly to Buxton and Michopoulou (2021), who state that the thermal sector remains largely unexplored, this research also aims to progress towards better understanding of thermalism.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Covid-19 pandemic had negative consequences for people's health and many economic sectors, which stimulated a rethinking of traditional models of living, communication being the best strategy to manage a crisis and support people in making decisions (Liu et al , 2021b). According to Buxton and Michopoulou (2021) the recent growth of global health and wellness tourism is fuelled by people's increasing interest in pursuing wellness. Choi et al (2015) report that in response to the current emphasis on health and wellness in modern society, the thermal sector has experienced rapid growth over the past two decades.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A theoretical reflection on thermalism and communication: future perspectives in times of crisis

Antunes

Gonçalves

Estevão

2022

JHTI

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PurposeThe purpose of this article is through a systematic literature review (SLR) to present a conceptual approach to the importance of communication for thermalism. An in-depth analysis of scientific publications provides a conceptual understanding about the definition of thermalism and the importance of communication in the thermal sector. The intention is also to identify the major challenges for communication in thermalism in times of crisis. The literature on conceptual approaches in the field of thermalism is almost non-existent, and this is an important contribution of the research presented.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the objectives, an SLR was carried out, through the Preferred Reporting Items Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) Statement method, using the Web of Science and Scopus databases. A total of 139 articles were found, of which only 26 were used for the qualitative analysis. EndNote 20 and Nvivo software were used to identify the articles for the study, their analysis and systematization of the collected information.FindingsThe results, among others, through an in-depth analysis of scientific publications, clarified the definition of thermalism and provided relevant results for better understanding of the importance of the dimensions of communication for thermalism.Research limitations/implicationsThe research addresses the current scarcity of academic work on the importance of communication applied to a thermal destination and the lack of relevant strategic models for the diffusion/promotion of a destination. Finally, a limitation was the fact that only 2 databases were considered and only journal articles were included. As a future line of research the authors propose extending the theme to thermal tourism experiences. In addition, scientific studies focusing on water-based experiences connected with thermalism are almost non-existent and very relevant for the future of the sector, as well as studies in the area of communication with the following research questions: where do tourists consult information when choosing a travel destination? and what are the appropriate communication channels to reach the thermal market?; We close this reflection by concluding that the thermal tradition, through the know-how of the medical class, the properties of thermal waters and the cultural history associated with its early days, stimulated more recently by implementing innovations, will regain its role in preserving health and well-being through thermal water and the exploitation of territories' endogenous resources. These factors are the basis through which communication sciences can create strategies adapted to each country to promote a thermal destination brand.Practical implicationsResearch in tourism destination management has provided solutions, through communication, to problems that are faced daily by countries, and the authors hope this research also contributes to the recovery of thermal tourism destinations in times of crisis. It is also from this perspective that based on the main themes and dimensions of communication identified in the SLR that the authors propose the Corporate, Organisational, Skills, Management and Online (COSMO) model to help promote resilient thermal destinations prepared for future crises. The diversity and originality of this research model will be useful for destination promoters, spa managers and communication professionals.Social implicationsThis study contributes to the literature by providing a theoretical framework of excellence in thermalism. One possible way to solve the ambiguity of terms related to thermalism is to consider another more comprehensive term as a combination of different approaches. The aim is not to create an academic division, but rather to contribute to better conceptual understanding, from a theoretical and paradigmatic perspective, of what thermalism is. Here, a new targeted and more comprehensive concept emerges, which from the academic perspective of communication sciences will lead to prevention for a new way of feeling good with life, contributing to promoting thermal destinations in the world with a greater understanding.Originality/valueFor better understanding of the concepts, this study proposes a new definition of thermalism. As research related to thermal destinations, through communication management contributes to attract tourists, promote experiences, provide the human capital of the sector with skills and create authentic and resilient place brands. It is from this perspective that the model was proposed, based on the dimensions of communication related to the main themes obtained through the SLR. This model supports a plurality of communication strategies, with different characteristics and objectives but which meet a collective purpose: to disseminate information about thermalism, in order to build collective knowledge to promote thermal destinations. The analysis highlights the need for further research into thermalism, with special focus on communication.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A theoretical reflection on thermalism and communication: future perspectives in times of crisis

Antunes

Gonçalves

Estevão

2022

JHTI

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“…Most importantly, to become and/or remain competitive in the market, it is important to understand which factors contribute to positive and negative wellness tourism experiences on the antecedent side of tourist loyalty (González and Brea, 2005; Han et al , 2017, 2018). Surprisingly, however, the number of available studies that take an attribute-based service- or experiencescape perspective on wellness facilities and destinations to identify critical sources of tourist satisfaction (and dissatisfaction) is still rather limited (Buxton and Michopoulou, 2021; Chen et al , 2023; Sthapit et al , 2023). Among the few published studies on wellness tourism experiences, extant research has so far focused on the determinants of wellness tourism satisfaction, with an accent on either wellness tourism facilities (Albayrak et al , 2017; Rodrigues et al , 2020) or using a mix of destination and facility attributes (Medina‐Muñoz and Medina‐Muñoz, 2014; Forlani et al , 2022; Chen et al , 2023).…”

