International Journal of Spa and Wellness

ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rspa20

Wellness tourism: a bibliometric analysis during

1998–2021

Syed Ahamed Suban

To cite this article: Syed Ahamed Suban (2022): Wellness tourism: a bibliometric analysis during
1998–2021, International Journal of Spa and Wellness, DOI: 10.1080/24721735.2022.2107815

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/24721735.2022.2107815

Published online: 02 Aug 2022.

Submit your article to this journal

View related articles

View Crossmark data

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=rspa20
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPA AND WELLNESS
https://doi.org/10.1080/24721735.2022.2107815

Wellness tourism: a bibliometric analysis during 1998–2021

Syed Ahamed Suban
Master of Business Administration, IFIM College, Bangalore, India

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

The objective of this research is to determine the present condition Received 31 December 2021
by investigating the literature using bibliometric analysis to Accepted 26 July 2022
categorise the field structure on wellness tourism between 1998
KEYWORDS
and 2021 and the topic was searched in the database of Bibliometric analysis;
“Scopus”. During the initial search, 414 documents were obtained wellness; citations; co-
in total which was later refined as per the criteria. Using this occurrence; Vos viewer
strategy, we discovered 386 records, and after removing four
duplicates and one irrelevant document, the refining gave 381
related papers. We found 2 studies that gather more than 238
“Scopus” citations and a total of ten studies have contributed for
1414 citations. A total of 804 authors who published articles
related to wellness tourism between 1998 and 2021, and smith
m, Voigt C, and Puczkó l are the most influential authors based
on citations. The visualisation of similarities Viewer`s co-citation of
authors analysis has revealed that the predominant co-cited
authors are smith, m. Puczko, l, Kelly, C, Voigt, C, Uysal, M. as per
Scopus co-citation count. It is one of the latest forms of
alternative tourism which requires further research.

Introduction
Tourism of wellness is a wide term that incorporates treatment and the prevention of ill-
nesses (Becková & Kantorová, 2021; Clarke et al., 2018; Dryglas, 2020; Hartwell et al., 2016;
Smith & Dryglas, 2020). According to Dunn (1959) Health is characterised by the presence
of meaning in life, and enjoyment, rather than the absence of sickness and stress and
Wellness is a comprehensive concept that encompasses the dimensions of mind, spirit,
environment, and body. It has long been linked to good health and illness prevention
(Chen et al., 2014; Dillette et al., 2021). According to Chen et al. (2013), wellness
evolved into “a form of self-discovery lifestyle in a period of heightened stress, and is con-
sidered a comprehensive philosophy, enabling both long-term enjoyment and temporary
happiness”. It combines physical activity with mental rest and intellectual stimulation to
improve well-being through a body–mind-spirit balance (Rodrigues et al., 2010). Wellness
consumers take natural supplements such as vitamins and minerals to manage stress,
enhance health, and relieve pain (Gonzales et al., 2001; Sayili et al., 2007; Smith & Kelly,
2006; Smith & Puczkó, 2008; Stănciulescu et al., 2015).

CONTACT Syed Ahamed Suban syedahamedsuban@gmail.com Master of Business Administration, IFIM College,
Bangalore, India
© 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
2 S. A. SUBAN

The rising desire for wellbeing has supported the global tourism sector in encouraging
individuals to travel overseas to enhance their health and well-being (Bushell, 2009;
Bushell & Sheldon, 2009; Chen et al., 2014; Sheldon & Bushell, 2009). Wellness tourism
is gaining popularity both at national and global levels (Sopha et al., 2019) and consumers
from across the world who want to better their lives (Stara & Peterson, 2017). It is expected
to increase at a rate of 5-10% every year (Rodrigues et al., 2020), because of growing
public awareness of health issues (Voigt & Pforr, 2013) travelling internationally for
medical treatment combines tourism and well-being. In 2017, this industry was valued
at $639 billion, and it is anticipated to rise to $919 billion by 2022 (Global Wellness Insti-
tute, 2021). This sector caters to a diverse group of people, goods, and destinations (Kelly,
2012). The rapidly expanding wellness industry focuses on health maintenance, preven-
tion of sickness, and it appeals to healthy individuals of all ages (Brown, 2006). The
Global Wellness Institute (2021) defines it as the lifestyles that contribute to holistic
health, choices, and active pursuit of activities.
Wellness tourism is a fast-growing niche product that is becoming popular when com-
bined with other more traditional tourist options (Kulczycki & Lück, 2009; Á. Rodrigues
et al., 2010). This market, particularly among Asian destinations, has recently become
increasingly competitive (Chen et al., 2013; Chen et al., 2014; Damijanić, 2020; Feng
et al., 2021; Han et al., 2018; Huang & Xu, 2014; Medina-Muñoz & Medina-Muñoz, 2013;
Pan et al., 2019; Telej & Gamble, 2019; Wang et al., 2020). It’s a growing tourism
segment that includes individual or group travel to specialised destinations and resorts
for mental and mental well-being (Kazakov & Oyner, 2021). Although there is still a lack
of agreement in the literature when it comes to defining wellness tourism, (Joppe,
2010; Mueller & Kaufmann, 2001; Smith & Puczkó, 2008). According to (Bushell, 2009;
Bushell & Sheldon, 2009; Sheldon & Bushell, 2009), “Mind, Body, Spirit, and Place: Wellness
and Tourism.” It is the total of all the interactions, occurrences that arise as a result of
travel and stay by individuals whose prime objective is to sustain their wealth (Lim
et al., 2016). It combines wellness culture, environmental factors, and tourism resources
(Pan et al., 2019). It is regarded as a complete method of transportation that integrates
the desire for aesthetics, physical health awareness rising, relationships, spiritual sensibil-
ity, and also religion (Steiner & Reisinger, 2006). It is aimed at healthy people who are com-
mitted to improving and preserving their health (Stara & Peterson, 2017) and the
treatment forms are based on locations (Meera & Vinodan, 2019). Spas and health
centres have long been connected with wellness recreation (Kulczycki & Lück, 2009).
This tourist business has grown in both volume and value with the rising demand for
health and wellness products (Magdalini & Paris, 2009). The locations which are related to
Yoga, spa, therapy, health, Ayurveda, along with spiritual touch are high in demand (Karn
& Swain, 2017). Despite the rising popularity of wellness tourism, research on its current
state is inadequate. In comparison to health tourism, wellness tourism research is scarce
(Meera & Vinodan, 2019). It is still in its early stages, and the exploration is to establish the
scientific foundation of wellness (Tuzunkan, 2018) and it is important to research wellness
travel (Budiawan et al., 2020). However, there is still much to be learned about the factors
that influence and shape effective wellness destinations (Hartwell et al., 2016). Future
study might look at the factors that influence the expansion of wellness tourism
(Kazakov & Oyner, 2021). Given these data, it is evident that researchers should investigate
more into this concept, which is still a comparatively new concept. This research seeks to
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPA AND WELLNESS 3

analyze the current state of the field by reviewing global literature using a bibliometric
approach based on performance analysis and science mapping, as well as to guide pro-
spective scholars interested in the field for all of the publications published between 1998
and September 06th, 2021. The current study has identified the publication pattern, most
cited documents, main contributors to wellness tourism, productive countries, author`s
affiliation, popular keywords and its cooccurrence.

