American Journal of Tourism Research

Vol. 4, No. 2, 2015, 52-67

DOI: 10.11634/216837861504643

Wellness Tourism: An Initiative for Comprising Wellness Tourism

Vacations within the Corporate Wellness Strategy

Hend M. Hamed
Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt

Wellness tourism is one of the latest niche tourism that is expected to continue growing as a fast business attract-
ing various types and categories of tourist demand. This paper suggests embracing wellness tourism vacations by
business employers as an essential component of the wellness strategy that they apply with their employees. It
highlights the wellness tourism definition, market, aspects and trends. On the other hand, it explains the corporate
wellness and the most popular wellness programs applied by business firms. Furthermore, it presents a proposal
for how the wellness tourism package can be designed and implemented serving the corporate wellness program.
Finally, a survey is conducted to explore the employees’ opinion concerning using paid wellness vacation as a part
of the corporate wellness program offered to them by their employers or firms. Data analysis verifies their ac-
ceptance to the idea and willingness to participate in such programs. Results also show that the employees want to
be healthy and live a healthy lifestyle but need the effective corporate wellness strategy that can help them in
achieving that goal.

Key Words: Wellness tourism, corporate wellness, lifestyle management, well-being, incentives

Introduction for individuals to take responsibility over their own

health.
Wellness is the optimal state of health of individuals The term wellness originates from the combination of
and groups. In 1948 the World Health Organization well-being and wholeness. It addresses the human
[WHO] defined health as: “A state of complete phys- health in a comprehensive sense and assumes that
ical, mental and social well-being and not merely the each person will actively participate in protecting his
absence of disease or infirmity” (Wellness Tourism own health (WTW, 2011).
Worldwide, 2011, p.7). The WHO expanded this Thus, wellness nowadays refers to a state of
definitionafterwards to include broader issues of health that involves an overall sense of wellbeing
wellness and lifestyle management, stating that health including body, mind and spirit. Lifestyle and self-
involves: “The extent to which an individual or a responsibility for health are essential for achieving a
group is able to realize aspirations and satisfy needs, better quality of life and achieving well-being
and to change or cope with the environment. Health (WTW, 2011). There are two focal concerns of well-
is a resource for everyday life, not the objective of ness:
living; it is a positive concept, emphasizing social - The realization of the fullest potential of a person
and personal resources as well as physical capabili- physically, psychologically, socially, spiritually
ties” (WTW, 2011, p.7). This definition is one of the and economically.
most widely-accepted definitions of health. However, - The fulfillment of the person’s expected role in
it corresponds more to what is known now as Well- the family, community, workplace and other set-
ness. tings on the long-term.
In the 1950s, a US physician, Herbert Dunn, ob-
served that as life gets more complicated, patients are
more at risk from getting diseases caused by lifestyle Corresponding author: Hend M. Hamed, Tourism De-
factors. Dunn used the term wellness as an opposite partment, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Helwan Universi-
to the term illness and his idea of wellness was that it ty, Cairo, Egypt. Email: [email protected]
involves physical, social and spiritual well-being.
Twenty years later John Travis emphasized the need This article is distributed under the terms of the Crea-
tive Commons Attribution License, which permits unre-

ISSN 2168-3794 Online│© 2015 The Author(s)

Published by: World Scholars, http://www.worldscholars.org
 American Journal of Tourism Research 53

stricted use and redistribution provided that the original introduce the employees to the healthy lifestyle
author and source are credited. methods and motivate them to attain the health goal.
Recent studies confirmed that tourism can enhance The following section demonstrates the wellness
individuals’ well-being and quality of life. In the tourism definition, market, aspects, trends and prac-
past, a vacation meant for many people: too much tices.
eating and drinking and too little sleep, leading indi-
viduals to get weak and less healthy. Now, more peo-
ple are choosing destinations that can help them be- Wellness Tourism
come healthy. They currently expect to enjoy a well
planned vacation that can improve their health and The definition of wellness tourism
lifestyle, especially, if the main purpose of the tour-
ism vacation is to reduce stress and attain the body As mentioned before, the term “Wellness” refers to
strength and if it is done regularly. The change expe- the integration of mind, body and soul. It is the best
rienced during such trip accompanied with the relax- possible well-being state that can lead to achieving
ing moments and enough sleep can improve the indi- ones goals. Thus, this state requires continuous learn-
vidual’s mental and physical health enhancing his ing and changes to maintain and enhance wellness.
work productivity and preventing chronic dis- Wellness combines seven dimensions of well-being
ease(Chen, 2013; Yeung, 2013; WTW, 2011). into a quality way of living to achieve true health and
Consequently, wellness tourism has emerged and hence, true wellness. These dimensions are: The
various modern forces are driving its speedy expan- physical, intellectual, emotional, social, occupational,
sion such as the rise of chronic disease and the in- spiritual and environmental aspects of life (Prem,
crease of stress. In addition, Western medicines are 2011; Hoheb, 2013; Philippine medical tourism insti-
no longer regarded as the only solution for all diseas- tution, 2014).
es. Many people are following the path of alternative Travelling to seek healing was one of the earliest
and complementary medicine after ordinary medicine ways that people used to achieve wellness. Literally,
has failed to cure or improve their stress-related ill- wellness tourism has been initiated by rich people
nesses. who used to make long distance trips to improve their
Thus, the demand on destinations and vacations wellbeing through engaging in traditional practices.
that deliver physical, emotional, spiritual and envi- Ancient Greeks and Romans used to practice well-
ronmental health along with enjoyment is increasing ness tourism by travelling to thermal springs and
dramatically every year (Global Spa and Wellness spiritual temples to improve their health. In modern
Summit ; 2013; Chen, 2013; Gregoire, 2014; Saudi days, wellness tourism involved travelling specifical-
commission for tourism and antiquities, 2014). ly to improve or promote ones health and wellbeing
In respond to this growing market, tourism pro- through physical, psychological or spiritual activities
viders are offering services and options that meet the (Prem, 2011; Dimon, 2013).
wellness travelers' needs such as hotel brands provid- Currently, wellness tourism refers to trips aiming
ing their customers with healthy rooms, better meals, at achieving a state of health that features the harmo-
well-equipped fitness centers and even yoga classes ny of the body, mind and soul through self-
(Yeung, 2013). responsibility, physical fitness, beauty care, healthy
Wellness tourism is currently expected to con- nutrition, relaxation, mental activity, education, so-
tinue growing as a fast multibillion dollar business ciability and environmental sensitivity (WTW, 2011).
attracting various types and categories of tourist de- One of the most inclusive definitions that describes
mand for years to come.Among this new demand is wellness tourism states that “it is the sum of all phe-
the corporate segment that will possibly make use of nomena resulting from a journey by individuals
wellness tourism and its benefits to increase the em- whose motive in whole or in part is to maintain or
ployees’ productivity, acquire their peak performance promote their health and wellbeing, and who stay at
at work and minimize health care expenses, thus, it is least one night at a facility that is specifically de-
presumed that the corporate sector is may soon re- signed to holistically enable and enhance people’s
gard wellness tourism as a worthwhile investment physical, psychological, spiritual and/or social well-
and start offering it to employees (Geib,2014; Medi- being, and that ideally also takes into account envi-
cal Tourism Congress, 2014). ronmental and community wellness in a sustainable
This study assumes that using wellness tourism manner” (Voigt, 2013, p.26). Thus, wellness tourism
vacations on behalf of business firms within the cor- involves the stay of health-seeking tourists in a par-
porate wellness strategy that they apply with their ticular destination where they will be provided with
employees is considered to be an effective way to various health-promoting physical activity, relaxation
methods, and nutritious food in a comprehensive
54 H. M. Hamed