Section: Wellness Tourism Satisfactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asymmetric effects of wellness destination and wellness facility attributes on tourist satisfaction

Mikulić,

Šerić,

Krešić

2023

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Purpose This study aims to provide insight into the determinants of wellness tourism satisfaction, thereby taking a nonlinear approach regarding the relationships between attribute-level performance of wellness facility attributes, on the one hand, and wellness destination attributes, on the other hand, and global wellness tourist satisfaction. In addition, scores of impact range are calculated to reveal the potentially most determinant wellness facility and destination attributes. Design/methodology/approach This study uses data from a survey-based study conducted among 1,331 wellness tourists who have engaged in wellness tourism activities at one of 28 hotels with wellness offerings and 10 spas in Croatia. Impact-asymmetry analysis and impact-range analysis are used to quantify the potential of individual wellness attributes to generate satisfaction and dissatisfaction among wellness tourists and to perform a classification of wellness attributes according to the three-factor theory of customer satisfaction. Findings Operators of wellness tourism facilities, as well as managers of wellness destinations, must not make any compromises in quality levels because most wellness attributes have significantly higher potential to frustrate than please tourists. Basic factors such as cleanliness, punctuality or safety turned out to have the strongest influence on global satisfaction levels. Moreover, in line with previous research, wellness tourists have large expectations from destinations to have a preserved and beautiful nature, which is by far the most influential destination attribute. In addition to a safe environment and high-quality accommodation, wellness tourists further prefer rich cultural offerings. Originality/value To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to apply a nonlinear analysis approach to the quality–satisfaction relationship in a wellness tourism setting. Moreover, to the knowledge of the authors, this is the only study that used separate attribute models for wellness facilities, on the one hand, and wellness destinations, on the other hand, based on a nation-wide sample that covers multiple cases (i.e. multiple facilities and destinations).

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“…", 2022). These are destinations for rejuvenation and relaxation where natural products and relaxing techniques are combined with beauty treatments (Buxton & Michopoulou, 2021). Thus, the modern spa industry is a fragmented, diverse segment of the economy that is just starting to mature (Tabacchi, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, the modern spa industry is a fragmented, diverse segment of the economy that is just starting to mature (Tabacchi, 2010). Many studies on tourism have focused on the "spa," and the majority of high-end hotels have adjusted their services to meet the expectations of travelers (Anaya-Aguilar, Gemar, & Anaya-Aguilar, 2021a; Buxton & Michopoulou, 2021;Dryglas & Salamaga, 2017;Kucukusta & Denizci Guillet, 2014). According to the Global Wellness institute (2021), "wellness tourism, spas and mineral thermal springs: The Global Wellness Economy Looking Beyond COVID-19," the spa industry experienced significant growth from 2017 to 2019, with an annual growth rate of 8.7% and revenues reaching $111 billion over 165,717 spas, with a notable rise in resort spas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visitor’s emotional experience in predicting destination image, satisfaction and intention to revisit: a spa tourism perspective

Suban

2024

IHR

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PurposeThis study intend to investigate a theoretical model looking at how particular tourist emotions, such as “joy,” “love,” and “positive surprise,” might predict their behavior by looking at how satisfied they are with their whole experience when visiting spas, and to examine the relationship of emotional experience, destination image, satisfaction and intention to revisit for spa tourism.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 345 individuals who traveled to Alleppey as domestic tourists participated in the research study. A non-probability (purposive) sampling method in this study. The structural model was analyzed using Structural Equation modeling (SEM), and the path coefficients were examined to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results supported the hypotheses, indicating that specific emotions, image of the destination, and satisfaction significantly impacted tourists' intentions to revisit Alleppey as a spa tourism destination. This study demonstrated that “emotions of joy, love, and positive surprise” have a considerable influence on the image of the destination and satisfaction. The findings reveal a substantial correlation between satisfaction and behavioral intention (“Intention to revisit”). The research suggests that a higher degree of satisfaction would encourage visitors to revisit the location.Research limitations/implicationsThe research suggests that a higher degree of satisfaction would encourage visitors to revisit the location. This research offers vital information for developing, planning, and putting into practice tourism policies in the spa tourism sector. This article focuses on domestic travelers who travel to Alleppey, so the conclusions may not be relevant to research utilizing foreign tourists.Originality/valueAccording to the literature study, and to the authors` knowledge, only limited number of studies that look at spa tourism from a wellness perspective. Additionally, Alleppey is used in the study as the study’s setting, providing insight into the visitor experiences of this expanding spa tourism business. This study gives understanding about how emotional experience predicts behavioral intentions.

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Value Co-Creation and Co-Destruction: Considerations of Spa Servicescapes

Cited by 15 publications

References 70 publications

A theoretical reflection on thermalism and communication: future perspectives in times of crisis

A theoretical reflection on thermalism and communication: future perspectives in times of crisis

Asymmetric effects of wellness destination and wellness facility attributes on tourist satisfaction

Visitor’s emotional experience in predicting destination image, satisfaction and intention to revisit: a spa tourism perspective

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