Review of literature
Tourists are typically drawn to beautiful natural settings, alternative wellness services, and
unique cultures (Bushell, 2009; Chen et al., 2014; Chen et al., 2015; Csapó & Marton, 2017;
Daleva & Stoyanova, 2017; Dillette et al., 2021; Majeed & Ramkissoon, 2020; Page et al.,
2017; Pan et al., 2019). A restricted perspective of individual well-being involves equating
health with wellbeing and neglecting mental, social factors and psychological (Karn &
Swain, 2017). Wellness, on the other hand, is a more personal, healthy lifestyle, and
relates to a person’s self-control (Grénman & Räikkönen, 2015). Spiritual health and
Fashion were found to be major determinants of a person’s inclination to participate in
tourism of wellness (Tuzunkan, 2018). Tri Hita Karana’s implications, which highlight
life’s harmony, might help patients relax and enhance their physical health (Budiawan
et al., 2020). The wellness tourism industry in Thailand focuses on health and wellness
and they ensure global standards (Sopha et al., 2019). Spa, meditation, healthy eating,
yoga, and athletic activities are all examples of wellness activities offered by hotels (Bhu-
miwat & Ashton, 2020). It helps people get out into nature and appreciate the rural land-
scape and natural beauty, enhance their health, nurture physical fitness, and efficiently
manage their psychological stress (Feng et al., 2021). The major concern about the
impacts of wellness tourism is that visitors are susceptible to certain illnesses, such as
life-threatening or fatal illnesses (Wang et al., 2020). Alternative medicine methods
such as Kalarichikilsa are popular among wellness travellers because they suit their phys-
ical, and personal well-being expectations (Meera & Vinodan, 2019). Participation in
health and wellbeing was a substantial predictor of behavioural intention (Hudson
et al., 2017). The perceived value and satisfaction level of visitors are determined by
the facility, services supplied, location and atmosphere, service experience, and human
feelings (Sotiriadis et al., 2016). Body massage, Yoga, acupuncture, baths, thermal swim-
ming pool, and cosmetic treatments are related to wellness tourism activities (Mueller &
Kaufmann, 2001; Page et al., 2017). People try to go to places with a wide range of thera-
peutic landscapes to improvise their well-being and the pandemic has affected previously
held health and wellness beliefs(Majeed & Ramkissoon, 2020). Outdoor and adventurous
activities, as well as tourism, can help people stay happy and healthy (Kulczycki & Lück,
2009). According to Huang and Xu (2014) the essential activities for wellness tourism in
Bama include doing mild exercise in nature, being in nature, and eating healthy food.
Tourists’ behavioural intentions and motivation in visiting wellness tourism places can
be evaluated via Relaxation, prestige, and self-development (Hashim et al., 2019; Kim
et al., 2017).
Bathers visit hot springs for various reasons, like relaxation, escape, reconnecting with
nature, and taking time off (Clark-Kennedy & Cohen, 2017). Basic wellbeing, intangible
and extra wellness were used to categorise motivation aspects associated with a wellness
4 S. A. SUBAN

tourism product (Damijanić, 2020). Wellness tourism contributes to the stigmatisation of

cancer tourists (Wang et al., 2020) studied the negative aspects of wellness, notably the
stigmatisation of travellers suffering from deadly conditions. As per Chen et al. (2008),
the top four reasons for visiting a wellness location are relaxation, numerous activities,
leisure, and appreciating nature. When travelling on vacation, travellers have a variety
of wellness activities to select from (Bhumiwat & Ashton, 2020), for example, Spa (Rodri-
gues et al., 2020), Yoga (Telej & Gamble, 2019), Therapy (Clark-Kennedy & Cohen, 2017;
Huang & Xu, 2018), Stress (Hudson et al., 2017), Spirituality (Nicolaides & Grobler, 2017),
Hiking (Á. Rodrigues et al., 2010). Countries like India, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Singapore
have quickly increased wellness spa tourism (Han et al., 2018). Czech Republic spas are
distinctive in terms of their scope, natural resources, and therapeutic processes
(Becková & Kantorová, 2021). Quality spa experiences have always relied on cleanliness
and sanitation (Smith & Dryglas, 2020). Product performance, emotional experiences,
and contentment were all shown to be substantially related to destination loyalty, and
these characteristics contributed to the success of wellness spa tourism (Becková & Kan-
torová, 2021; Budiawan et al., 2020; Dryglas, 2020; Strack & Raffay-Danyi, 2020) and con-
nected to the development of spa experience innovations (Sotiriadis et al., 2016), mineral
and thermal spa satisfaction (Rodrigues et al., 2020), elements that influence the incli-
nation to return to a spa (Hashemi et al., 2015) and similar studies by (Becková & Kantor-
ová, 2021; Budiawan et al., 2020; Csapó & Marton, 2017; Daleva & Stoyanova, 2017;
Dryglas, 2020; Hashim et al., 2019; Joppe, 2010; Sharma & Nayak, 2018; Stănciulescu
et al., 2015; Strack & Raffay-Danyi, 2020; Wang et al., 2020). Yoga is commonly regarded
as a means of reducing stress, improving breathing, increasing strength, and increasing
flexibility (Cheer et al., 2017a, 2017b; Lehto et al., 2006). Understanding the emotional
reactions evoked by visitors visiting a yoga tourism site is critical due to the specific
emotional responses elicited by such a destination (Sharma & Nayak, 2018).

Bibliometric analysis in tourisms

Bibliometrics is a method for analyzing how disciplines change through time-based on
their intellectual structure (Zupic & Čater, 2015) and allow for the examination of con-
̇
cepts, and identification of patterns in a field’s study (Güzeller & ÇeliKer, 2018). It uses
representative summaries of the existing literature to analyse and classify bibliographic
material (Donthu et al., 2021a, 2021b; Donthu et al., 2020a, 2020b; Suban et al., 2021).
It serves as a roadmap for future studies by new researchers (Mavric et al., 2021). Biblio-
metric analysis is used by academics for many reasons (Donthu et al., 2021c; Donthu et al.,
2021c, 2021b; Donthu et al., 2021d, 2021e; Donthu et al., 2021f; Khan et al., 2021; Kumar
et al., 2021; Sigala et al., 2021). Due to the ongoing expansion of tourism literature, bib-
liometric analysis is important in tourism studies to consolidate information (Michael Hall,
2011).
In the tourism literature, bibliometrics is most commonly used to assess journals and
those who publish for them (Michael Hall, 2011). The first research in this field is to
provide critical analysis and recommendations for the development of theory by Koseo-
glu et al. (2016). Bibliometric methods have been used to provide light on methodologies,
intellectual structure, prolific and prominent academics and/or institutions, the geo-
graphic region of various disciplines, the knowledge domain by year, particular study
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPA AND WELLNESS 5

subjects within disciplines, and the level of maturity of issues in a variety of studies (Cheng
et al., 2018; Della Corte et al., 2019; Evren & Kozak, 2014; Garrigos-Simon et al., 2019;
̇
Güzeller & ÇeliKer, 2018; Johnson & Samakovlis, 2019; Koseoglu et al., 2016; Leong
et al., 2020; Li et al., 2020; López-Bonilla & López-Bonilla, 2021; Mavric et al., 2021;
Merigó et al., 2020; Mulet-Forteza et al., 2018; Nusair et al., 2019; Ruhanen et al., 2015;
Santos et al., 2020; Sharma et al., 2021; Sigala et al., 2021; Suban, 2022). The research
on halal and Islamic tourism conducted by (Suban et al., 2021) has used Scopus data
for descriptive and science mapping analysis. Tourism Recreation Study was the most
prolific contributor to the field’s works (Mavric et al., 2021; Sharma et al., 2021). A biblio-
metric study is being conducted to enhance sustainable tourism and its linkages with
marketing operations (Della Corte et al., 2019) and similar studies by (Cavalcante et al.,
2021; Moyle et al., 2020; Niñerola et al., 2019; Ruhanen et al., 2015; Santos et al., 2020).
Through bibliometric analysis, identified the interesting study themes and investigated
the research deficit in gastronomical social entrepreneurship applications (Celebi et al.,
2020). Between 2002 and 2016, there were 439 scholarly social media publications
printed in 51 tourism and hospitality papers (Nusair et al., 2019). Bibliometric study
reveals the current top 100 cited papers in health tourism based on evidence-based
and cumulative information (Çoban et al., 2020). A paper by de la Hoz-Correa (2018)
has evaluated the medical tourism research between 1931–2016 from the longitudinal
viewpoint. An analysis on the evolution of policy thinking in health tourism (Virani
et al., 2019).

