Susanna Saari | Turku University of Applied Sciences (original) (raw)

Papers by Susanna Saari

Research paper thumbnail of The relationships between happiness, wellness tourist motivation, and tourism destination among Finnish wellness travellers: insights from the world’s “happiest nation”

International Journal of Spa and Wellness

Research paper thumbnail of Enhancing the competitiveness of a wellness tourism destination by coordinating the multiple actor collaboration

Research paper thumbnail of International Journal of Spa and Wellness

International Journal of Spa and Wellness, 2023

This paper examines the relationships between happiness, wellness tourist motivation, and tourism... more This paper examines the relationships between happiness, wellness tourist motivation, and tourism destinations among Finnish wellness travellers during crises, "the happiest country in the world". Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from Finnish wellness travellers via a survey (n = 520) in fall 2021. The findings highlighted that Finnish happiness is largely based on eudaimonic-oriented meaning-seeking focusing on long-term happiness rather than hedonic-oriented and short-term pleasureseeking: relationships, nature, rest and relaxation, and health and well-being. These motivations echo Finnish wellness travellers' destination preferences: spas, urban destinations, national parks, and outdoor recreation areas. This paper contributes to previous tourism literature by providing the industry with new insights into travel motivations and the sources of happiness, especially in Finland.

Research paper thumbnail of Matkailuala elää kohtalon hetkiä : miten Suomessa eteenpäin?

Marraskuinen pimeys on vallannut maan ja mielen. Onko tästä ulospääsyä pitkään aikaan? Siis ihan ... more Marraskuinen pimeys on vallannut maan ja mielen. Onko tästä ulospääsyä pitkään aikaan? Siis ihan oikeasti siihen normaaliin elämään, jolloin sai liikkua vapaasti ihmisten ilmoilla, kokoontua porukalla pikkujouluihin ja haaveilla lomamatkoista? Jos näin ajattelee kuluttaja, mitähän mahtaa liikkua matkailualan ammattilaisten mielessä

Research paper thumbnail of Special issue on health and wellbeing in tourism destinations

Research paper thumbnail of How to use "Developing a Competitive Health and Well-being Destination" in teaching and continuing education

Research paper thumbnail of Developing a Competitive Health and Well-being Destination Edited by Picture Sources Developing a Competitive Health and Well-being Destination

Preface Recent years have seen vast development in the wellness industry, including growth in the... more Preface Recent years have seen vast development in the wellness industry, including growth in the number of spas and wellness hotels around the globe. It seems that words like "downshifting," "mindfulness," "well-being," and "wellness" fill the media, while stressed out people seek new ways of living healthy and full lives. Well-being has become a megatrend" (Extracted from Chapter 2). This is already the second time that Turku University of Applied Sciences has been involved in research related to the health and well-being tourism megatrend. The previous EU-funded research project, "ILIS" (Innovations and Learning in Spa Management), focused on the more narrow business area of managing spas. During ILIS, three of the present project partners identified a common area of interest that was yet to be covered in the research literature: developing health and well-being tourism destinations. This electronic publication, "Develop...

Research paper thumbnail of Miksi Suomen matkailubrändin kirkastajia ja palvelujen kehittäjiä tarvitaan tulevaisuudessa entistä vähemmän?

Research paper thumbnail of Keskiössä hyvinvointimatkailukohteen kehittäminen

Research paper thumbnail of Matkailuyrittäjä : oletko valmis huippusesonkiin?

Tarkistuslistamme matkailuyrityksille - Varsinais-Suomessa kesä on matkailun pääsesonki. Nyt on h... more Tarkistuslistamme matkailuyrityksille - Varsinais-Suomessa kesä on matkailun pääsesonki. Nyt on h-hetki tarkistaa, ovatko menestyksen avaimet käsissä. Tavoitteenahan on, että bisnes kukoistaa ja asiakas on vierailun jälkeen niin ilahtunut, että mainostaa yritystäsi tutuilleen

Research paper thumbnail of Enhancing the competitiveness of a wellness tourism destination by coordinating the multiple actor collaboration

