Co-op Marketing | Industry News | Newsletter | TOTA Events

Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC)

www.travelcanada.ca

Overnight Spa Tourists
A Special Analysis of the Travel Activities and Motivation Survey (TAMS)

The Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) has recently added Spa and Wellness to its product
portfolio. According to the CTC, this growth market encompasses travellers who seek personal
health and wellness on overnight trips.

Today's health and wellness programs respond to growing consumer demands for fitness level
improvement; for healthy lifestyle education; for nutrition counselling; for healing; for
preventative medicine; for solving personal problems like stress or depression; and, for holistic,
naturopathic, alternative or eastern medicinal practices/therapies. And the travel industry is
reaping benefits of the health and wellness phenomenon.

As a function of the increasing interest in Spa and Wellness Tourism, the CTC commissioned
Research Resolutions & Consulting Ltd.2 to undertake a special analysis of tourists who stayed
overnight at a spa on a recent leisure trip, relying on information collected in the Travel
Activities and Motivation Survey (TAMS).3 The TAMS survey does not capture information on
day spa tourists.4 Hence, information presented in this report represents the overnight market
segment only.

This report describes the characteristics and tourism activity preferences of Overnight Spa
Tourists on both sides of the Canada/U.S.A. border.