Method
Performance analysis and science mapping
This study includes science mapping and performance analysis. Performance analysis is a
descriptive technique that is commonly used in reviews to describe the different attri-
butes of study(Donthu et al., 2021, 2021; Donthu et al., 2021e; Donthu et al., 2021g,
2021f; Donthu et al., 2021a, 2021b, 2021c; Donthu et al., 2020b; Donthu et al., 2021a;
Donthu et al., 2021c, 2021b; Donthu et al., 2021d; Kumar et al., 2021; Sigala et al., 2021;
Suban, 2022). Our descriptive analyses include citation analysis, publication by year,
author, country, and affiliation. The keyword analysis under science mapping is part of
our research (Donthu et al., 2020; Donthu et al., 2020b, 2020a; Donthu et al., 2021a;
Donthu et al., 2021a; Donthu et al., 2021c; Donthu et al., 2021e). Visualisation software
such as visualisation of similarities viewer is frequently used in conjunction with biblio-
metric analysis (Donthu et al., 2021a). The frequency with which authors’ keywords
appear together suggests which authors’ keywords are the most popular (Leong et al.,
2020).

Keywords identification
The following Boolean string was used in the initial search to find articles that included
wellness tourism in their titles, keywords, or keywords.: “Wellness tourism” OR “Wellness”
AND “Tourism” OR “Spa” AND “Wellness” OR “Yoga” AND “Wellness” OR “Spa tourism” OR
“Wellness traveler” OR “Wellness tourist” OR “Spirituality” AND “Tourism” OR “Therapy”
6 S. A. SUBAN

AND “Tourism” in Scopus database. These keywords were used as a search item in the title
section of articles to find more accurate articles to meet the research’s objectives.

Initial search
Only publications published between 1998 and September 06th, 2021 were taken into
consideration when we searched the Scopus database for bibliographic data on Wellness
tourism on September 06th, 2021 at 07.30 PM. During the first search, 414 papers were
retrieved, which were subsequently narrowed using the criteria specified in the sections
below. Our Scopus searches were limited to the English language. Scopus is the largest,
most structured, and well-organised database, and it is commonly used for quantitative
studies (Donthu, Reinartz, Kumar, et al., 2021b; Johnson & Samakovlis, 2019; Niñerola
et al., 2019; Santos et al., 2020; Sharma et al., 2021). Scopus found 386 English documents
as a result of this.

Inclusion and exclusion

There are 283 articles, 47 book chapters, 27 conference papers, 17 reviews, and 12 books
in all, with 375 final papers and 11 articles under production. Editorials, letters, notes, and
papers written in German, Polish, Russian, Chinese, Greek, Croatian, Hungarian, Italian,
Japanese, Moldavian, Moldovan, Romanian, Slovenian, and Turkish are all excluded
from the initial results. This technique revealed 381 linked documents published
between 1998 and 2021 after removing four duplicates and one irrelevant document.
These papers are referred to as publications, works, documents, or simply articles
throughout our later discussion.

Results and discussion

Citation analysis
Table 1 lists the most cited works according to the Scopus database and, more specifically,
One paper by (Napier et al., 2014) studied Migrations, both planned and unplanned, social
behaviours, and new disease vectors are changing the way people think about health and
happiness. This article has 292 citations with an average of 36.5 cites per year, a second
paper by (Mueller & Kaufmann, 2001), titled “Wellness tourism: Market analysis of a
special health tourism segment and implications for the hotel industry.” According to
the authors, ordinary three- to five-star hotels have complete wellness facilities. As a
result, wellness hotels should focus on health information, personalised treatment, and a
diverse range of cultural and relaxing activities and this paper has received 238 citations.
An article titled “Health and Wellness Benefits of Travel Experiences: A Literature Review”
contributed by (Chen & Petrick, 2013) has obtained 135 citations. The article by (Hall,
2011) has received 124 cites and it has identified the relationship between “Wellness and
wellbeing tourism, dental tourism, stem-cell tourism, transplant tourism, abortion
tourism, and xeno-tourism.” The publication with 120 citations, was published by Smith
and Puczkó (2008), and it has studied many motives that drive this varied group of visitors,
as well as the goods that are being produced to fulfil their demands and the management
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPA AND WELLNESS 7

Table 1. Most Cited Authors.

Year Author Title Source TC C/Y
2014 Napier A.D., Ancarno C., Butler Culture and health The Lancet 292 36.5
B., Calabrese J., Chater A.,
Chatterjee H., Guesnet F.,
Horne R., Jacyna S., Jadhav S.,
Macdonald A., Neuendorf U.,
Parkhurst A., Reynolds R.,
Scambler G., Shamdasani S.,
Smith S.Z., Stougaard-Nielsen
J., Thomson L., Tyler N.,
Volkmann A.-M., Walker T.,
Watson J., De Williams A.C.C.,
Willott C., Wilson J., Woolf K.
2001 Mueller H., Kaufmann E.L. Wellness tourism: Market Journal of Vacation 238 11.33333
analysis of a special health Marketing
tourism segment and
implications for the hotel
industry
2013 Chen C.-C., Petrick J.F. Health and Wellness Benefits of Journal of Travel 135 15
Travel Experiences: A Research
Literature Review
2011 Hall C.M. Health and medical tourism: A Tourism Review 124 11.27273
kill or cure for global public
health?
2008 Smith M., Puczkó L. Health and wellness tourism Health and Wellness 120 8.571429
Tourism
2009 Erfurt-Cooper P., Cooper M. Health and wellness tourism: Health and Wellness 113 8.692308
Spas and hot springs Tourism: Spas and
Hot Springs
2011 Voigt C., Brown G., Howat G. Wellness tourists: In search of Tourism Review 107 9.727273
transformation
2009 Mak A.H.N., Wong K.K.F., Chang Health or self-indulgence? The International 104 8
R.C.Y. motivations and characteristics Journal of
of spa-goers Tourism Research
2021 Wen J., Kozak M., Yang S., Liu F. COVID-19: potential effects on Tourism Review 103 103
Chinese citizens’ lifestyle and
travel
2013 Chen K.-H., Liu H.-H., Chang F.-H. Essential customer service International 78 8.666667
factors and the segmentation Journal of
of older visitors within Hospitality
wellness tourism based on hot Management
springs hotels
TC: Total Citations; C/Y: Citations Per Year

implications of these advances. The publications with more than a hundred cites are (Mak
et al., 2009; Voigt et al., 2011; Wen et al., 2021)and a study of visitors to hot springs to verify
the services offered as part of wellness tourism authored by (Chen et al., 2013) has received
78 citations. We anticipate a rise in citations shortly, given the field’s rapid growth.

