A bibliometric analysis of the wellness literature in health tourism

This thesis has been prepared to reveal the academic trends that have emerged in the wellness literature within the scope of health tourism over the last decade and to examine the influence of wellness on the dynamics of health tourism through a holistic approach. In this study, research articles published between 2015 and 2025 in the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases were evaluated using bibliometric methods. From a total of 1,786 publications identified through the screening process, those meeting the eligibility criteria were cleaned, deduplicated, and included in the analysis. The analytical findings indicate that scientific output related to health tourism has increased significantly, particularly in recent years. Prominent themes include wellness tourism, aging and senior tourism, digitalization, the impacts of COVID-19 on health mobility, cost-oriented medical travel, destination competitiveness, and marketing strategies. The United States, China, Germany, India, and Türkiye stand out as the most productive countries, and the increasing contribution of multiple disciplines demonstrates the expanding scope of the health tourism literature. The theoretical section of the thesis discusses the general framework of tourism, the multidimensional nature of health, the historical development of health tourism, and its sub-fields such as medical, rehabilitation, thermal, spa, and wellness tourism. The chapter on wellness tourism examines the historical evolution of the concept of well-being, the foundations of the modern wellness paradigm, and the physiological and psychological effects of spa and thermal practices, supported by relevant literature. In the international comparison section, the structures and policies related to health and wellness tourism in countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Hungary, Japan, China, India, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, the United States, and Costa Rica are evaluated. Factors such as technological capacity, specialized healthcare professionals, natural resource diversity, strong wellness traditions, cost advantages, government support, and accreditation practices are identified as key determinants contributing to these countries' prominence in the sector. The second part of the study focuses extensively on the context of Türkiye, addressing the development process of health tourism, the authorization certificate system, geographical advantages, richness of thermal resources, qualified health workforce, cost advantages, and the reflections of digital marketing practices on the sector. Overall, this study comprehensively analyzes academic trends related to wellness within the field of health tourism and clarifies current orientations in the literature. The findings offer theoretical and practical contributions to both national and international health tourism research. Keywords: Health tourism, Wellness, Thermal tourism, Spa, Rehabilitation tourism, Well-being, Bibliometric analysis.