Impact of Engagement in Local Tourism Activities on Tourists' Well-Being

The purpose of the study was to examine how engagement in cultural and other forms of local tourism activities impacts tourists' well-being by considering different dimensions such as Physical, Mental & Emotional, Intellectual, spiritual, Social & Environmental Well-being. This study examined the extent to which participation in particular tourism activities affects specific dimensions of well-being. The differentiation of gender and age regarding tourist participation levels in activities and well-being was also examined. This study provides new insights for policymakers and industry stakeholders to create more effective tourism experiences that enhance holistic well-being from the tourists' viewpoint. This study uses a quantitative approach and a convenience sampling technique. The data were collected from 284 tourists utilizing a self-constructed questionnaire with the items taken from prior research on tourists' well-being. Out of 284 sample taken, 263 samples were considered for analysis. The surveys were conducted by visiting popular tourist locations across Kerala and meeting tourists. The study also collected data online with the help of a questionnaire-linked QR code given to tourists' who chose the online participation option, peer groups, and social media platforms. The research analyzed well-being across 23 items within five dimensions, utilizing a Likert scale and tourists’ participation in 12 local tourism activities. Data were analyzed using statistical software MS Excel and SPSS. Tourists' participation in local tourism activities positively impacts different dimensions of well-being according to their participation. But the engagement in each tourism activity not only contributes to improve some aspects of well-being, it is also more active, which is another way to do so. Interestingly, this study results reveal that religious tourism doesn't impact participants' spiritual well-being. This study was conducted to understand tourists' well-being from different dimensions taking the local tourism activities more related with the local culture than merely the wellness activities as the view point of this study in the current tourism scenario, which offers new insights into well-being studies from tourists' perspective.