Publication by year
Figure 1 portrays the publication status on wellness tourism between 1998 and Septem-
ber 06, 2021. The first publications were published in 1998, and they were authored by
(Spivack, 1998). In the years 1999, 2003, and 2004, no papers were published. In 2006,
researchers began to pay attention to wellness tourism, and by 2010, there were
twenty-four publications. In 2015, there were 31 articles, and in 2017, there were 42 pub-
lications. From 2019 onwards, we noticed a clear rising trend in the number of articles. As
8 S. A. SUBAN

Figure 1. Year Wise distribution of publications.

per the findings of the study, the quantity of publications relating to wellness tourism has
risen dramatically over time. We are optimistic that the number of publications in 2021
will approach 50, since there are already 45 as of September 6, 2021.

Document by author
Figure 2 shows a list of authors who have published at least three publications on well-
ness tourism. 804 authors contributed 301 papers to the published collection. Sixty-
four authors published one paper, seventy authors wrote two articles, ten authors pub-
lished three articles, and ten authors authored four articles. DeMicco, F.J. published 7
articles, Smith, M. (6 articles), and Chang, F.H., Chen, K.H., and Lee, T.J. has published
five articles on wellness tourism.

Document by country
The most prolific nations in respect of wellness tourism articles are revealed in Figure 3.
For this aspect, only articles are written in English (381) were examined. The United States,
being one of the world’s main industrialised nations, came in first with 59 appearances,
followed by Australia (36), India (25), the United Kingdom (25), China (23), South Korea
(18), and Italy (18).

Author affiliation
Figure 4 shows studies on wellness tourism from various colleges and institutes through-
out the world. Our sample of 381 publications was written by researchers from 160 univer-
sities throughout the world, and the contributions of the first fifteen institutions to wellness
tourism are shown below. Researchers from the University of Delaware and Ita Suomen
Yliopisto published nine papers each, followed by Alfred Lerner College of Business and
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPA AND WELLNESS 9

Figure 2. Authors with the greatest production.

Economics with eight documents, Purdue University and Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific Univer-
sity with seven publications each, and Ching Mai University, Hong Kong Polytechnic Univer-
sity, Monash University, and Universidade de Aveiro with six articles each.

Trends of keyword
This segment seeks to discover the popular keywords used to categorise this paper. The
most often occurring themes in the subject may be determined based on this data. This
10 S. A. SUBAN

Figure 3. Country wise contributions.

analysis was performed using the author`s keywords. We found 1128 keywords in our
sample of 381 publications. Table 2 lists the top 20 keywords, together with their fre-
quency and occurrences, as well as overall link strengths and co-occurrences. The

Table 2. Authors keyword co-occurrence.

The top author keywords co-occurrence of WT-related publications
Rank Keyword Occurrences Total Link Strength
1 Wellness Tourism 83 65
2 Wellness 52 59
3 Tourism 38 30
4 Health Tourism 35 48
5 Medical Tourism 32 44
6 Well-being 14 15
7 Health and Wellness Tourism 13 5
8 Health 12 16
9 Spa 12 14
10 China 9 10
11 Healthcare 8 9
12 Satisfaction 8 10
13 Spa Tourism 8 15
14 Spas 8 12
15 India 7 8
16 Lifestyle 7 9
17 Motivation 7 8
18 Quality of life 7 11
19 Thailand 6 6
20 Yoga 6 8
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPA AND WELLNESS 11

Figure 4. Affiliations of the authors.

keywords “wellness tourism” and “wellness” were found 83 and 52 times, respectively,
with 65 and 59 total link strengths. Following that, the term “tourism” appeared 32
times, with 48 connections, while “health tourism” appeared 35 times.

Keyword co-occurrence
The keyword research looks at how the most common keywords are distributed, and the
analysis is based on keyword co-occurrence. The goal was to show the current state of the
art and trends in the major wellness tourism research fields. This research focuses on the
keywords of the authors that appear beneath the abstract. The number of publications in
which two keywords appear together is counted using this method. Visualisation of simi-
larities (VOS) viewer software discovered 1128 keywords from 381 wellness tourism-
related papers. Figure 5 depicts the important keywords as well as the size of the
nodes based on this information. The distinct clusters or groupings of keywords are
shown by the node colours. Figure 5 shows the existence of seventeen clusters based
on a two-occurrence threshold, which reflects the 179 terms with the most frequent
co-occurrences. The following were the most common terms that led the main clusters:
“wellness tourism” (Ash), “tourism” (light red), “wellness” (red), “health tourism”
(orange), “medical tourism” (sky blue), “well-being” (dark green), “health” (green),
“health and wellness tourism” (a dark sky blue), “spa” (blue), “China” (yellow), and
“India” (pink).
12 S. A. SUBAN

Figure 5. Co-occurrence network of author keywords.

Conclusions
This study conducts a bibliometric and visualisation analysis of the wellness tourism
industry through 2021. This research was conducted over 24 years (from 1998 to Septem-
ber 06, 2021), which covers the whole period of publishing in this field and allows for the
compilation of a comprehensive overview. There have been no earlier bibliometric studies
on wellness tourism research, therefore this is an essential addition to the article. We
found by searching publications in the Scopus database and the first article with this
title was authored by Spivack S.E. in 1998. However, since 2010, when the issue began
drawing researchers’ interest, there has been a major improvement in the publication
of scholarly articles connected to this topic. In 2010, it increased to twenty-four publi-
cations, and by 2015, it had grown to 31 papers and 42 documents. The United States
is the most producing country, with 59 papers, tailed by India, Australia, and the
United Kingdom. 804 authors published publications about WT between 1998 and
2021, with Smith M, Voigt C, and Puczkó l being the most cited reference authors in
the subject. We discovered nine studies with over 100 “Scopus” citations. “Culture and
Health,” which has been cited 392 times as of September 2021, is the most cited study.
The University of Delaware and Ita Suomen Yliopisto (both with nine articles) are the
most productive organisations, followed by “Alfred Lerner College of Business and Econ-
omics, Purdue University, and Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University.” DeMicco, F.J. (7
articles), Smith, M. (6 articles), and Chang, F.H., Chen, K.H., and Lee, T.J. each have five
articles on wellness tourism under their names. The keywords “wellness tourism” and
“wellness” were found 83 and 52 times, respectively, with 65 and 59 total link strengths.
Followed by “wellness”, “health tourism”, “medical tourism”, “well-being”, “health”,
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPA AND WELLNESS 13

“health and wellness tourism”, “spa”, “China”, and “India”. This is alternative tourism, and it
requires more study and smart tourist marketing to continue to expand and improve.
The insights from the bibliometric analyses offer answers to some precise topics. More-
over, scholars and researchers should give attention to those results before commencing
to study wellness tourism. These analyses can assist researchers in better understanding
the topic, to identify issues for further necessary investigation, the journals that mostly
addressed this specific field of study, as well as use it as reference for their new research.
From an academic point of view, the number of papers has increased over the years;
however, the wellness tourism topic requires further academic research, which will
allow researchers to get more significant insights into the topic.

Theoretical implications
From a scholarly standpoint, the bibliometric analysis conducted helps to provide some
answers to critical concerns that scholars should consider when researching wellness
and tourism. This study can aid researchers in comprehending and identifying new
trends in this discipline, as well as the terminology utilised, publications that primarily
handle these inquiries, and field reference studies. It provides an awareness of the sub-
ject’s relevance and, as a result, can serve as a basis for the development of future
tourism services and products. This is the first study to use a bibliometric method to fill
this knowledge gap, as it identifies the tools, journals, and, most crucially, conceptual sub-
domains such as Spa, Yoga, Therapy, Spirituality, and Trekking that will be significant in
future research.
There are two key purposes we believe performance analysis and science mapping
with bibliometric approaches serve: (a) to facilitate the quick understanding of a field’s
structure by new researchers and (b) to infuse rigour into traditional literature evaluations
with a quantitative component. However, new doctoral students need to be trained in the
technique. Some doctoral programmes already provide this, but further proliferation of
this practice is called for. This paper represents our effort to promote these methods
and provide a thorough introduction to bibliometric methods for researchers unfamiliar
with them. As a result, tourism researchers and professionals should take the current
findings as a starting point for future wellness tourism studies.