Research paper thumbnail of In Search For New Urban Tourism Niche Saari Susanna

Tourism and Hospitality Research, 2022

According to the United Nations Population Fund (2020), half of the world’s population live in ci... more According to the United Nations Population Fund (2020), half of the world’s population live in cities, and the
number is estimated to rise to 75% by 2050. Although urbanization is seen as a major challenge from a health
point of view, the development of urban wellness tourism offering would ideally benefit both tourists and locals.
The growth rate of wellness tourism during the years 2015–2017 was almost twice as fast as global economic
growth. Holistic wellness refers to the balanced elements of body, mind and spirit. This study argues that many
European city destinations could provide the holistic wellness elements to their visitors.
Tourism destinations continue competing with each other in a globalised marketplace, even more post-Covid-
19. As a result, cities will invest considerable resources in their marketing activities and place branding. By
recognizing and highlighting wellness tourismoffering in their marketing, some urban Destination Management
Organisations (DMOs) could stand out in this growing competition and get their share of wellness tourism
growth.
This study examines, which elements contributing to holistic wellness are currently being displayed on the
visit.com websites of selected urban DMOs (N = 32) in the European Union. This is done using qualitative
content analysis methodology. The findings indicate that there are several European cities that already
display elements of urban wellness in their marketing. The practical implication for the DMOs in question
could be to actively start developing their place brands towards urban wellness tourism niche by highlighting
the supply of urban wellness they already have, for example, at their visit.com sites.

Research paper thumbnail of Keskiössä hyvinvointimatkailukohteen kehittäminen

Kirja-arvosteluita Keskiössä hyvinvointimatkailukohteen kehittäminen Voigt, Cornelia & Pforr, Chr... more Kirja-arvosteluita
Keskiössä hyvinvointimatkailukohteen kehittäminen
Voigt, Cornelia & Pforr, Christopf, (2014, toim.). Wellness Tourism: A destination perspective. (Routledge Advances in Tourism). London: Routledge, 344 s.

Research paper thumbnail of Challenges for the European SPA Management. Results of the ILIS Project

Polish Journal of Sport and Tourism, 2011

Introduction. The spa industry has been rapidly growing throughout Europe in recent years, which ... more Introduction. The spa industry has been rapidly growing throughout Europe in recent years, which has led to an associated increase in educational demand in spa management. The aim of the study was to identify the most important needs for training and the most significant skills among the spa managers and their personnel throughout Europe. Moreover, it was to research the background of spas were the study had taken place. Material and methods. 30 managers took part in semi structured interviews that used a pre-prepared questionnaire. The answers were analysed with Wilcoxon signed rank test and also the mean values were compared. Results. The needs for training and importance of skills vary from country to country but common areas of interest are: sales, marketing, quality and innovation management, legal regulations, operational and social skills. The complex character of answers to questionnaire was a result of different spa business models and differing domestic spa markets as well as variety of legal environments. Conclusions. Spa tourism creates a significant income among the other tourism disciplines since that further research is needed. Demands for the spa education differed accordingly to a stage of each country spa business development. Spa managers tend to express higher training needs for their employees than for themselves.

Research paper thumbnail of Framework for health and well-being destination development

This document will introduce the WelDest framework model for understanding and developing a healt... more This document will introduce the WelDest framework model for understanding and developing a health and well-being tourism destination. The The model (see figure 3), together with the text below, summarizes the WelDest project research work package consisting of primary research activities (stakeholder interviews, customer surveys, national and international focus groups) and a review of existing earlier research on the topic (secondary research). The WelDest model and its summary will answer the following questions:
What are the key service supply, resources, staff competencies and elements of health and well-being at tourism destinations appreciated by both tourists and locals?
How can a tourism destination be developed into a health and well-being destination?

