Title: Place marketing of hot spring regions: a market segmentation based on Chinese tourists' perceptions of healthfulness of places

Authors: Lizone Chang; Rian Beise-Zee

Addresses: Department of Tourism Management, Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, No. 60, Sec. 1, Erren Rd., Rende Dist., Tainan City 71710, Taiwan ' College of International Management, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, 1-1 Jumonjibaru, Beppu, Oita, 878-8, Japan

Abstract: We conduct a qualitative and quantitative exploration into the perceived health benefits of health-promoting tourist destinations in China. The purpose of this research is to gain insights into the question of how Chinese consumers perceive and experience 'health' and 'wellness' in a place. We first explore consumer perceptions of what is healthful through phenomenological interviewing. A sample of 447 visitors to seven hot spring resorts in Taiwan is used to identify dimensions of healthfulness as well as clusters of visitors to hot spring resorts, each characterised by a distinct pattern of healthfulness beliefs. We identify six dimensions of healthfulness and four groups of consumers for health promoting places. We suggest that hot spring regions need to target a specific group of tourists based on their health beliefs and work towards congruence between tourist perception of healthfulness and place attributes. This helps marketers of health destinations to formulate consumer-oriented strategies.

Keywords: healthfulness; wellness; wellbeing; market segmentation; place marketing; hot springs; Chinese tourists; tourist perceptions; China; healthfulness; tourism marketing; perceived benefits; health benefits; health promotion; Taiwan.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLTM.2013.057314

International Journal of Leisure and Tourism Marketing, 2013 Vol.3 No.4, pp.364 - 377

Received: 14 Mar 2013
Accepted: 27 Mar 2013
Published online: 24 Oct 2013 *

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