Managerial implications
Health and wellness tourism has been made possible by globalisation, and it is still
growing. This industry generates billions of dollars in revenue for participating countries
each year. There is a critical and urgent need to develop collaboration and connectivity
among ASEAN member nations to boost the wellness tourism industry in the ASEAN
region. Furthermore, the findings are of particular importance to scientists, as well as aca-
demics and policymakers, as well as individuals in research centres, and governments. We
encourage tourism enterprises to target travellers who are interested in health and well-
being. Managers should carefully craft their marketing strategies to attract global tourists
by offering opportunities for them to try new things, relax emotionally and physically, and
foster social growth. Healing treatments and practitioners who have been recognised for
their experience and skill must be accredited. Individual touristic firms are thus
14 S. A. SUBAN

encouraged, at the micro-level, to network and engage with other players in the territory
to improve the content of their unique value proposition. The key problem facing public
and private territorial stakeholders in the context of the wellness value system is coordi-
nating and integrating their offerings with those of others. The goal is to create a unified
set of components that fulfil the definition and expectations of holistic wellness and may
be used to create a value proposition for wellbeing. Another recommended practice is for
tour operators and incoming travel agents to provide integrated tourism packages that
are wellness-focused and holistic. Additionally, with attention to wellness becoming
more and more widespread, it is important for companies to expand their offerings to
be inclusive of a lower socio-economic bracket.

Limitations and future research

Despite the paper’s contributions, several drawbacks must be addressed, such as the
usage of a single database rather than several sources to access data. Although we
feel Scopus offers a vast number of papers that might be reflective of the whole,
we believe that using other databases gives wider coverage to the issue. In the well-
ness tourism literature, we did not include conference proceedings, Ph.D. theses, text-
books, or unpublished working papers. Moreover, we only looked at documents
written in English. Only the visualisation of similarities viewer was used to conduct
the analyses in this study. Other tools, such as Bibliometrix R, Bibexcel, Gephi,
Pajek, and UCINET, can be utilised in future investigations in addition to the visualisa-
tion of similarities viewer and additional keywords related to Wellness and health also
can be included in further research. On the demand side, future research paths should
be explored to evaluate consumer preferences for supplementary wellness tourism
items, and on the supply side, to analyze the unique qualities of wellness locations
(Dini & Pencarelli, 2021). The researchers can go for Clustering and bibliographic coup-
ling in their future studies. Future research might look into developments in territorial
brandings, such as Alpine Wellness and Nordic Wellbeing. The “smart” wellness desti-
nations that arise will be capable of achieving high-tech potential while also adding
social value and protecting the environment. Therefore, for professionals and aca-
demics interested in using wellness tourism, this bibliometric research might be a
good starting point.

Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes on contributor
Dr. Syed Ahamed S is an Associate Professor at IFIM College, Bangalore, India. Ph.D. in Marketing
with 20 years of strong academic and administrative experience. Board of Studies & Board of Exam-
ination member for leading Universities and Autonomous Colleges. Experienced in Design & Devel-
opment of curriculum and course content for MBA, PGDM & PGPM, expertise to prepare reports for
University Affiliation/ AICTE Approval, running complaints check, creating documents needed by
associated universities / AICTE, Contributing to National Accreditations like NBA, NAAC. Experienced
in Organising National, International Conferences, Workshops, Seminars, Industrial Visits, FDP &
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPA AND WELLNESS 15

Management Development Programmes, and international Immersion & Students Exchange

programmes.

ORCID
Syed Ahamed Suban http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3543-6483

References
Becková, H., & Kantorová, K. (2021). Wellness as a cure for the problems of Czech spas? International
Journal of Spa and Wellness, 4(1), 36–52. https://doi.org/10.1080/24721735.2021.1908077
Bhumiwat, A., & Ashton, A. S. (2020). Wellness tourism development in the hotel industry: Tourist
perspective. Journal of Tourism Quarterly, 2(3–4), 54–66.
Brown, G. (2006). Mapping landscape values and. Tourism, 113(November 2012), 101–113. https://
doi.org/10.1002/jtr
Budiawan, M., AryWidiastini, N. M., & Irwansyah, M. R. (2020). How Can wellness tourism be devel-
oped in buleleng regency? Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Management, 8(1), 59–68. https://
doi.org/10.15640/jthm.v8n1a6
Bushell, R. (2009). Quality of life, tourism, and wellness. Wellness and Tourism: Mind, Body, Spirit,
Place, 19–36.
Bushell, R., & Sheldon, P. J. (2009). Wellness tourism and the future. Wellness and Tourism: Mind, Body,
Spirit, Place, 218–230.
Cavalcante, W. Q. d. F., Coelho, A., & Bairrada, C. M. (2021). Sustainability and tourism marketing: A
bibliometric analysis of publications between 1997 and 2020 using vosviewer software.
Sustainability (Switzerland), 13(9), https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094987
Celebi, D., Pirnar, I., & Eris, E. D. (2020). Bibliometric analysis of social entrepreneurship in gas-
tronomy tourism. Tourism, 68(1), 58–67. https://doi.org/10.37741/T.68.1.5
Cheer, J. M., Belhassen, Y., & Kujawa, J. (2017a). Spiritual tourism: Entrée to the special issue. Tourism
Management Perspectives, 24, 186–187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2017.07.019
Cheer, J. M., Belhassen, Y., & Kujawa, J. (2017b). The search for spirituality in tourism: Toward a con-
ceptual framework for spiritual tourism. Tourism Management Perspectives, 24, 252–256. https://
doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2017.07.018
Chen, C. C., & Petrick, J. F. (2013). Health and wellness benefits of travel experiences: A literature
review. Journal of Travel Research, 52(6), 709–719. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287513496477
Chen, J. S., Prebensen, N., & Huan, T. C. (2008). Anatolia : An international journal of tourism and The
Mediterranean tourist milieu. An International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research, 37–41.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2008.9687056
Chen, K. H., Chang, F. H., & Kenny, C. W. (2013). Investigating the wellness tourism factors in hot
spring hotel customer service. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management,
25(7), 1092–1114. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-06-2012-0086
Chen, K. H., Chang, F. H., & Liu, F. Y. (2015). Wellness tourism among seniors in Taiwan: Previous
experience, service encounter expectations, organizational characteristics, employee character-
istics, and customer satisfaction. Sustainability (Switzerland), 7(8), 10576–10601. https://doi.org/
10.3390/su70810576
Chen, K.-H., Chang, F.-H., & Tung, K.-X. (2014). Measuring wellness-related lifestyles for local tourists
in Taiwan. Tourism Analysis, 19(3), 369–376. https://doi.org/10.3727/
108354214X14029467968682
Chen, K. H., Liu, H. H., & Chang, F. H. (2013). Essential customer service factors and the segmentation
of older visitors within wellness tourism based on hot springs hotels. International Journal of
Hospitality Management, 35, 122–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2013.05.013
Cheng, M., Edwards, D., Darcy, S., & Redfern, K. (2018). A Tri-method approach to a review of adven-
ture tourism literature: Bibliometric analysis, content analysis, and a quantitative systematic
16 S. A. SUBAN

