INTEGRATING WELLBEING DOMAINS INTO THE TOURISM PRODUCT STRUCTURE: A TOUR OPERATOR’S PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Relevance of the research. Modern tourism requires a transition to designing of a holistic experience. Integrating wellness domains into the structure of a tourism product can become one of the tools that will accelerate this process. The subject of the research is methodological approaches and matrix models for combining wellness domains with parameters of tourist service in the process of tourism product design. The purpose of the article is the theoretical substantiation and development of methodological approaches to the use of wellness domains by tour operators as basic guidelines in the construction of a service program. Research methodology: genetic and retrospective analysis, methods of systemic decomposition, structural-logical modelling, synthesis and matrix modelling, generalization. Research results: it is proved that within tour operating wellness should be interpreted as a methodological principle of design. Differentiation of six key domains (physical, emotional, social, intellectual, spiritual, and environmental), which are subject to direct management through tour operating tools, has been carried out. The expediency of excluding occupational and financial dimensions due to their inertia relative to a short-term tourist experience is substantiated. A two-dimensional matrix model of the tourism product architectonics is constructed, where concrete design solutions are formed at the intersection of wellness domains and design parameters (location, activities, interaction, pace, interpretation). Practical significance: the results can be implemented into the practical activities of tour operating companies when developing innovative service programs, as well as used in the educational process in the training of specialists in the specialty “Tourism and Recreation” for studying modern technologies of tourism product design. Conclusions: the implementation of the proposed methodological model transforms the tourism product into a managed experience design, which allows tour operators to satisfy the personalized needs of the client and strengthen strategic brand loyalty in a competitive market. Future research prospects are related to the creation of applied tools for diagnosing wellness domains for the personalization of tourism product parameters at the stage of its design.