package. All the expenditures made by these tourists tional wellness tourism arrivals are: the United
during their trip, including lodging, food and bever- States, France, Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
age, activities and excursions, shopping and transpor- The countries that drive the most domestic wellness
tation are included in the wellness tourism economy tourism trips are: The United States, Germany, Japan,
(Prem, 2011; Global Wellness Institute, 2013; Chen, China and France (Gregoire, 2013;Hohmeyer,
2013; Isroelit, 2013). 2013;Global Wellness Institute, 2013). However, it is
The Key stakeholders involved in wellness tour- predicted that the Asian, Latin American, The Middle
ism include (WTW, 2011): Eastern and North African countries will be the fast-
- Government agencies [ministries of tourism, est-growing wellness travel destinations, with an es-
ministries of economic timate of over 50% of growth in wellness tourism
Development]. through 2017. The Southeast Asian countries, In-
- Tourism organizations and related businesses dia,specifically, is expected to be number one global-
[destination management ly over the next years (Isroelit, 2013; Chen,
organizations, associations, travel agents, hotels, 2013;Gregoire, 2013; Global Wellness Institute,
resorts, cruises, airlines, spas]. 2014).
- Facilities focused on personnel well-being [busi- With regard to the wellness tourist:There are two
ness firms, insurance types of wellness tourists; the first type includes
Companies, higher educational institutions other those whose primary purpose of travelling is to main-
interested parties]. tain and improve their health and wellbeing. These
- Health providers [fitness related businesses, hos- tourists usually head to health resorts and destinations
pitals]. popular for their wellness services and resources. The
- Companies and organizations focused on sus- second type addresses health and wellness as a sec-
tainability. ondary purpose for their trip. Meaning that their pri-
Among the above mentioned stakeholders, this study mary goal for traveling could be business or recrea-
addresses business firms’ employees to investigate tion, however, they want to keep up with their
their opinion about using wellness trips on behalf of healthy habits during their trip. Thus, they practice
their employers as a part of their firms’ wellness pol- some form of wellness activity or take advantage of
icy. healthier options offered to them during their stay
such as taking exercise classes on a cruise or booking
Wellness tourism Market a hotel that offers healthy menu. Surprisingly, these
secondary-purpose wellness travelers make up a
A study released in 2013 at the Global Wellness much larger proportion of the market, accounting for
Tourism Congress [GWTC] reveals that wellness about 86 % of all wellness trips. However, the prima-
tourism is a $439 billion market representing 14% of ry- wellness tourist spends more than the secondary-
total global tourism revenues that is $3.2 trillion. It purpose wellness traveler (Chen, 2013; Global Well-
also shows that domestic wellness tourism is signifi- ness Institute, 2013; Yeung, 2013; Schensul, 2014;
cantly larger than the international wellness tourism Global Wellness Institute, 2014).
representing 84 % of wellness tourism trips and 68 % Furthermore, as mentioned above, domestic
or $299 billion of expenditures while the internation- wellness tourism is significantly larger than the inter-
al inbound wellness tourism represents $139 billion, national wellness tourism that is because wellness
32% of the total expenditures (Isroelit, 2013; Chen, tourists from America, the number one ranked well-
2013). ness tourism market and destination, as well as those
The Global Wellness Tourism Economy report from Canada, prefer the wellness tourism short-
2013 and The World Travel Market 2014, assures domestic trips, weekend trips, and city breaks
that the wellness tourism sector is growing at a phe- (Hohmeyer, 2013).
nomenal pace and is expected to increase on average
9.9 % annually over the next years reaching $678.5 Wellness tourism aspects
billion by 2017, nearly 50 % more growth than global
tourism overall (Global Wellness Institute, 2013; By the year 2000, health motivated travel became
Chen, 2013; Bevan, 2014). very popular ranging from travelling for medical rea-
Concerning the inbound/outbound wellness trav- sons to travelling for wellness purposes (WTW,
el, Europe and North America drive the outbound 2011).
international wellness tourist segment from five Despite the overlap between wellness tourism
countries: the United States, Germany, Japan, France and medical tourism each one of them is different in
and Austria, representing 63 % of the global market. nature and objectives (Voigt, 2013).
The countries that drive the most inbound, interna-
 American Journal of Tourism Research 55