literature review. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, 42(6), 997–1020. https://doi.org/10.
1177/1096348016640588
Clarke, A., Azara, I., & Michopoulou, E. (Elina) (2018). The vision and the mission of the international
journal of Spa and wellness. International Journal of Spa and Wellness, 1(1), 1–3. https://doi.org/10.
1080/24721735.2018.1438571
Clark-Kennedy, J., & Cohen, M. (2017). Indulgence or therapy? Exploring the characteristics, motiv-
ations and experiences of hot springs bathers in Victoria, Australia. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism
Research, 22(5), 501–511. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2016.1276946
Çoban, M., Öztürk, N., & Ekinci, E. (2020). A bibliyometric analysis of the 100 top-cited publications in
health tourism. International Journal of Health Management and Tourism, 5(3), 315–335. https://
doi.org/10.31201/ijhmt.790108
Csapó, J., & Marton, G. (2017). The role and importance of spa and wellness tourism in Hungary’s
tourism industry. Czech Journal of Tourism, 6(1), 55–68. https://doi.org/10.1515/cjot-2017-0003
Daleva, D., & Stoyanova, M. (2017). Forecasting of the volume of the SPA and wellness tourism
receipts in the south-west Bulgaria. Journal of Spatial and Organizational Dynamics, V(2), 83–99.
Damijanić, A. T. (2020). Travel motivations as criteria in the wellness tourism market segmentation
process. Academica Turistica, 13(2), 201–213. https://doi.org/10.26493/2335-4194.13.201-213
de la Hoz-Correa, A., Muñoz-Leiva, F., & Bakucz, M. (2018). Past themes and future trends in medical
tourism research: A co-word analysis. Tourism Management, 65, 200–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/
j.tourman.2017.10.001
Della Corte, V., Del Gaudio, G., Sepe, F., & Sciarelli, F. (2019). Sustainable tourism in the open inno-
vation realm: A bibliometric analysis. Sustainability (Switzerland), 11(21), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.
3390/su11216114
Dillette, A. K., Douglas, A. C., & Andrzejewski, C. (2021). Dimensions of holistic wellness as a result of
international wellness tourism experiences. Current Issues in Tourism, 24(6), 794–810. https://doi.
org/10.1080/13683500.2020.1746247
Dini, M., & Pencarelli, T. (2021). Wellness tourism and the components of its offer system: A holistic
perspective. Tourism Review, https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-08-2020-0373
Donthu, N., Badhotiya, G. K., Kumar, S., Soni, G., & Pandey, N. (2021a). A retrospective overview of
journal of enterprise information management using bibliometric analysis. Journal of Enterprise
Information Management. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670520977672
Donthu, N., Gremler, D. D., Kumar, S., & Pattnaik, D. (2020). Mapping of journal of service research
themes: A 22-year review. Journal of Service Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670520977672
Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021a). How to conduct a bibliometric
analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133(May), 285–296. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070
Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Pandey, N., & Gupta, P. (2021b). Forty years of the international journal of
information management: A bibliometric analysis. International Journal of Information
Management, 57, 102307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102307
Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Pandey, N., Pandey, N., & Mishra, A. (2021c). Mapping the electronic word-of-
mouth (eWOM) research: A systematic review and bibliometric analysis. Journal of Business
Research, 135, 758–773. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.10.039
Donthu, N., Kumar, S., & Pattnaik, D. (2020a). Forty-five years of journal of business research: A bib-
liometric analysis. Journal of Business Research, 109, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.
10.039
Donthu, N., Kumar, S., & Pattnaik, D. (2020b). Forty-five years of journal of business research: A bib-
liometric analysis. Journal of Business Research, 109(October 2019), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/
j.jbusres.2019.10.039
Donthu, N., Kumar, S., & Pattnaik, D. (2021a). Intellectual structure and publication pattern in inter-
national journal of advertising: A bibliometric analysis during 1982–2019. International Journal of
Advertising, 40(2), 148–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2020.1756655
Donthu, N., Kumar, S., & Pattnaik, D. (2021b). Intellectual structure and publication pattern in inter-
national journal of advertising: A bibliometric analysis during 1982–2019. International Journal of
Advertising, 40(2), 148–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2020.1756655
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPA AND WELLNESS 17

Donthu, N., Kumar, S., & Pattnaik, D. (2021c). The journal of consumer marketing at age 35: A retro-
spective overview. Journal of Consumer Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-06-2020-3876
Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Pattnaik, D., & Lim, W. M. (2021d). A bibliometric retrospection of marketing
from the lens of psychology: Insights from psychology & marketing. Psychology & Marketing, 38
(5), 834–865. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21472
Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Pattnaik, D., & Pandey, N. (2021e). A bibliometric review of international mar-
keting review (IMR): past, present, and future. International Marketing Review. https://doi.org/10.
1108/IMR-11-2020-0244
Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Ranaweera, C., Pattnaik, D., & Gustafsson, A. (2021f). Mapping of journal of
services marketing themes: A retrospective overview using bibliometric analysis. Journal of
Services Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-04-2020-0122
Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Ranaweera, C., Sigala, M., & Sureka, R. (2021g). Journal of service theory and
practice at age 30: Past, present and future contributions to service research. Journal of Service
Theory and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-10-2020-0233
Donthu, N., Reinartz, W., Kumar, S., & Pattnaik, D. (2021b). A retrospective review of the first 35 years
of the international journal of research in marketing. International Journal of Research in
Marketing, 38(1), 232–269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2020.10.006
Dryglas, D. (2020). Wellness as a new direction of development of Polish spa resorts. International
Journal of Spa and Wellness, 3(2–3), 69–81. https://doi.org/10.1080/24721735.2020.1857207
Dunn, H. L. (1959). High-level wellness for man and society. American Journal of Public Health, 49(6),
786–792. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.49.6.786
Evren, S., & Kozak, N. (2014). Bibliometric analysis of tourism and hospitality related articles pub-
lished in Turkey. Anatolia, 25(1), 61–80. https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2013.824906
Feng, C., Li, H., Feng, L., Yu, M., Zhang, H., Ma, Y., Yao, Y., Zhang, S., & Zhang, Z. (2021). Study on
current status, problems and countermeasures of countryside health and wellness tourism in
China. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 09(04), 212–221. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2021.94016
Garrigos-Simon, F. J., Narangajavana-Kaosiri, Y., & Narangajavana, Y. (2019). Quality in tourism litera-
ture: A bibliometric review. Sustainability (Switzerland), 11(14), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.3390/
su11143859
Global Wellness Institute. (2021). Wellness Tourism. https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/press-room/
statistics-and-facts/.
Gonzales, A., Brenzel, L., & Sancho, J. (2001). Health tourısm And related servıces: Carıbbean devel-
opment And internatıonal trade. Reginoal Negotiating Machinery, 211), http://cms2.caricom.org/
documents/10177-health_study.pdf.
Grénman, M., & Räikkönen, J. (2015). Well-being and wellness tourism – same, same but different?
Conceptual discussions and empirical evidence näkymä. Matkailututkimus, 11(1), 7–25. https://
journal.fi/matkailututkimus/article/view/90914/50027.
̇
Güzeller, C. O., & Celiker, N. (2018). Bibliometric analysis of tourism research for the period 2007-
2016. Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research, 6(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.30519/ahtr.
446248
Hall, C. M. (2011). Health and medical tourism: A kill or cure for global public health? Tourism Review,
66, 4–15. https://doi.org/10.1108/16605371111127198
Han, H., Kiatkawsin, K., Jung, H., & Kim, W. (2018). The role of wellness spa tourism performance in
building destination loyalty: The case of Thailand. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 35(5),
595–610. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2017.1376031
Hartwell, H., Fyall, A., Willis, C., Page, S., Ladkin, A., Hartwell, H., Fyall, A., Willis, C., Page, S., & Ladkin, A.
(2016). Current issues in tourism progress in tourism and destination wellbeing research. Current
Issues in Tourism, 0(0), 1–63. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2016.1223609
Hashemi, S. M., Jusoh, J., Kiumarsi, S., & Mohammadi, S. (2015). Influence factors of Spa and wellness
tourism on revisit intention: The mediating role of international tourist motivation and tourist sat-
isfaction. International Journal of Research - Granthaalayah, 3(7), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.29121/
granthaalayah.v3.i7.2015.2976
Hashim, N. A. A. N., Velayuthan, S. K., Yusoff, A. M., Awang, Z. B., & Safri, F. H. M. (2019). Validating the
measuring instrument for motivation factors towards visiting spa and wellness tourism
18 S. A. SUBAN

destinations in Kuala Lumpur. International Journal of Innovative Technology and Exploring