Research paper thumbnail of Terveyttä ja hyvinvointia edistävän matkailukohteen kehittämisen malli

Malli yhdessä oheisen tekstin kanssa tiivistää kansainvälisen WelDest-hankkeen tutkimusosion , jo... more Malli yhdessä oheisen tekstin kanssa tiivistää kansainvälisen WelDest-hankkeen tutkimusosion , joka koostui primääritutkimuksesta (asiantuntijoiden haastattelut, asiakaskysely, kansalliset ja kansainväliset fokusryhmät) sekä sekundääritutkimuksesta eli olemassa olevien aiempien tutkimusten tarkastelusta. Tämä malli vastaa hankkeessa asetettuihin seuraaviin tutkimuskysymyksiin:
• Miten matkailukohteesta voidaan kehittää hyvinvointimatkailukohde ?
Mitä palvelutarjontaa, resursseja, henkilöstön osaamista sekä muita tekijöit

Research paper thumbnail of Developing a Competitive Health and Well-being Destination

Developing a Competitive Health and Well-being Destination, Dec 12, 2014

Developing a Competitive Health and Well-being Destination, brings together theory on the major ... more Developing a Competitive Health and Well-being Destination, brings together theory on the major concepts related to health and well-being tourism, along with practical suggestions for the industry and case studies illustrating best practices.
The companion to the e-handbook is the self-assessment and development tool, designed for destinations looking to assess their potential as health well-being destinations and identify their strengths and weaknesses or gaps in the development process. Academic institutions or organizations from the industry can also take advantage of the course design that accompanies these outputs, and which can be used to guide courses or training on the topic of health and well-being destination development. Both the self-assessment tool and the course can be accessed through the links on p.2 of the e-handbook.

Research paper thumbnail of Spying, copying or just checking for new service ideas?

Please use the link provided to download as PDF

Research paper thumbnail of KORKEAKOULU-JA TYÖELÄMÄHANKKEEN HAASTEET

… projektimaisen kehittämisen kumppanina

Research paper thumbnail of Guía metodológica ICT-SUSTOUR

Edita: FLORIDA EDICIONS © editorial © autores Diseño: Collage-no Coop.V. Impresión: Gráfi cas Jov... more Edita: FLORIDA EDICIONS © editorial © autores Diseño: Collage-no Coop.V. Impresión: Gráfi cas Jovi SL Depósito Legal: V-3877-2006 ? GUÍA METODOLÓGICA ICT-SUSTOUR ÍNDICE I. INTRODUCCIÓN 9 1. PRÓLOGO 11 2. CÓMO UTILIZAR ESTA GUÍA 11 A quién va dirigida ¿Quién puede aplicar la metodología ICT-SUSTOUR? 3. DESCRIPCIÓN DEL PROYECTO 12 Contexto y justifi cación Objetivos Socios del proyecto Valorización: Aprendiendo de otros proyectos 4. DESARROLLO DEL PROYECTO: HERRAMIENTAS 19 Informes sobre el estado del arte Espacios turísticos objeto de estudio Metodología -actividades colaborativas Indicadores de sostenibilidad Entorno virtual 5. RESULTADOS 25 Concienciación Utilización de las nuevas tecnologías Metodología de trabajo ÍNDICE II. METODOLOGÍA PARA EL DESARROLLO Y PUESTA EN MARCHA 29 FASE 1 PREPARACIÓN DE LA ACTIVIDAD 31 PREPARACIÓN DE LA FASE 33 Objetivos Resultados Formación necesaria alumno/participante Formación necesaria profesor/formador Recursos Conceptos clave Evaluación EJECUCIÓN DE LAS ACTIVIDADES DE LA FASE 35 Elección socios y empresas colaboradoras Elección del espacio turístico Elección de los indicadores de sostenibilidad Inventario turístico REVISIÓN Y MEJORA 42 FASE 2 TRABAJO DE CAMPO 44 PREPARACIÓN DE LA FASE 45 Objetivos Resultados Formación necesaria alumno/participante Formación necesaria profesor/formador Recursos Conceptos clave Evaluación EJECUCIÓN DE LAS ACTIVIDADES DE LA FASE 47 Formación básica de alumnos/participantes Creación de los equipos de trabajo y asignación de indicadores Visita del espacio turístico Búsqueda y recogida de información. Trabajo de campo Elaboración del informe diagnóstico Presentación del informe diagnóstico Elaboración de un único informe diagnóstico por espacio turístico ÍNDICE GUÍA METODOLÓGICA ICT-SUSTOUR REVISIÓN Y MEJORA 55 FASE 3 TRABAJO COLABORATIVO 56 PREPARACIÓN DE LA FASE 57 Objetivos Resultados Formación necesaria alumno/participante Formación necesaria profesor/formador Recursos Conceptos clave Evaluación EJECUCIÓN DE LAS ACTIVIDADES DE LA FASE 59