This study focuses on the aspects and types related to - Nutritional therapy: nutritional therapy is based
wellness tourism. on the fact that the faulty diet can be a main
cause of any illness or disorder. The proper nutri-
Wellness tourism resources tion and dietary supplements improve energy and
strength, maintain health as well as treat and pre-
Wellness tourism relies on the following resources vent various diseases (Prem, 2014; Hohmeyer,
(Hoheb, 2013; Voigt, 2013): 2013).
- Natural resources: sun, water, climate, greenery - Weight management: this is done through a
and other resources that drive multi-sensory ex- combination of exercise, Yoga and dietary modi-
perience of nature. fication to help prevent life threatening diseases
- Cultural resources: certainheritage places. and maintain a good body image (Prem, 2011;
- Alternative medicine:alternative or integrative Gregoire, 2013;Hohmeyer, 2013; Integrated
medical systems such as massage, acupuncture, Wellness, 2014).
cupping and detoxification. - Physical fitness and sports: fitness and workout
- Mindset and wellness related lifestyle: depend- programs for maintaining health, blood circula-
ing on healthy nutrition, physical health and ap- tion and energy level as well as improving pre-
pearance, relaxation and re-establishing self- existing health conditions and preventing many
esteem. chronic diseases (Hohmeyer, 2013; Foundation
- Wellness-related events: includingcommunity for wellness education, 2014).
health events and fitness conventions, - Stress and anxiety management: training pro-
- Human resources and competencies:going be- grams that focus on positive psychological well-
yond wellness with other activities and offerings being and address stress; the number one com-
such as healthy cooking classes and recreational plaint that reduces productivity and affects health
services offered by wellness tourism providers. (Gregoire, 2013; Hohmeyer, 2013; Integrated
Wellness, 2014).
Wellness tourism therapies - Tobacco consumption programs: programs for
encouraging and helping smokers to quit. Other
This section discusses the treatments and therapies similar programs address alcohol and other drugs
that contribute to attain wellness. misuse (Integrated Wellness, 2014; University of
The wellness therapies can be divided into two cate- New Hampshire, 2014).
gories. The first category includes the most common - Sleep management: Addressing ways and tech-
and popular Complementary or integrative medicine niques for getting better night’s sleep (Integrated
treatments. Some of these therapies have been known Wellness, 2014; University of New Hampshire,
and used for ages in certain areas of the world. These 2014).
therapies can be encompassed within a tourist pack- - Health-related education: This involves sessions
age such as: and workshops given by wellness educators and
Massage, Yoga and Meditation, cupping, detoxi- counselors providing individuals with infor-
fication, aromatherapy, acupuncture and acupressure, mation about wellness and how to manage their
hydrotherapy, chromotherapy and music therapy daily life to attain the healthy lifestyle (Burgess,
(PMTI, 2014; Tourism Product Development, 2014; 2014; University of New Hampshire, 2014;
Prem, 2011; Aroma Web, 2014; Wong, 2014; Wise Foundation for wellness education, 2014) .
Greek, 2014; ProAcuMed, 2014; Scott, 2014).
The second category of wellness is based on the Wellness tourism trends and practices
idea that nutrition, physical activity, stress, anxiety,
tobacco and alcohol abuseare all key drivers of health Wellness tourism has become one of the fastest
and can have dramatic risks for chronic, costly health growing niche markets among the international tour-
conditions. Wellness management programs referred ism these days. It has gained its popularity as a re-
to this category help individuals to improve their spond to the unhealthy lifestyles, work pressures and
health through maintaining the healthy lifestyle as an stress of modern lives causing serious complications
ongoing process (Integrated Wellness, 2014). and various imbalances in the body's functioning.
The current study focuses on the tourist trips Even the travel process itself adds more pressure on
dealing with this category of wellness and how these individuals and their health from the hassles of air-
trips can be used as a method of promoting the ports to the high-season crowds, jet lag, poor sleep
healthy lifestyle among employees. This category of and over scheduling. All the above have driven peo-
wellness involves: ple to make serious lifestyle changes to live healthier
(Schensul, 2013; Wellness Tourism, 2014; Global
 56 H. M. Hamed

Wellness Institute, 2014). Wellness tourism is con- facilities (WTW, 2011; WTW, 2013b; Geib, 2014;
sidered one of the main methods that provide indi- World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Con-
viduals with a range of experiences that help them gress, 2014).
achieve a healthier state. People now actively seek  Wellness tourism is a starting point to long-term
out tourism packages that include a range of wellness well-being: the wellness tourist expects to experience
treatments. Healthy diet, quality sleep, stress reduc- a healthy vacation where he practices and learn
tion and moderate exercise are essential components healthy tips and techniques that he can carry out
in a wellness tourism program (Hoheb, 2013; Schen- when he gets back home. These healthy tips and
sul, 2013; Wellness Tourism, 2014). practices would help him manage his lifestyle to
The new trend of wellness and healthy lifestyle based achieve wellness through the rest of his life.
services is dramatically increasing and this is not The current study focuses, specifically, on this kind
expected to change in the next 5 to 10 years (WTW, of wellness tourism and tourist packages that provide
2011;Hoheb, 2013;Schensul, 2013). the individual with the tools and techniques that
Wellness tourism trends can be divided into demand- would help him manage and change his lifestyle to
related and supply-related trends as explained in this reach a healthier model (Hoheb, 2103; WTW, 2011).
section. Regarding the supply-related trends, those are in-
Demand-related trends are these trends associated volved with the wellness tourism providers and their
with the customer or the tourist and his wellness de- response to the demand side expectations.
sires during his trip. Some of these trends are:  Wellness flights: Airports and airlines started
 Mind matters:wellness tourists seek mental restora- integrating wellness services for enhancing the well-
tion on vacations where they can learn techniques for ness tourist experience and meeting his demands.
managing stress such as meditation, yoga and jour- This involves spas, fitness options and private nap-
naling (WTW, 2013a;Geib, 2014). ping cabins at airports, in addition to providing pas-
 Exploring local life and healing traditions: wellness sengers with healthy fly tips based on seated yoga
tourists are interested in exploring the local commu- and meditation and providing healthy meals during
nities during their wellness vacations and knowing the flight.
more about their life and traditions, especially, their  The Wellness travel agent: as a result of the wellness
oriental healing practices, for example The Turkish tourism fast growth in the market and the increase in
Hammam and the Hawaiian herbal medicine the demand for wellness trips, a new term or special-
(Hoheb, 2103; WTW, 2013b;Geib, 2014). ty has emerged in the tourism industry “The wellness
 Culinary Tourism: During the wellness trip, tourists travel agent” (Geib, 2014, p.1). This indicates the
attend cooking classes to learn about proper nutrition, increasing acceptance, credibility and value of well-
how to prepare healthy meals, in addition to local and ness tourism among consumers and providers and the
tradition dishes (Tourism Product Development, expansion of wellness tourism as niche tourism
2014;Geib, 2014; Prem, 2014). (Figueroa, 2011;Hoheb, 2013; WTW, 2013a).
 Prescribed Travel: wellness trips are now prescribed  Secondary market: as mentioned before, many
by physicians as a preventive method and a cure in tourists the primary goal of their trip is business or
certain conditions (WTW, 2013a;Geib, 2014). recreation or any other reason rather than wellness,
 Slow travel: travelers are tired of feeling like they specifically. However, they wish to maintain their
need to rest after their vacation as a result of rushing healthy lifestyle during their trips. In order to attract
to explore as many experiences as possible. Now they these travelers, air transit and hotels have been in-
are slowing down during their vacation, giving them- vesting in wellness amenities that would meet the
selves the chance to relaxand restore (Hohmeyer, demand of these customers (Yeung, 2013; Geib,
2013; WTW, 2013a). 2014; Schensul, 2014).
 Customer awareness: wellness consumers are  Various wellness tourist demand: with the expansion
concerned about their health and the treatments they of targeted segments in wellness tourism, travel
receive. They always need evidences and proven re- agents, hotels and resorts are likely to start offering a
searches that the treatments and therapies they will variety of the wellness products and packages that
receive are safe and beneficial such as healing waters, can suit each targeted segment. For example offering
mud, herbs, nutrition and more. Hence, this should be budget or affordable spas for young and middle in-
met by more awareness and knowledge on behalf of come wellness seekers and offering wellness packag-
the wellness providers and practitioners.In addition, es for business firms to motivate employees and
customers are more aware of the value of green and manage their health which is the main subject ad-
organic aspects and products. Thus, this should be- dressed in the current study (WTW, 2011; Hoheb,
come a norm rather than an exception in wellness 2013; Tourism Product Development, 2014).
 American Journal of Tourism Research 57

