Therapeutic landscapes and tourists’ perceived quality of life

Abstract

Health tourism involves the promotion of healthy and sustainable lifestyles, and is becoming an increasingly popular segment with high potential for further growth. This study focuses on the relationship between health destinations and tourists' perceived quality of life and examines the motivations and behaviors of health tourists in China. The research is built on therapeutic landscape and attention restoration theories. The study analyzed 506 valid questionnaires collected in Sanya, China, and found: 1) the social aspects of therapeutic landscapes had a direct positive effect on tourists' perceived quality of life; 2) the perceived restorative qualities of destinations mediated the positive effect of the identified dimensions of therapeutic landscapes on tourists' perceived quality of life; and 3) psychological recovery mediated the positive effects of the physical and symbolic aspects of therapeutic landscapes on tourists' perceived quality of life. The study enriches the therapeutic landscape theory, encourages its application in tourism research, and provides actionable insights for health destinations to improve tourists’ well-being.