Research paper thumbnail of The relationships between happiness, wellness tourist motivation, and tourism destination among Finnish wellness travellers: insights from the world’s “happiest nation”

International Journal of Spa and Wellness

Research paper thumbnail of Enhancing the competitiveness of a wellness tourism destination by coordinating the multiple actor collaboration

Research paper thumbnail of International Journal of Spa and Wellness

International Journal of Spa and Wellness, 2023

This paper examines the relationships between happiness, wellness tourist motivation, and tourism... more This paper examines the relationships between happiness, wellness tourist motivation, and tourism destinations among Finnish wellness travellers during crises, "the happiest country in the world". Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from Finnish wellness travellers via a survey (n = 520) in fall 2021. The findings highlighted that Finnish happiness is largely based on eudaimonic-oriented meaning-seeking focusing on long-term happiness rather than hedonic-oriented and short-term pleasureseeking: relationships, nature, rest and relaxation, and health and well-being. These motivations echo Finnish wellness travellers' destination preferences: spas, urban destinations, national parks, and outdoor recreation areas. This paper contributes to previous tourism literature by providing the industry with new insights into travel motivations and the sources of happiness, especially in Finland.

Research paper thumbnail of Matkailuala elää kohtalon hetkiä : miten Suomessa eteenpäin?

Marraskuinen pimeys on vallannut maan ja mielen. Onko tästä ulospääsyä pitkään aikaan? Siis ihan ... more Marraskuinen pimeys on vallannut maan ja mielen. Onko tästä ulospääsyä pitkään aikaan? Siis ihan oikeasti siihen normaaliin elämään, jolloin sai liikkua vapaasti ihmisten ilmoilla, kokoontua porukalla pikkujouluihin ja haaveilla lomamatkoista? Jos näin ajattelee kuluttaja, mitähän mahtaa liikkua matkailualan ammattilaisten mielessä

Research paper thumbnail of Special issue on health and wellbeing in tourism destinations

Research paper thumbnail of How to use "Developing a Competitive Health and Well-being Destination" in teaching and continuing education

Research paper thumbnail of Developing a Competitive Health and Well-being Destination Edited by Picture Sources Developing a Competitive Health and Well-being Destination

Preface Recent years have seen vast development in the wellness industry, including growth in the... more Preface Recent years have seen vast development in the wellness industry, including growth in the number of spas and wellness hotels around the globe. It seems that words like "downshifting," "mindfulness," "well-being," and "wellness" fill the media, while stressed out people seek new ways of living healthy and full lives. Well-being has become a megatrend" (Extracted from Chapter 2). This is already the second time that Turku University of Applied Sciences has been involved in research related to the health and well-being tourism megatrend. The previous EU-funded research project, "ILIS" (Innovations and Learning in Spa Management), focused on the more narrow business area of managing spas. During ILIS, three of the present project partners identified a common area of interest that was yet to be covered in the research literature: developing health and well-being tourism destinations. This electronic publication, "Develop...

Research paper thumbnail of Miksi Suomen matkailubrändin kirkastajia ja palvelujen kehittäjiä tarvitaan tulevaisuudessa entistä vähemmän?

Research paper thumbnail of Keskiössä hyvinvointimatkailukohteen kehittäminen

Research paper thumbnail of Matkailuyrittäjä : oletko valmis huippusesonkiin?

Tarkistuslistamme matkailuyrityksille - Varsinais-Suomessa kesä on matkailun pääsesonki. Nyt on h... more Tarkistuslistamme matkailuyrityksille - Varsinais-Suomessa kesä on matkailun pääsesonki. Nyt on h-hetki tarkistaa, ovatko menestyksen avaimet käsissä. Tavoitteenahan on, että bisnes kukoistaa ja asiakas on vierailun jälkeen niin ilahtunut, että mainostaa yritystäsi tutuilleen

Research paper thumbnail of Enhancing the competitiveness of a wellness tourism destination by coordinating the multiple actor collaboration