 Wellness hotels:more hotels are turning to the represents 59 % of the wellness tourism market. That
wellness path and providing real wellness services to is why spas are trying to rebrand themselves as well-
their customers not only adding something healthy ness providers that target various customer segments,
for marketing purposes. For example, some hotels not just the wealthy, to be able to become a part of
pumps oxygen into the guests’ rooms and rooms are the wellness tourism market(Global Spa Summit,
designed to eliminate germs and water chemicals 2011; Chen, 2013; Geib, 2014; Tourism Product De-
(Caribbean Export Development Agency, 2008; velopment, 2014; CSME, 2008).
Yeung, 2013; Hoheb, 2013).  Wellness education: wellness tourism providers are
 Plug or unplug wellness: some wellness resorts offering now weekend workshops and sessions about
unplug all aspects of technological communication wellness in specialized resorts and spas where well-
during the wellness vacation as a stress reduction ness-seekers learn tips and techniques for a healthy
method. This process is called “digital- detox” or the lifestyle. These workshops include healthy nutrition,
“unplug program”(Hoheb, 2013, p.3). Others made fitness, stress management and more, represented by
use of technology in their wellness programs by in- specialized instructors (Hoheb, 2013; Foundation for
cluding wellness applications in the rooms to create wellness education , 2014; University of New Hamp-
healthy experiences for their guests. Anexample for shire, 2014),
this is The Four Seasons Hotel, Los Angeles that in-  Top ten surprising wellness destinations: The top ten
tegrates customized in-room fitness program for its wellness destinations to be are Bhutan, Colombia,
guests to work out privately while the rooms are Croatia, Ghana, Lithuania, Morocco, Nicaragua, Por-
equipped with the required fitness kits and workout tugal, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam (Schensul, 2014).
mats (CSME, 2008; Schensul, 2014). The following section discusses the corporate well-
 Reconnecting with nature: watching nature helps ness, its meaning, impacts and the most popular strat-
lowering blood pressure, pulse rate and relaxing egies or programs involved in it.
muscles giving a sensation of an overall wellbeing.
Wellness destinations and resorts started to develop Corporate Wellness
and enhance their landscapes to meet their customers’
need to enjoy and relax outdoors (Hoheb, 2013). Over the last decades a wave of lifestyle related dis-
 Wellness resorts closer to cities: wellness resorts are eases has been developing. Certain behaviors have
relocating to be close enough to big cities in order to been identified as primary causes for chronic disease:
be accessible to more wellness-seekers even during inactivity, poor nutrition, tobacco use and frequent
short periods, weekends and day use. Even the one- alcohol consumption, In addition to stress, causing
day visit that does not include accommodation can diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions
provide the visitor with education programs, fitness that lead to decreased quality of life, early death and
programs and healthy meals, in addition to spa and disability. The number of working-age individuals
beauty treatments (Schensul, 2014;Tourism Product having chronic diseases has been increasing dramati-
Development, 2014; CSME, 2008). cally over the last ten years. This directly affects
 Taking sleep seriously: lack of sleep affects the productivity as a result of frequent absence from
immune and metabolic systems, the brain functioning work and reduced performance. With the increasing
and increases stress, that is why wellness and tourism prevalence of chronic diseases among the working-
providers, such as hotels, resorts and airlines, started age population, employers started to get concerned
to focus more on sleep products and services offered about the impacts of this on productivity and em-
to their wellness-seekers’ customers (Hoheb, 2013; ployer-sponsored health coverage costs. Thus, they
CSME, 2008). have started adopting health promotion and disease
 The importance of spas:spas account for about 41 % prevention strategies aiming at preventing the occur-
of all wellness-travel activities and the fastest grow- rence of the disease or at least help diagnose and treat
ing segment of the hospitality industry is hotels with the disease in an early stage before complications.
spas (Schensul, 2014, p.1). Hotels with a spa facility These health promotional strategies are known by
will become an even bigger factor affecting the tour- corporate wellness or occupational wellness (Mey-
ist’s choice. In other words spas will be a deciding dam, 2014; Mattke, Liu, Caloyeras, Huang, Van
factor rather than an amenity offered at hotels or re- Busum, Khodyakov& Shier, 2013).
sorts. However, despite the importance of spas in the
wellness industry, wellness is much more than just The definition of corporate wellness
spas. Other wellness hotels and cruises; baths and
springs; fitness, yoga and lifestyle retreats; nature There is neither a universally accepted definition for
parks and preserves; organic and natural restaurant corporate wellness nor a specified list for the benefits
that go under its label. However, corporate wellness
58 H. M. Hamed

can be defined as the wellness programs and services cessation. They can be provided to all employees
offered by business firms to their employees to im- through health-educational events and resources or
prove their health and lower their risk of getting individualized according to the employee’s need or
chronic diseases (WTW, 2011; Mattkeet al., 2013; health-weakness or risk through counseling (Mattkeet
Bundrick, 2014). al., 2013;University of Rochester, 2014).
The current study focuses mainly on this catego-
Corporate wellness impacts ry and how to offer it to employees in the form of
wellness tourism packages.
Studies reveals that the return on investment [ROI] of Health promotion activities: This involves bene-
corporate wellness programs is 3:1 for direct medical fits that aim at encouraging healthy lifestyle behav-
cost and 3:1 for absenteeism (Mattkeet al., 2013, p. ior. These activities or benefits are available to all
3). This has led many employers to consider wellness employees such as healthy food options at the work-
programs as an efficient method for controlling place cafeteria and vending machine, on-site staircas-
health care costs and apply them as an effective busi- es and walk paths for informal exercise, on-site gym
ness strategy. or free or reduced gym membership (Mattke et al.,
Currently, about two third of companies with 2013).
199 workers or less and [94%] of companies with Incentives for the overall health strategy imple-
200 workers or more offers such programs to their mentation: Due to the low participation rate in the
employees (Bundrick, 2014, p.1). corporate wellness programs, employers started using
Significant improvement has been observed in incentives as a way to encourage their employees to
exercise frequency, smoking behavior, weight con- participate.
trol, improved attitudes and knowledge about health, Incentives are typically framed as rewards in
improvement in blood sugar and cholesterol levels, corporate wellness programs rather than penalties.
blood pressure, tobacco use reduction and higher quit 84% of firms offering corporate wellness programs in
rates (Mattke et al., 2013). the USA use rewards only as a form of incentive, 2%
The following section demonstrates briefly the use penalties only and 11% use both (Mattkeet al.,
most popular wellness programs used by companies 2013, p.73).
focusing mainly on the incentives offered to employ- A recent study shows that about 90% of employ-
ees to encourage the implementation of these pro- ers offer wellness incentives, or financial rewards and
grams. prizes to employees who work toward getting health-
ier. That's up from 57% of companies in 2009. The
Corporate wellness programs incentive’s amount have also increased from $260
per employee on average in the year 2009 to $521 per
Employer wellness programs initially just involved employee as employers feel that if they pay more
having a gym at the office, placing posters on the they will get better results (The Experts, 2014, p.1).
wall, encouraging people to take the stairs instead of
the elevator. Currently, with Companies facing high- Types of incentives used in corporate wellness
er health care costs, companies are more concerned programs
about the health and wellness of their employees
providing them with a variety of wellness activities Employers are exploring different types of incentives
(Wieczner, 2013). to decide which of them works and can encourage the
The main wellness programs and activities of- employees to improve their health, and consequently
fered nowadays by companies to their employees lower health care costs and get better return on well-
include the following: ness investment (The Experts, 2014).
Screening activities: This usually involves bio- The different types of incentives examined by em-
metric screening to collect data about nutrition, phys- ployers today are:
ical activity, weight, height, cholesterol levels, blood
pressure, blood glucose levels and resting heart rate. Cash incentives
(Mattkeet al., 2013, Wellness Corporate Solutions,
2014). This includes:
Lifestyle management programs: Also known as - Cash for screening activities:
preventive intervention that involves programs de- At least $100 incentive is needed per employee
signed to help employees make positive changes in to get 75% of the screening activity
their health- related behavior and lifestyle to reduce done.Screening helps in introducing employees
health risks. These programs offer proper nutrition, to their health risk factors, however, this does not
physical fitness, stress management and smoking
 American Journal of Tourism Research 59

