Wellness tourism

Abstract

In the authors’ opinion, this quotation reflects quite well the character and the purpose of the tourism form that is discussed in this article. The term ‘wellness’ can be defined in various ways and associations concerning its related way of living, products or medical treatments diverge greatly (Smith & Kelly, 2006). Mueller and Lanz Kaufmann (2001) define wellness as “a state of health featuring the harmony of body, mind and spirit, with selfresponsibility, physical fitness/beauty care, healthy nutrition/diet, relaxation (need for distressing)/meditation, mental activity/education and environmental sensitivity/social contacts as fundamental elements”. Wellness is not a new phenomenon. It is one of the oldest forms of tourism, if we think about the ancient Greeks and Romans that cared a lot about their well-being, or the elite of rich people that spent their summer at the medical seaside in 18th and 19th century (Smith& Kelly, 2006).In today's advertisement, however, the term is often misused as a promotional attribute for miscellaneous products, what causes misunderstandings and damages the idea of wellness (DTV, 2002). According to a survey conducted by ‘TUI’, hardly two respondents associated the same with the term (DTV, 2002).