UNDERSTANDING WELLNESS TOURISM MOTIVATION IN INDIA: A CROSS-CULTURAL VALIDATION OF THE WELLNESS TOURISM MOTIVATION SCALE (WTMS)

PARMINDER SINGH DHILLON

doi:10.4316/rdt.39.737

Authors

PARMINDER SINGH DHILLON Assistant Professor & Head Department of Tourism, Hospitality & Hotel Management, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab (India)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4316/rdt.39.737

Keywords:

Factors, India, Motivation, Scale Validation, Wellness Tourism

Abstract

Wellness tourism is a rapidly growing sector in the global travel industry, and India has emerged as a significant player in this market. This study aimed to validate the Wellness Tourism Motivation Scale (WTMS) in the Indian context, as understanding tourists' motivations for engaging in wellness travel is vital for both the industry and destination marketing. The WTMS is a well-established instrument used to assess tourists' motivations for participating in wellness-related activities during their trips. A total of 634 Indian wellness tourists were surveyed in top five wellness destinations within India. The sample was distributed in two groups to conduct EFA and CFA. The findings indicate that the WTMS exhibits strong reliability and validity when applied to the Indian wellness tourism context. The scale's factor structure was consistent with previous research, identifying various motivation factors. This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on wellness tourism in India, fostering its sustainable growth and global competitiveness. The implications are discussed in details.

Author Biography

PARMINDER SINGH DHILLON, Assistant Professor & Head Department of Tourism, Hospitality & Hotel Management, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab (India)

Assistant Professor, Dept. of Tourism, Hospitality & Hotel Management, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab (India)Dr. Chef Parminder Singh Dhillon PhD, MBA (Hospitality Management), MTM, Certificate Course in Cookery with honours Assistant Professor Dept. of Tourism, Hospitality & Hotel Management Brief profile Chef Parminder Singh Dhillon is the founder faculty member of the department of Tourism, Hospitality & Hotel management He is an alumni of Food Craft Institute Chandigarh, 1992 batch and is armed with more than 29 years of teaching and industry exposure in the glamorous field of hospitality. He has worked with Taj group and ITC Welcomgroup of hotels. He did his PhD. in Gastronomic Tourism, Masters in Tourism management and M.B.A. in Hospitality management. Chef Parminder has got to his credit 12 research paper publications and has presented more than 8 research papers in various International and National conferences