necessarily lead them to take action (Wieczner, cards, tickets for events and similar gifts or items
2013, p.1; University of Rochester, 2014). (Mattkeet al., 2013; Hendrickson, 2013).
- Cash for screening completion and lifestyle man-
agement program participation: Health plan premiums
In this model, employers link the cash incentive
In this model, the employer links health plan premi-
to both health assessment completion and action
ums to the health risks of the employee. The healthi-
taken in respond to results to change the un-
est workers pay less than the riskiest. The employer
healthy behavior. Rewards typically ranges from
offer lower premiums or share health costs and co-
$250 to $350 (Wieczner, 2013, p.1).
payments with the employee as a reward for partici-
On the other hand, some employers use a month-
pating in a lifestyle management program and taking
ly payroll surcharge as a penalty on employees
serious steps towards eliminating his health risks.
who does not take action to change their un-
Achieved health goals are rewarded by the same way
healthy lifestyle. Although this incentive leads to
and by lowering health plan premiums. On the other
action, it does not encourage healthy behavior
hand, the employee who does not take action to min-
beyond the completion of the required programs
imize his health risks and achieve the health goals
(Wieczner, 2013; Mattkeet al., 2013).
can be penalized by higher premiums and increased
- Cash for out-comes: copayments (Wieczner, 2013; Bundrick, 2014; Scott,
Employers offer rewards for taking steps to reach 2014).
best benchmarks for cholesterol, blood pressure There are certain legal precautions on this model
and weight. This needs enrollment in lifestyle too that will be explained later below.
management program to achieve the goal. Typi-
cally an employee would be rewarded with $100 Challenges confronting the use of certain Incen-
for reaching a healthy weight, $125 for hitting tives
the other biometric benchmarks and $200 for
quitting smoking (Wieczner, 2013, p.1). Some laws and regulations impose limits on using
This model financially motivate employees to certain incentives in corporate wellness programs.
complete the task and thus, improve their health, Thus, employers are very careful in choosing the in-
however, there are certain legal precautions centives that they may integrate in their corporate
about it which will be discussed later below wellness programs and choosing the actions to be
(Wieczner, 2013, University of Rochester, 2014). incentivized.
As mentioned previously in this section, Employers
Non-cash incentives are very cautious in applying incentives to reward
wellness programs out-comes such as, actual change
This includes in health-related behaviors or health goal attainment,
- Cash equivalent rewards: Employees can earn due to legal restrictions. The law, for instance, re-
them when completing screening activities or stricts that an employee be penalized or have a re-
participate in a lifestyle management program or ward withheld due to certain health conditions such
even make progress in achieving the health goal. as severe obesity for food. In this case, the employer
These cash equivalents can even help in encour- cannot offer one of the previous types of incentives
aging and attaining the healthy lifestyle as they for achieving a certain weight. That is why incentives
can be a discounted gym membership, a free are used more for program participation rather than
massage or a paid time off that can be spent on a for rewarding results and health goal attainment
healthy purpose (Mattkeet al., 2013). (Wieczner, 2013;Mattkeet al., 2013; Scott, 2014).
The current study suggests using paid well- Additionally, some regard the health assessment as
ness vacations under this category of cash equiv- illegal due to its inquiries about personal medical
alent incentives for participation in lifestyle histories and non job-related lifestyle. Accordingly, it
management programs where the employee is illegal to reward or penalize the employee for ac-
would have the opportunity to get introduced to cepting or refusing to take it (Bundrick, 2014).
health aspects and behaviors and start the pro- Besides that, the health plan premium model that
gram. assigns lower or higher premiums and copayments
- Novelty items: Another non-cash form of rewards according to the employee’s health risks and respon-
offered to employees typically for health screen- sive action to reduce these risks, this model is criti-
ing completion or lifestyle management program cized for being discriminatory and decrease access to
participation. This includes T-shirts, mugs, gift health care. As legally employers must offer workers
who do not hit targets an alternative way to earn the
60 H. M. Hamed