Engineering, 8(9 Special Issue), 1106–1108. https://doi.org/10.35940/ijitee.I1175.0789S19
Huang, L., & Xu, H. (2014). A cultural perspective of health and wellness tourism in China. Journal of
China Tourism Research, 10(4), 493–510. https://doi.org/10.1080/19388160.2014.951752
Huang, L., & Xu, H. (2018). Therapeutic landscapes and longevity: Wellness tourism in bama. Social
Science and Medicine, 197, 24–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.11.052
Hudson, S., Thal, K., Cárdenas, D., & Meng, F. (2017). Wellness tourism: Stress alleviation or indulging
healthful habits? International Journal of Culture, Tourism, and Hospitality Research, 11(1), 35–52.
https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCTHR-09-2015-0111
Johnson, A. G., & Samakovlis, I. (2019). A bibliometric analysis of knowledge development in smart
tourism research. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 10(4), 600–623. https://doi.org/
10.1108/JHTT-07-2018-0065
Joppe, M. (2010). One country’s transformation to spa destination: The case of Canada. Journal of
Hospitality and Tourism Management, 17(1), 117–126. https://doi.org/10.1375/jhtm.17.1.117
Karn, S., & Swain, S. K. (2017). Health consciousness through wellness tourism: A new dimension to
new age travelers’. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 6(3).
Kazakov, S., & Oyner, O. (2021). Wellness tourism: A perspective article. Tourism Review, 76(1), 58–63.
https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-05-2019-0154
Kelly, C. (2012). Wellness tourism: Retreat visitor motivations and experiences. Tourism Recreation
Research, 37(3), 205–213. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2012.11081709
Khan, M. A., Pattnaik, D., Ashraf, R., Ali, I., Kumar, S., & Donthu, N. (2021). Value of special issues in the
journal of business research: A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Business Research, 125, 295–313.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.12.015
Kim, E., Chiang, L. (., & Tang, L. (. (2017). Investigating wellness tourists’ motivation, engagement,
and loyalty: In search of the missing link. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 34(7), 867–
879. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2016.1261756
Koseoglu, M. A., Rahimi, R., Okumus, F., & Liu, J. (2016). Bibliometric studies in tourism. Annals of
Tourism Research, 61, 180–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2016.10.006
Kulczycki, C., & Lück, M. (2009). Outdoor adventure tourism and wellness. Wellness and Tourism:
Mind, Body, Spirit, Place, 165–176.
Kumar, S., Pandey, N., Lim, W. M., Chatterjee, A. N., & Pandey, N. (2021). What do we know about
transfer pricing? Insights from bibliometric analysis. Journal of Business Research, 134, 275–287.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.05.041
Lehto, X. Y., Brown, S., Chen, Y., & Morrison, A. M. (2006). Yoga tourism as a niche within the wellness
tourism market. Tourism Recreation Research, 31(1), 25–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.
2006.11081244
Leong, L. Y., Hew, T. S., Tan, G. W. H., Ooi, K. B., & Lee, V. H. (2020). Tourism research progress – a
bibliometric analysis of tourism review publications. Tourism Review, 76(1), 1–26. https://doi.
org/10.1108/TR-11-2019-0449
Li, M., Lehto, X., & Li, H. (2020). 40 years of family tourism research: Bibliometric analysis and remain-
ing issues. Journal of China Tourism Research, 16(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/19388160.2020.
1733337
Lim, Y. J., Kim, H. K., & Lee, T. J. (2016). Visitor motivational factors and level of satisfaction in wellness
tourism: Comparison between first-time visitors and repeat visitors. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism
Research, 21(2), 137–156. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2015.1029952
López-Bonilla, J. M., & López-Bonilla, L. M. (2021). Leading disciplines in tourism and hospitality
research: A bibliometric analysis in Spain. Current Issues in Tourism, 24(13), 1880–1896. https://
doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2020.1760221
Magdalini, V., & Paris, T. (2009). The wellness tourism market in Greece - An interdisciplinary meth-
odology approach. Tourismos, 4(4), 127–144. https://doi.org/10.26215/tourismos.v4i4.143
Majeed, S., & Ramkissoon, H. (2020). Health, wellness, and place attachment during and post health
pandemics. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(November), https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.573220
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPA AND WELLNESS 19

Mak, A. H. N., Wong, K. K. F., & Chang, R. C. Y. (2009). Health or self-indulgence? The motivations and
characteristics of spa-goers. International Journal of Tourism Research, 11(2), 185–199. https://doi.
org/10.1002/jtr.703
Mavric, B., Öğretmenoğlu, M., & Akova, O. (2021). Bibliometric analysis of slow tourism. Advances in
Hospitality and Tourism Research (AHTR), 9100, 157–178. https://doi.org/10.30519/ahtr.794656
Medina-Muñoz, D. R., & Medina-Muñoz, R. D. (2013). Critical issues in health and wellness tourism:
An exploratory study of visitors to wellness centres on gran canaria. Current Issues in Tourism, 16
(5), 415–435. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2012.748719
Meera, S., & Vinodan, A. (2019). Attitude towards alternative medicinal practices in wellness tourism
market. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 2(3), 278–295. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-06-
2018-0037
Merigó, J. M., Mulet-Forteza, C., Martorell, O., & Merigó-Lindahl, C. (2020). Scientific research in the
tourism, leisure and hospitality field: A bibliometric analysis. Anatolia, 31(3), 494–508. https://doi.
org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1771602
Michael Hall, C. (2011). Publish and perish? Bibliometric analysis, journal ranking and the assessment
of research quality in tourism. Tourism Management, 32(1), 16–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
tourman.2010.07.001
Moyle, B., Moyle, C. l., Ruhanen, L., Weaver, D., & Hadinejad, A. (2020). Are we really progressing sus-
tainable tourism research? A Bibliometric Analysis. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(1), 106–122.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1817048
Mueller, H., & Kaufmann, E. L. (2001). Wellness tourism: Market analysis of a special health tourism
segment and implications for the hotel industry. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 7(1), 5–17. https://
doi.org/10.1177/135676670100700101
Mulet-Forteza, C., Martorell-Cunill, O., Merigó, J. M., Genovart-Balaguer, J., & Mauleon-Mendez, E.
(2018). Twenty five years of the journal of travel & tourism marketing: A bibliometric ranking.
Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 35(9), 1201–1221. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.
2018.1487368
Napier, A. D., Ancarno, C., Butler, B., Calabrese, J., Chater, A., Chatterjee, H., Guesnet, F., Horne, R.,
Jacyna, S., Jadhav, S., Macdonald, A., Neuendorf, U., Parkhurst, A., Reynolds, R., Scambler, G.,
Shamdasani, S., Smith, S. Z., Stougaard-Nielsen, J., Thomson, L., … Woolf, K. (2014). Culture and
health. The Lancet, 384(9954), 1607–1639. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61603-2
Nicolaides, A., & Grobler, A. (2017). Spirituality, wellness tourism and quality of life. African Journal of
Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 6(1), 1–37.
Niñerola, A., Sánchez-Rebull, M. V., & Hernández-Lara, A. B. (2019). Tourism research on sustainabil-
ity: A bibliometric analysis. Sustainability (Switzerland), 11(5), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.3390/
su11051377
Nusair, K., Butt, I., & Nikhashemi, S. R. (2019). A bibliometric analysis of social media in hospitality and
tourism research. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31(7), 2691–
2719. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-06-2018-0489
Page, S. J., Hartwell, H., Johns, N., Fyall, A., Ladkin, A., & Hemingway, A. (2017). Case study: Wellness,
tourism and small business development in a UK coastal resort: Public engagement in practice.
Tourism Management, 60, 466–477. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2016.12.014
Pan, X., Yang, Z., Han, F., Lu, Y., & Liu, Q. (2019). Evaluating potential areas for mountain wellness
tourism: A case study of Ili, xinjiang province. Sustainability (Switzerland), 11(20), https://doi.
org/10.3390/su11205668
Rodrigues, Á, Kastenholz, E., & Rodrigues, A. (2010). Hiking as a relevant wellness activity - an
exploratory study of hiking tourists in Portugal. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 16(4), 331–343.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1356766710380886
Rodrigues, H., Brochado, A., & Troilo, M. (2020). Listening to the murmur of water: Essential satisfac-
tion and dissatisfaction attributes of thermal and mineral spas. Journal of Travel and Tourism
Marketing, 37(5), 649–661. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2019.1633986
Ruhanen, L., Weiler, B., Moyle, B. D., & McLennan, C. l. J. (2015). Trends and patterns in sustainable
tourism research: A 25-year bibliometric analysis. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 23(4), 517–535.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2014.978790
20 S. A. SUBAN

