The wellness tourism industry is growing rapidly due to the increased interest in health following the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to COVID-19, people have become more aware of the need for emotional stability, emotional recovery, and stress management, in...
The wellness tourism industry is growing rapidly due to the increased interest in health following the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to COVID-19, people have become more aware of the need for emotional stability, emotional recovery, and stress management, in addition to physical health. This social change is leading to a demand for wellness tourism, which seeks healing and recovery through travel. Wellness tourism is emerging as a new form of tourism in the domestic and international tourism industries that promotes individual health and well-being, and it possesses the potential for further growth in the future tourism market. Therefore, to operate wellness tourism more effectively and develop it into a sustainable industry, it is necessary to study the psychological effects of wellness tourism on individuals.
This study aims to elucidate the psychological effects of wellness tourism, and to examine the impact of wellness tourism experiences on well-being, self-efficacy, and quality of life, and whether the impact of wellness tourism experiences on well-being and self-efficacy also contributes to improved quality of life. To this end, we studied literature on each factor to establish a theoretical foundation, defined the concepts necessary for the research model and hypotheses based on prior research in accordance with the purpose of this study, and then derived appropriate variables. The survey was conducted from September 1 to September 22, 2025, targeting individuals who had experienced wellness tourism within the past year. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 29.0 through frequency analysis, factor analysis, reliability analysis, and regression analysis.
The findings of this study are as follows: First, the analysis of the effect of the wellness tourism experience on well-being showed that rest and health promotion, reflection on self and life, social relationship improvement had a positive (+) effect, but interaction with nature and tourism elements did not show a significant effect. Second, the analysis of the effect of the wellness tourism experience on self-efficacy showed that reflection on self and life, social relationship improvement had a positive (+) effect, but rest and health promotion, interaction with nature and tourism elements did not show a significant effect. Third, the analysis of the effect of the wellness tourism experience on quality of life showed that rest and health promotion, reflection on self and life, social relationship improvement had a positive (+) effect, but interaction with nature and tourism elements did not show a significant effect. Fourth, the analysis of the effect of well-being on quality of life showed that it had a positive impact. Finally, the analysis of the effect of self-efficacy on quality of life showed that it hand a positive impact.
Based on these findings, the implications of this study are as follows: First, this study attempted to understand and measure the concept of wellness tourism by adding tourism-specific elements to the components of the wellness tourism experience presented in previous studies. Second, it laid the foundation for a new theoretical discussion on the composition of the concept of well-being and the measurement approach. Contrary to the expectation that the constituent factors of well-being would consist of two types of subjective well-being and psychological well-being, they were derived as a single factor. This empirically supplemented the existing theory on the concept of well-being and the measurement method. Third, the psychological effect of wellness tourism was verified by empirically investigating the effect of wellness tourism experience on well-being. This presented an additional theoretical basis for supporting that wellness tourism is a form of tourism that improves the well-being of tourists. Fourth, these findings suggest the need to distinguish between short-term and long-term variables when examining the effects of wellness tourism experiences. Whereas prior tourism research has largely focused on short-term variables that capture immediate responses following an experience, this study attempted to test the effects by specifying only long-term variables as dependent variables. Fifth, the well-being and self-efficacy of tourists who experienced wellness tourism were found to positively influence their quality of life. This indicates that wellness tourism is an experience with enduring and fundamental psychological value in individuals’ lives. Sixth, to maximize the healing effects of wellness tourism, it is important to design programs grounded in psychological factors. Seventh, to ensure that the positive effects of wellness tourism do not remain a one-time experience but help tourists maintain life satisfaction after returning to their daily lives, it is necessary to plan post-trip follow-up and linked programs. Finally, marketing and branding strategies should be developed with a focus on the value and evidence base of wellness tourism. This study empirically investigated the effects of wellness tourism experiences on well-being, self-efficacy, and quality of life, confirming that wellness tourism can generate positive psychological effects and also enhance tourists’ quality of life. The findings are expected to serve as foundational data for future wellness program planning and tourism product development.