incentive, such as a doctor's note or program partici- The firm should choose to work in this with a tourism
pation (Wieczner, 2013; Bundrick, 2014; Scott, company, tour operator or travel agent that can help
2014). in designing and implementing a wellness package
Furthermore, certain regulations limit the use of trip for the firm’s employees. The trip can be to a
cash as an incentive in corporate wellness programs. wellness destination or to a wellness resort according
In this case, employers use cash equivalent rewards to what is agreed upon between the firm and the trav-
and novelty items as incentives in their wellness pro- el company taking into consideration the budget and
gram. The most effective and directly related to the the objectives. The advantages of cooperating with a
utmost goal of the wellness program, which is to travel company in this field involves, organizing an
achieve and attain a healthy lifestyle, are those incen- all inclusive wellness tour package that involves all
tives that encourage increasing healthy behavior wellness components and services needed to achieve
such as paid time off for fitness and other wellness- the firm’s target; arranging the needed wellness ser-
related activities or attending health education classes vices with certified experts and specialists; helping
(Mattkeet al., 2013). the employees and the firm representative to only
Finally, some believe that participation in corpo- focus on the wellness target while the travel company
rate wellness programs should not be incentivized takes care of their needs such as the transportation,
financially but instead the strongest motivator should accommodation and related programs (Saudi com-
be the desire to be healthy and fit. Thus, the real mo- mission for tourism and antiquities, 2014).
tivator for changing a person’s lifestyle to be healthy The firm should set with the tourism company
has to be internal. However, corporate wellness pro- the goals of the wellness vacation, its components,
grams can help employees to achieve this desire by the needed services and the assigned budget for im-
building up their awareness about healthy lifestyle, plementing it (Wellness Source, 2014).
provide them with the necessary resources to help
them stay healthy and fit, promote and facilitate their Dividing the firm’s employees into small groups
participation and access to healthy activities.
(Mattkeet al., 2013, Scott, 2014). This can be done according to any criteria of the em-
The following section explains how wellness ployer’s choice. For example, it can be done accord-
tourism can serve the corporate wellness and be in- ing to the health risk assessment results if the compa-
corporated within the business wellness strategy. ny applies biometric and health screening in its well-
ness program or it can be done according to the work
Employing wellness tourism in corporate wellness needs and priorities. Each group will take the well-
programs ness trip at a certain time of the year. This process
can be all year round or in a certain season or time of
It is expected that businesses will start integrating the year according to the firm’s size, number of em-
certain wellness tourist services in their corporate ployees, needs and capabilities. Each group of em-
wellness programs to promote employees’ health and ployees will take the trip as a paid time off or vaca-
productivity and to lower medical costs. For example, tion for practicing health-related activities.
firms arranging spa visits to motivate employees and
manage their health. In addition to firms offering Identifying the objectives of the trip
their employees holiday vouchers, as an incentive,
The wellness trips can be implemented under various
redeemed at certain designated wellness hotels. These
objectives all of which serve the same ultimate goal
holiday vouchers are co-financed by both the em-
of being healthy.
ployees and their company (WTW, 2011; Tourism
First: The introductory phase: in this phase the
Product Development, 2014). Besides that, private
employer would introduce the idea of changing his
health insurances are expected to play a more im-
employees’ unhealthy lifestyle behavior through this
portant role in providing policies that cover wellness
wellness trip. The employees would gain awareness
travel. Some of them have already started offering
and education about wellness, participate in wellness
health plans that covers wellness tourism and services
classes and workshops, learn about wellness tech-
(WTW, 2011, Cleveland Clinic, 2014).
niques and practices and have advises and help from
The following section demonstrates a proposal
wellness experts and coaches concerning how to
for how the wellness tourism package can be de-
change unhealthy habits to healthy behaviors and
signed and implemented serving the corporate well-
how to maintain wellness. This introductory phase
ness program.
would be provided to all the firm’s employees.
Second: The incentive phase: This include an en-
Cooperating with a tourism company
couraging wellness tourism vacation for a tempting
 American Journal of Tourism Research 61

place or would include additional luxury services for Smoking cessation: some firms may put such a
those employees who succeeded in applying what program on their priority list and some may not dur-
they learned in the introductory trip and attained the ing the wellness vacation (University of New Hamp-
health goal. This phasewould be offered to those who shire, 2014).
achieved the objectives assigned in the first trip. Excursions: This may involve visiting tourist at-
Third: The amendment phase: a concentrated work- tractions in the region and greenery location; spa and
shop or very short trip to a wellness location to those beauty practices; certain culinary classes; learning
who failed to attain the health goal. This has two ad- about the region’s community and interesting tradi-
vantages as it encourages those who did not achieve tions (Saudi commission for tourism and antiquities,
the health goal to try once again, help them identify 2014).
the obstacles and challenges facing them and try to
solve it with specialists and coaches and at the same Assigning the personnel implementing the trip
time it avoids the legal restrictions by offering those
employees an alternative to earn the incentive but in a This includes: the tourism company representative
practical, positive way that serves the health goal and who runs the program and makes sure it goes
help them achieve it next time. smoothly; the firm’s representative who evaluate the
Fourth: The maintenance phase: This can be ap- overall trip and report its results to the management
plied through organizing periodic wellness trips eve- team; specialists and experts who are typically as-
ry now and then according to the firm’s decision, signed through the tourism company according to the
very short wellness trips that would refresh the em- wellness trip objectives and components, for example
ployees and reinforce their motives to be healthy and : the trip can involve a nutritionist for nutritional
retain their well-being. therapy, a fitness trainer for exercise, a psycho-
specialist for stress management. It may also include
Arranging the components of the trip a cook for culinary classes and a tour guide for sight-
seeing and community tours. Additionally, it should
The trip should include the basics of the tourism include an integrative or wellness specialist for work-
package: transportation, accommodation, food and shops and educational purposes (Foundation for
beverage and tourist activities. The activities in the wellness education, 2014).
wellness tourist package may involve the following:
Heath awareness and educational workshops: these Implementing the trip
workshops would give the participants information
about wellness; the importance of exercise, proper The success of the wellness tourism package requires
nutrition, and good night’s sleep (Foundation for the care of the service providers, especially, the travel
wellness education, 2014). company and its representative who needs to monitor
Stress management: participants would be intro- and run everything encompassed in the package
duced to various techniques to manage stress and smoothly (Saudi commission for tourism and antiqui-
minimize its negative effects on the body. These ties, 2014).
techniques may involve yoga, coloring therapy, jour-
naling and massage. (Foundation for wellness educa- Evaluating the trip
tion, 2014; University of New Hampshire, 2014).
From a tourism perspective, the effect of single well-
Proper nutrition: informing participants about
ness services is less important than the overall effect
the impact of proper nutrition on energy levels and
of the wellness vacation and the overall experience
overall health; teaching them techniques for weight
(Voigt, 2013). Evaluating the wellness vacation can
control and biometric levels control; giving them
be done through the travel company representative
healthy eating tips through culinary classes (Burgess,
and his monitoring to all the services and wellness
2014; University of New Hampshire, 2014; BWell
programs while they are applied during the vacation
Health Promotion, 2014).
and it can be determined by getting the feedback after
Fitness and exercise: teaching participants exer-
the trip from both the firm’s management and its em-
cises and physical fitness techniques to be active and
ployees who participated in the program. According-
control blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol
ly, the travel company needs to work with the firm’s
levels. These techniques may include as well some
management team and the wellness resort and the
“Desk-ercise” to prevent the negative impacts of sit-
assigned specialists to develop and improve the pro-
ting on desks and in front of computers for long times
vided programs (Saudi commission for tourism and
(University of New Hampshire, 2014; Foundation for
antiquities, 2014).
wellness education, 2014).
62 H. M. Hamed