Research paper thumbnail of In Search For New Urban Tourism Niche Saari Susanna

Tourism and Hospitality Research, 2022

According to the United Nations Population Fund (2020), half of the world’s population live in ci... more According to the United Nations Population Fund (2020), half of the world’s population live in cities, and the
number is estimated to rise to 75% by 2050. Although urbanization is seen as a major challenge from a health
point of view, the development of urban wellness tourism offering would ideally benefit both tourists and locals.
The growth rate of wellness tourism during the years 2015–2017 was almost twice as fast as global economic
growth. Holistic wellness refers to the balanced elements of body, mind and spirit. This study argues that many
European city destinations could provide the holistic wellness elements to their visitors.
Tourism destinations continue competing with each other in a globalised marketplace, even more post-Covid-
19. As a result, cities will invest considerable resources in their marketing activities and place branding. By
recognizing and highlighting wellness tourismoffering in their marketing, some urban Destination Management
Organisations (DMOs) could stand out in this growing competition and get their share of wellness tourism
growth.
This study examines, which elements contributing to holistic wellness are currently being displayed on the
visit.com websites of selected urban DMOs (N = 32) in the European Union. This is done using qualitative
content analysis methodology. The findings indicate that there are several European cities that already
display elements of urban wellness in their marketing. The practical implication for the DMOs in question
could be to actively start developing their place brands towards urban wellness tourism niche by highlighting
the supply of urban wellness they already have, for example, at their visit.com sites.

Research paper thumbnail of Keskiössä hyvinvointimatkailukohteen kehittäminen

Kirja-arvosteluita Keskiössä hyvinvointimatkailukohteen kehittäminen Voigt, Cornelia & Pforr, Chr... more Kirja-arvosteluita
Keskiössä hyvinvointimatkailukohteen kehittäminen
Voigt, Cornelia & Pforr, Christopf, (2014, toim.). Wellness Tourism: A destination perspective. (Routledge Advances in Tourism). London: Routledge, 344 s.

Research paper thumbnail of Challenges for the European SPA Management. Results of the ILIS Project

Polish Journal of Sport and Tourism, 2011

Introduction. The spa industry has been rapidly growing throughout Europe in recent years, which ... more Introduction. The spa industry has been rapidly growing throughout Europe in recent years, which has led to an associated increase in educational demand in spa management. The aim of the study was to identify the most important needs for training and the most significant skills among the spa managers and their personnel throughout Europe. Moreover, it was to research the background of spas were the study had taken place. Material and methods. 30 managers took part in semi structured interviews that used a pre-prepared questionnaire. The answers were analysed with Wilcoxon signed rank test and also the mean values were compared. Results. The needs for training and importance of skills vary from country to country but common areas of interest are: sales, marketing, quality and innovation management, legal regulations, operational and social skills. The complex character of answers to questionnaire was a result of different spa business models and differing domestic spa markets as well as variety of legal environments. Conclusions. Spa tourism creates a significant income among the other tourism disciplines since that further research is needed. Demands for the spa education differed accordingly to a stage of each country spa business development. Spa managers tend to express higher training needs for their employees than for themselves.

Research paper thumbnail of Framework for health and well-being destination development

This document will introduce the WelDest framework model for understanding and developing a healt... more This document will introduce the WelDest framework model for understanding and developing a health and well-being tourism destination. The The model (see figure 3), together with the text below, summarizes the WelDest project research work package consisting of primary research activities (stakeholder interviews, customer surveys, national and international focus groups) and a review of existing earlier research on the topic (secondary research). The WelDest model and its summary will answer the following questions:
What are the key service supply, resources, staff competencies and elements of health and well-being at tourism destinations appreciated by both tourists and locals?
How can a tourism destination be developed into a health and well-being destination?

Research paper thumbnail of Terveyttä ja hyvinvointia edistävän matkailukohteen kehittämisen malli

Malli yhdessä oheisen tekstin kanssa tiivistää kansainvälisen WelDest-hankkeen tutkimusosion , jo... more Malli yhdessä oheisen tekstin kanssa tiivistää kansainvälisen WelDest-hankkeen tutkimusosion , joka koostui primääritutkimuksesta (asiantuntijoiden haastattelut, asiakaskysely, kansalliset ja kansainväliset fokusryhmät) sekä sekundääritutkimuksesta eli olemassa olevien aiempien tutkimusten tarkastelusta. Tämä malli vastaa hankkeessa asetettuihin seuraaviin tutkimuskysymyksiin:
• Miten matkailukohteesta voidaan kehittää hyvinvointimatkailukohde ?
Mitä palvelutarjontaa, resursseja, henkilöstön osaamista sekä muita tekijöit

