Description
Research and Markets (2023) project that the global wellness tourism market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 11.67%, reaching $797.376 billion by 2028. This growth can be attributed to two main reasons: the ongoing expansion of the middle class, an aging population, and the persistent rise in chronic diseases; and the heightened focus on physical and mental health due to the COVID-19 pandemic (GWI, 2021). Wellness tourism aims to improve mental and physical health, achieve a healthy lifestyle, reduce stress, prevent disease and minimize bad habits through activities such as yoga, spa, and meditation (GWI, 2021). This aligns with the lifestyle pursued by middle-aged and elderly people and meets their practical needs (Huang, 2022). Therefore, as an important potential market, middle-aged and elderly tourists deserve the continued attention from both the academic community and the wellness tourism industry.
In order to attract the tourists, wellness tourism destinations need to employ various effective marketing strategies to ensure awareness and acceptance, one of which is social media marketing (Anannukul & Yoopetch, 2022). However, the quantity and quality of information on social media is vast and varied, and current empirical studies have rarely examined how the quality of travel information on social media affects tourists' decision-making process (Wang & Yan, 2022), especially the destination loyalty of repeat tourists.
In addition, young people have received more attention from researchers as the main user demographic of social media (Șchiopu et al., 2023; Werenowska & Rzepka, 2020). However, the age of social media users is increasing significantly, and middle-aged and elderly people are becoming an important group of social media users (Cao, et al., 2022). Despite this shift, there is a lack of research exploring their endorsement of travel information on social media.
On the other hand, while research in the field of wellness tourism has focused on the travel behavior of middle-aged and elderly tourists, attention to generational differences is limited (Kan et al., 2023; Patterson & Balderas-Cejudo, 2022). Differences in digital technology use, information acceptance, travel preferences, and health perceptions across generations may lead to different behavioral tendencies in their travel decision-making process (Dziadkiewicz, 2023; Uysal, 2022).
Therefore, this study combines Stimulus-Organism-Response Theory and Customer Satisfaction Index to construct a new conceptual model to examine the following research questions:
RQ1: How does the quality of wellness tourism information on social media influence middle-aged and elderly tourists' destination loyalty?
RQ2: Which dimensions of information quality are actually of interest to middle-aged and elderly tourists?
RQ3: Are there generational differences between Baby Boomers and Generation X tourists' perceptions of information quality and their decision-making process for wellness tourism?
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Methodology
To measure the constructs of the study model, scale items will be developed based on existing literature and adapted to the wellness tourism research context. All items will be scored on a 7-point Likert scale, with response options ranging from "strongly disagree" (1) to "strongly agree" (7). The survey will be conducted in February 2024 by the Japanese survey company Freeasy. The survey targets individuals born between 1946 and 1980 who have previously searched or browsed for travel information related to a wellness tourism destination on social media and have visited that wellness tourism destination.
A partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis will be conducted using SmartPLS 4 to test the proposed hypotheses and model fit. The PLS algorithm and bootstrapping (5000 subsamples) will be used to evaluate the measurement and structural models, respectively. Multi-group analysis will also be used to compare the effects of different generations on the results of the analysis (Hair et al., 2016).
Implications
This study is expected to make the following contributions: (1) to aid in the construction of a theoretical framework connecting social media information quality and destination loyalty; (2) to provide empirical support for the expansion of generational differences through a comparison of Baby Boomers and Generation X; (3) to assist destination operators in gaining a deeper understanding of the specific preferences of tourists from different generations in the context of wellness tourism. This knowledge can help them provide information and services that align more closely with expectations, thereby enhancing their competitiveness in the wellness tourism market.
References
Anannukul, N., & Yoopetch, C. (2022) The determinants of intention to visit wellness tourism destination of young tourists. Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences, 43(2), 417-424.
Cao, C., Li, D., Xu, Q., & Shao, X. (2022) Motivational Influences Affecting Middle-Aged and Elderly Users’ Participation Intention in Health-Related Social Media. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(18), 11240.
Dziadkiewicz, A., Lindell, L., & Minga, Z. (2023) Generation Y and Z towards wellbeing tourism-challenge or necessity for the tourism industry? Scientific Papers of Silesian University of Technology Organization and Management Series, 173, 113-130.
GWI (Global Wellness Institute) (2021) The Global Wellness Economy: Looking Beyond COVID. Available at: https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/industry-research/the-global-wellness-economy-looking-beyond-covid/. [Accessed 24th January 2024].
Hair Jr, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2016) A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Sage publications.
Huang, Y. C. (2022) Middle-aged and Elderly Adult Wellbeing: Connections to Travel Motivation and Restorative Servicescapes. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 51(1), 20-34.
Kan, T., Ku, E. C., Sun, W. C., Lai, T. C., Hsu, P. Y., & Hsu, S. C. (2023) Wellness tourism enhances elderly life satisfaction. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 24(4), 402-428.
Patterson, I., & Balderas-Cejudo, A. (2022) Baby boomers and their growing interest in spa and wellness tourism. International Journal of Spa and Wellness, 5(3), 237-249.
Research and Markets (2023) Global Wellness Tourism Market Forecasts from 2023 to 2028. Available at: https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/5682069/global-wellness-tourism-market-forecasts-from. [Accessed 24th January 2024].
Șchiopu, A. F., Nica, A. M., Pădurean, A. M., & Ţală, M. L. (2023) Generation z vs. Generation y: Different from or similar? A comparison of centennials and millennials regarding the use of social media for travel purposes. Cactus Tourism Journal, 5(1), 20-35.
Uysal, D. (2022) Gen-Z’s consumption behaviours in post-pandemic tourism sector. Journal of Tourism Leisure and Hospitality, 4(1), 67-79.
Wang, H., & Yan, J. (2022) Effects of social media tourism information quality on destination travel intention: Mediation effect of self-congruity and trust. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1049149.
Werenowska, A., & Rzepka, M. (2020) The role of social media in generation Y travel decision-making process (case study in Poland). Information, 11(8), 396.