The advantages of using wellness tourism pro- stead according to the price given through the travel
grams in corporate wellness company or the discounts given to groups or if the
reservation would be made during the low season or
Using wellness trips in the sequence the current study in a new resort that is far from tourists’ scenic loca-
proposes does not interfere with any legal re- tions (Auvil, 2014; The Oaks, 2014).
strictions: First, the wellness trip can be used as a Second: The incentive phase:It can be a 2 night
lifestyle management program that is provided to all package for $240 per person in double including: all
the employees without being held from anybody. It is the above services plus the choice of a relaxing mas-
offered to them in the form of paid time off or a paid sage or a facial treatment for less than $100 (The
vacation, thus, this would probably encourage them Oaks, 2014).
all to participate without feeling that they are forced Third: The amendment phase: This can be either
to do an undesirable thing, but instead have a change, a 2 night package for $240 to review and concentrate
a relaxing, refreshing vacation without paying. on the specific techniques the employee needs to fol-
Additionally, when the wellness trip is used as low to achieve the health goal or it can be just a fit-
an incentive, it is not considered a cash incentive but ness day package for $180 (The Oaks, 2014)giving
instead, it is considered as a non-cash alternative that him an intensive course in a very short time.
serves the health goal of achieving and attaining a Fourth: The maintenance phase: This can only
healthy lifestyle. Besides that, the incentive model be a fitness day package for $180(The Oaks, 2014).
offer the employees who do not hit targets an alterna- All these prices are only an example and it can be
tive method to earn the incentive through the even lower according to the deal or contract with the
amendment phase in a way that helps them overcome travel company. On the other hand, from the above
their challenges and encourages them to achieve the outlook it can be observed that the introductory phase
target next time. is the only phase that needs a somehow high budget.
The Wellness trip can be planned within the This is logically as it is the investment that every-
budget the employer assign to each employee as an thing is built on it afterwards.
incentive: As mentioned before, the budget or the
incentive amount assigned from employers per em- The study
ployee as an incentive for applying the corporate
wellness program has reached $521 on average in This section involves a study investigating the view
2013 and increased to reach $594 in 2014(The Ex- of employees concerning the use of wellness tourism
perts, 2014; Fidelity Investments, 2014). within the corporate wellness programs offered to
The price for a 5days/4nights package in some them by their employers.
wellness resort is $480 per person in a double room.
which fits to the budget range perfectly including: Methodology
accommodation; 15 optional fitness classes ; three
healthy cuisine meals daily; snacks and beverages; A survey has been conducted to investigate the opin-
use of resort facilities; weight training and informa- ion of different employees about using wellness tour-
tive evening programs. This price gets even lower off ism packages on behalf of their employers as a meth-
season and they offer special discounts on groups of od for introducing employees to wellness practices
eight persons or more (Auvil, 2014; The Oaks, 2014). and encouraging them to switch to a healthier life-
Putting into consideration that travel agencies and style.
tour operators can even get better deals and prices as Businesses were divided into four main fields
they need to fit all the wellness and tourist services according to the 2007 NAICS (Mattke et al., 2013,
agreed upon in the package within the assigned p.7): heavy industry such as agriculture, mining, con-
budget.In addition, it has been mentioned before that struction and manufacturing; trade such as retail trade
employers are ready to invest even more money on and warehousing; service such as information, fi-
their employee’s wellness if the incentive used and nance, health and education; and finally public ad-
the wellness program implemented really works and ministration such as governmental institutions.
helps in reducing the overall health care costs. In addition, the firms were classified according
Thus, according to the available information, it is to their size, depending on the number of employees,
possible to have a vision about the budget range into five categories (Mattkeet al., 2013, p.8) firms
needed for each employee in each of the wellness including from 50 to less than 100 employees, firms
trips or phases mentioned previously. from 100 to less than 1000 employees, firms from
First: The introductory phase: It can be some- 1000 to less than 10, 000, firms from 10,000 to less
thing like the 5days/4nights package mentioned than 50,000 and firms including 50,000 or more em-
above. Duration can be even extended to a week in- ployees. Very small firms having less than 50 em-
 American Journal of Tourism Research 63

ployees were excluded as it is assumed that most of questionnaire. Telephone calls were made to follow
them probably would not have a sufficient budget up the process.
that can be specified for offering their employees The questionnaire was initially distributed on
paid wellness tourism vacations. five firms from each of the designated business fields
representing the five different sizes of firms accord-
The survey method ing to the number of employees.Thus, the total was
10 firms: 5 from the service field and 5 from the trade
A questionnaire was designed to explore the employ- field.
ees’ view concerning using paid wellness vacation as Only the employees of four institutions responded:
a part of the corporate wellness program offered to two from the trade field and two from the service
them by their employers or firms. field.
It investigated the wellness services that they Concerning the trade firms: the first one is a fa-
would be interested in and if they would be motivated mous hyper-market in the United States with more
to continue practicing the healthy lifestyle techniques than 50,000 employees and the second one is a big
they have experienced after returning from the well- warehousing company in the USA with a range of
ness vacation. Additionally, the questionnaire asked employees from 1000 to less than 10,000.Regarding
about the employees’ opinion regarding whether re- the service firms: the first one is a worldwide well-
ceiving such vacations on a periodic basis is consid- known American medical center with a range of em-
ered useful or not as a motivator to keep on the ployees from 10,000 to less than 50,000 and the sec-
healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, it inquired about ond one is a recognized college in the USA with a
whether the firm already has a corporate wellness range of employees from 100 to less than 1000.
strategy, the wellness programs included and the in- In-person follow-up visits were done to these
centives offered to employees if any. Finally, it ex- specific institutions to make sure that the number of
amined the employees’ preferences among the fol- employees participating in this study, from each firm,
lowing cash equivalent incentives to maintain well- is not less than (30) employees to secure the mini-
ness: discounted gym membership, paid healthy life- mum accepted sample number, according to statisti-
style workshop, paid wellness vacation or free mas- cal theories, in order to reach an acceptable level of
sage. precision (Bouma & Akinson, 1997).
To assess the questionnaire before using it as the Thus, the final sample participating in this re-
survey instrument for the study, it was distributed on search encompasses(120) employees: (30) employees
a random sample of five employees to examine its from a hyper-market including more than 50,000
easiness and efficiency. The five employees con- employees and (30) employees from a warehouse
firmed its simplicity. with a range of employees from 1000 to less than
10,000 both representing the trade industry. In addi-
The Sample and Data collection tion (30) employees from a medical center with a
range of employees from 10,000 to less than 50,000
It was chosen to distribute the questionnaire on firms and (30) employees from a college with a range of
representing two fields from the four business catego- 100 to less than 1000 employees both representing
ries mentioned above: the trade field and the service the service field.
field. Furthermore, to verify that the sample repre- In the data analysis section, the hyper-market
sents the different sizes of the business firms, it was will be referred to as firm one, the warehouse will be
chosen to distribute the questionnaire on companies referred to as firm two, the medical center firm three
of various sizes according to the number of employ- and the college firm four.
ees working in each of them. Hence, the employees
representing the sample of this study were assigned Data analysis
according to the business field of their firms and the
firms’ size. Results revealed that three firms apply a wellness
A management staff member from each firm was strategy: firm one and firm two from the trade field
met in person first to explain to him the objectives and firm three from the service field. These firms are
behind the study and take permission to distribute the big in size according to their number of employees as
questionnaire among the firm’s employees and take they range from 1000 to more than 50,000 employ-
their opinions. After taking the approval to carry out ees.
the survey in the firm, hard copies of the question- The wellness strategy applied in the three firms
naire were left at each firm for the employees to fill is almost the same as they all require regular bio-
out. Duration of three weeks was given to fill out the metric screening from their employees. If the screen-
ing shows a risk in certain health area the employee
64 H. M. Hamed

