The goals of this article are twofold: first, to investigate if rural tourism could be seen as a form of wellbeing tourism by comparing motivations; and second, to use motivation segmentation to find out how the wellbeing segment differs from other segments. A questionnaire was developed based on literature on wellness and rural tourism motivations. Data were collected on a Finnish rural tourism website during the summer of 2009. A total of 727 responses were analysed using k-mean cluster analysis to create segments. The results show that among Finnish rural tourists a segment of rural wellbeing can be distinguished. The segment members want to relax away from the ordinary, escape from a busy everyday life, have a hassle-free vacation, get refreshed, have a sense of comfort and have an opportunity for physical rest more than members of other segments. A typical rural wellbeing tourist is a 45- to 54-year-old female who has lived her childhood in the countryside. She travels with her spouse less than once a year to a rural destination. The wellbeing segment wants to feel relaxed. It values privacy, does not want schedules, likes a calm atmosphere and wants to spend time outside in nature more than other segments.

Interest in all aspects of health and wellness tourism has been growing in every part of the world. Businesses have responded with aggressive growth in the quantity and diversity of supply offered, especially in North America. Yet few countries have systematically assessed their supply and linked it to the changes in motivation and behaviour towards spas, health and wellness in their own population. This article brings together a number of secondary sources as well as research conducted by the author with the leading spa association in Ontario, Canada, in an effort to present an overview of the characteristics of the supply of and demand for spa, and the forces that continue to shape both aspects in that country.

The aim of this article is to focus on developing an understanding of wellness tourism provision. A brief contextualisation is offered, along with a discussion of definitions and classifications. Subsequently, in order to offer a more in-depth analysis, one market category — that of the holistic or wellness ‘retreat’ — is assessed in greater detail. This research attempts to unpick some of the generalisations made about the wellness tourism sector by providing detailed research on one under-represented part of this market provision. An operator database was created of retreat centres globally, based on the author's definitional classification criteria. Over 500 centres' data were collated and reviewed. From this a more in-depth survey took place, whereby 50 retreat providers were interviewed to research a range of motivational, experiential and management issues related to wellness tourism. The research shows that retreat operators are a relatively unique group of wellness tourism providers insofar as they are poorly organised collectively (compared, for example, to the spa sector); the vast majority can be classified as ‘lifestyle entrepreneurs’ in terms of their business motivations and aspirations; many own, manage and teach at their centres, and their views on and engagement with training, regulation and the tourism sector itself are very much place-specific. The product focus of many retreats is what sets them apart from other aspects of wellness tourism.