Research paper thumbnail of Developing a Competitive Health and Well-being Destination

Developing a Competitive Health and Well-being Destination, Dec 12, 2014

Developing a Competitive Health and Well-being Destination, brings together theory on the major ... more Developing a Competitive Health and Well-being Destination, brings together theory on the major concepts related to health and well-being tourism, along with practical suggestions for the industry and case studies illustrating best practices.
The companion to the e-handbook is the self-assessment and development tool, designed for destinations looking to assess their potential as health well-being destinations and identify their strengths and weaknesses or gaps in the development process. Academic institutions or organizations from the industry can also take advantage of the course design that accompanies these outputs, and which can be used to guide courses or training on the topic of health and well-being destination development. Both the self-assessment tool and the course can be accessed through the links on p.2 of the e-handbook.

Research paper thumbnail of Spying, copying or just checking for new service ideas?

Please use the link provided to download as PDF

Research paper thumbnail of KORKEAKOULU-JA TYÖELÄMÄHANKKEEN HAASTEET

… projektimaisen kehittämisen kumppanina

Research paper thumbnail of Guía metodológica ICT-SUSTOUR

Edita: FLORIDA EDICIONS © editorial © autores Diseño: Collage-no Coop.V. Impresión: Gráfi cas Jov... more Edita: FLORIDA EDICIONS © editorial © autores Diseño: Collage-no Coop.V. Impresión: Gráfi cas Jovi SL Depósito Legal: V-3877-2006 ? GUÍA METODOLÓGICA ICT-SUSTOUR ÍNDICE I. INTRODUCCIÓN 9 1. PRÓLOGO 11 2. CÓMO UTILIZAR ESTA GUÍA 11 A quién va dirigida ¿Quién puede aplicar la metodología ICT-SUSTOUR? 3. DESCRIPCIÓN DEL PROYECTO 12 Contexto y justifi cación Objetivos Socios del proyecto Valorización: Aprendiendo de otros proyectos 4. DESARROLLO DEL PROYECTO: HERRAMIENTAS 19 Informes sobre el estado del arte Espacios turísticos objeto de estudio Metodología -actividades colaborativas Indicadores de sostenibilidad Entorno virtual 5. RESULTADOS 25 Concienciación Utilización de las nuevas tecnologías Metodología de trabajo ÍNDICE II. METODOLOGÍA PARA EL DESARROLLO Y PUESTA EN MARCHA 29 FASE 1 PREPARACIÓN DE LA ACTIVIDAD 31 PREPARACIÓN DE LA FASE 33 Objetivos Resultados Formación necesaria alumno/participante Formación necesaria profesor/formador Recursos Conceptos clave Evaluación EJECUCIÓN DE LAS ACTIVIDADES DE LA FASE 35 Elección socios y empresas colaboradoras Elección del espacio turístico Elección de los indicadores de sostenibilidad Inventario turístico REVISIÓN Y MEJORA 42 FASE 2 TRABAJO DE CAMPO 44 PREPARACIÓN DE LA FASE 45 Objetivos Resultados Formación necesaria alumno/participante Formación necesaria profesor/formador Recursos Conceptos clave Evaluación EJECUCIÓN DE LAS ACTIVIDADES DE LA FASE 47 Formación básica de alumnos/participantes Creación de los equipos de trabajo y asignación de indicadores Visita del espacio turístico Búsqueda y recogida de información. Trabajo de campo Elaboración del informe diagnóstico Presentación del informe diagnóstico Elaboración de un único informe diagnóstico por espacio turístico ÍNDICE GUÍA METODOLÓGICA ICT-SUSTOUR REVISIÓN Y MEJORA 55 FASE 3 TRABAJO COLABORATIVO 56 PREPARACIÓN DE LA FASE 57 Objetivos Resultados Formación necesaria alumno/participante Formación necesaria profesor/formador Recursos Conceptos clave Evaluación EJECUCIÓN DE LAS ACTIVIDADES DE LA FASE 59