ABSTRACT
There has been significant recent industry and consumer interest for well-being tourism in Australia. It is reported that the demand for well-being tourism has grown considerably in the last ten years with spa visitation increasing 13.8 per cent annually during the period 2001–4 and with an annual growth rate of 1.6 per cent (Tourism Victoria, 2011). Responding to this demand over the last five years, both the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) (ATEC, 2010) and Tourism Victoria in particular have paid attention to well-being tourism for potential expansion opportunities through strategic plans, such as ‘Victoria’s Spa and Wellness Tourism Action Plan, 2005–2010’ (Tourism Victoria, 2010). However, a fundamental question to be addressed is: what drives this interest in well-being travel participation?