is required to enroll in a health management program Regarding the employees’ preferences to the
that addresses the health risk. If this enrollment wellness services they would be interested in practic-
doesn’t happen or no effective results have been ing during the wellness vacation, These services can
reached, the three firms apply the same incentive be ranked according to the mean value as follows: the
policy which depends on penalizing the employee be physical fitness takes the first rank with a mean value
raising his health care premium, especially on em- (19.25), stress management takes the second rank
ployees who smoke. with mean value (18.75), proper nutrition is the third
The vast majority of the employees taking part in this (16.75), then comes weight management (12.75),
study (90.8%) from the four firms are ready and will- yoga (8), meditation (7.5), spa (6.5) and smoking
ing to participate in wellness tourism vacations if it cessation (4.5) consecutively. It is very obvious the
would be used within corporate wellness strategy. In employees’ preferences to the wellness services di-
firm one 73.3% of employees indicated that they rectly related to lifestyle management more than the
strongly agree with the idea and 26.7% said they ordinary wellness services that can be related more to
agree. In firm two 86.7% strongly agree, 10% agree luxury. It is also obvious that stress is really a serious
and 3.3% have a neutral opinion. In firm three 70% issue in everyone’s life these days as most of the em-
strongly agree and 30% agree and firm four: 40% ployees agreed on their need to learn the techniques
strongly agree, 26.7% agree, 23.3% are not sure and that can help them manage stress, beside their need to
6.7% disagree. be physically active.

35

30

25

20

15 Firm One
Firm Two
10
Firm Three
5
Firm Four
0

Figure 1.The employees’ preferences regarding wellness services

The vast majority of the sample, (92.5%) from the Most of the participants in the study (89.2%)
four firms, are willing to continue practicing the from the four firms see the importance of having such
healthy lifestyle and healthy techniques they would vacations on a periodic basis to be always motivated
learn during the wellness vacation after returning to to maintain the healthy lifestyle. In firm one:56.7%
attain the health goal. In firm one 53.3% strongly strongly agree with the idea, 16.7% agree and 6.7%
agree with this and 46.7% agree. Firm two: 66.7% are not sure. Firm two: 70% strongly agree, 23.3%
strongly agree, 26.7% agree and 6.7% are not sure. agree and 6.7% are not sure. Firm three: 70% strong-
Firm three: 56.7% strongly agree and 43.3% agree. ly agree and 30% agree and firm four: 40% strongly
Firm four: 40% strongly agree, 36.7% agree, 16.7% agree, 30% agree, 23.3% are not sure and 6.7% disa-
are not sure and 6.7% disagree. gree.
 American Journal of Tourism Research 65

Most of the employees in the sample (70%) pre- employees in firm one prefer the wellness vacation,
fer receiving the wellness vacation as an incentive. 26.7% choose a discounted gym membership and
Secondly comes the discounted gym membership 6.7% prefer a paid healthy lifestyle workshop. In firm
with (22.5%) choosing it. A paid healthy lifestyle two 83.3% prefer the wellness vacation, 16.7% a dis-
workshop comes in the third rank with (5.8%) choos- counted gym membership and 6.7% a paid workshop.
ing it and a free massage comes at the last rank with In firm three, 80% choose the wellness vacation and
(1.7%) choosing it. This shows the employees’ pref- 20% the discounted gym membership. In Firm four:
erence to wellness services and incentives that can 50% prefer the wellness vacation, 26.7% prefer the
help them achieve this goal rather than luxury short discounted gym membership, 16.7% the workshop
methods. More details regarding each firm: 66.7% and 6.7% prefer a free massage.

5.80% 1.70%

22.50% Wellness vacation

Discounted gym

70% Healthy lifestyle workshop

Free massage

Figure 2.The employees’ choices among cash equivalent incentives

Discussion tween the trade field and the service field with regard
to the employees’ opinions about applying wellness
Results in the data analysis section supports the idea vacations in the corporate wellness strategy and re-
that applying wellness tourism vacations within the garding their choices of the wellness services they
corporate wellness is considered to be an effective would prefer to practice within the wellness vacation.
way to introduce employees to the healthy lifestyle
methods and motivate them to live healthy.
Conclusion and implications
In addition, the results show that the employees want
live a healthy lifestyle. They only need the right
This study explained the advantages of involving
method to introduce them to wellness; and show
wellness tourism in the corporate wellness strategy. It
them the way to attain the health goal; and offer them
suggested four phases for using the wellness tourism
the time dedicated to practicing the proper techniques
vacation as a lifestyle management program and as
under the supervision of wellness specialists. Since,
an incentive. It recommended planning these vaca-
the wellness tourism vacation can provide them with
tions through travel companies and proposed certain
all that, therefore, they prefer it on other methods
steps to be followed for arranging and implementing
whether it is a wellness program integrated in the
the wellness tourism package. Furthermore, the study
corporate wellness strategy or an incentive. This rein-
explored the opinion of the employees about offering
forces the study’s main objective that aims at em-
them wellness tourism vacations within the corporate
bracing wellness tourism vacations by business em-
wellness program of their firms. The vast majority of
ployers as an essential component of the wellness
the employees participating in the study strongly
strategy that they offer to their employees.
agreed with the idea preferring the wellness tourism
Furthermore, the study reveals that there is no
vacation on other wellness programs and incentives
significant difference between the trade field and the
offered to them by their employers. Additionally, the
service field concerning the wellness strategy and the
study revealed the awareness of these employees
incentive currently used to influence employees to
concerning wellness as an ongoing process and a
attain the health goal. Also there is no difference be-
lifestyle for they preferred the wellness activities di-
66 H. M. Hamed

rectly related to the healthy lifestyle on the wellness Retrieved from: www.clevelandclinic.org/ wellnessre-
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beyond”. Retrieved from: www. Travelmarket-
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