Health & Wellness tourism

Associate Director

Jeff Dalley
jdalley@aut.ac.nz

 

NZTRI’s health and wellness tourism research programme area sets out to strengthen collaborative and interdisciplinary research projects that address the challenge and opportunities of the global resurgence in health and wellness related travel.

 

Arguably the oldest form of tourism, the sector’s unprecedented growth is being driven by travellers in search of a sense of ‘community’ and the pursuit of more healthy and sustainable lifestyles based upon a multi-dimensional holistic approach. These wellness tourists are characterised as self-aware, active seekers of enhanced wellbeing, health and contentment, whose needs vary widely according to life-style and life-stage. 

 

Our approach reflects the diverse and holistic nature of health and wellness tourism through involvement in a broad but inter-related range of research interests at industry, community and enterprise levels.

 

Areas of interest include: 

  • Spa tourism
  • Pilgrimage
  • Spiritual & New Age tourism
  • Medical tourism
  • ‘Slow’ tourism
  • Cycle tourism
  • Wellness destinations
  • The Experiential Traveller
  • Small town tourism
  • Wine & food tourism