Santos, L. L., Cardoso, L., Araújo-Vila, N., & Fraiz-Brea, J. A. (2020). Sustainability perceptions in
tourism and hospitality: A mixed-method bibliometric approach. Sustainability (Switzerland), 12
(21), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12218852
Sayili, M., Akca, H., Duman, T., & Esengun, K. (2007). Psoriasis treatment via doctor fishes as part of
health tourism: A case study of kangal fish spring, Turkey. Tourism Management, 28(2), 625–629.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2006.08.010
Sharma, P., & Nayak, J. K. (2018). Testing the role of tourists’ emotional experiences in predicting
destination image, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions: A case of wellness tourism. Tourism
Management Perspectives, 28(December 2017), 41–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2018.07.004
Sharma, P., Singh, R., Tamang, M., Singh, A. K., & Singh, A. K. (2021). Journal of teaching in travel
&tourism: A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Teaching in Travel and Tourism, 21(2), 155–176.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15313220.2020.1845283
Sheldon, P. J., & Bushell, R. (2009). Introduction to wellness and tourism. Wellness and Tourism: Mind,
Body, Spirit, Place, 3–18.
Sigala, M., Kumar, S., Donthu, N., Sureka, R., & Joshi, Y. (2021). A bibliometric overview of the journal
of hospitality and tourism management: Research contributions and influence. Journal of
Hospitality and Tourism Management, 47, 273–288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2021.04.005
Smith, M., & Kelly, C. (2006). Wellness tourism. Tourism Recreation Research, 31(1), 1–4. https://doi.
org/10.1080/02508281.2006.11081241
Smith, M., & Puczkó, L. (2008). Health and wellness tourism. Health and Wellness Tourism, 1–400.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9780080942032
Smith, M. K., & Dryglas, D. (2020). Editorial for the special issue of international journal of Spa and
wellness challenges for the Spa sector: Transitioning from medical to wellness services.
International Journal of Spa and Wellness, 3(2–3), 67–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/24721735.
2021.1899501
Sopha, C., Jittithavorn, C., & Lee, T. J. (2019). Cooperation in health and wellness tourism connectivity
between Thailand and Malaysia. International Journal of Tourism Sciences, 19(4), 248–257. https://
doi.org/10.1080/15980634.2019.1706027
Sotiriadis, M., Zyl, C. V., & Poole, C. (2016). Suggesting a framework for innovation management in
the industry of wellness tourism and spas. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 5(4),
1–17. http//:www.ajhtl.com.
Spivack, S. E. (1998). Health spa development in the US: A burgeoning component of sport tourism.
Journal of Vacation Marketing, 4(1), 65–77. https://doi.org/10.1177/135676679800400106
Stănciulescu, G. C., Diaconescu, G. N., & Diaconescu, D. M. (2015). Health, spa, wellness tourism. What
is the difference. Knowledge Horizons/Orizonturi Ale Cunoasterii, 7(3), 158–161.
Stara, J., & Peterson, C. (2017). Understanding the concept of wellness for the future of the tourism
industry: A literature review. Journal of Tourism and SErvicecs, 53(9), 18–29. https://www.vso.cz/
www/upload/pages/documents/20170920103149435.pdf#page = 19.
Steiner, C. J., & Reisinger, Y. (2006). Ringing the fourfold: A philosophical framework for thinking
about wellness tourism. Tourism Recreation Research, 31(1), 5–14. file:///C:/Users/AZEEZA/
Desktop/Wellness Touri. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2006.11081242
Strack, F., & Raffay-Danyi, A. (2020). Well-being and healing and characteristics of demand for spas in
Hungary. International Journal of Spa and Wellness, 3(2–3), 145–164. https://doi.org/10.1080/
24721735.2021.1875614
Suban, S. A. (2022). Bibliometric analysis on wellness tourism – citation and co-citation analysis.
International Hospitality Review, https://doi.org/10.1108/ihr-11-2021-0072
Suban, S. A., Madhan, K., & Shagirbasha, S. (2021). A bibliometric analysis of halal and islamic
tourism. International Hospitality Review, Ahead-of-p(Ahead-of-Print), https://doi.org/10.1108/ihr-
05-2021-0038
Telej, E., & Gamble, J. R. (2019). Yoga wellness tourism: A study of marketing strategies in India.
Journal of Consumer Marketing, 36(6), 794–805. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-07-2018-2788
Tuzunkan, D. (2018). Wellness tourism : what motivates tourists to participate ? International Journal
of Applied Engineering Research, 13(1), 651–661.
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPA AND WELLNESS 21

Virani, A., Wellstead, A., & Howlett, M. P. (2019). Where is the policy? A bibliometric review of the
state of policy research on medical tourism. SSRN Electronic Journal, 2), https://doi.org/10.2139/
ssrn.3445235
Voigt, C., Brown, G., & Howat, G. (2011). Wellness tourists: In search of transformation. Tourism
Review, 66, 16–30. https://doi.org/10.1108/16605371111127206
Voigt, C., & Pforr, C. (2013). Wellness tourism: A destination perspective. Routledge.
Wang, K., Xu, H., & Huang, L. (2020). Wellness tourism and spatial stigma: A case study of bama,
China. Tourism Management, 78(November 2019), 104039. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.
2019.104039
Wen, J., Kozak, M., Yang, S., & Liu, F. (2021). COVID-19: Potential effects on Chinese citizens’ lifestyle
and travel. Tourism Review, 76(1), 74–87. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-03-2020-0110
Zupic, I., & Čater, T. (2015). Bibliometric methods in management and organization. Organizational
Research Methods, 18(3), 429–472. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428114562629