Fonte: Journal of Tourism & Development; v. 3, n. 17/18 (2012); 1481-1493
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Resumo: This paper aims to review the characteristics of atmospheric cues and to adapt the S-O-R theoretical model into the context of health and leisure tourism, in particularly hotel thermal SPA places. Health and leisure tourism has grown in interest since individuals are more aware and concerned with their health and well-being. Therefore a questionnaire was built based on literature review and information provided by SPA managers. The survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire distributed to individuals who had a SPA experience in Portugal. Data was treated using the PLS approach. The results reveal that atmospheric cues are important antecedents of relaxation and pleasure. The feeling of relaxation is more important than that of pleasure in leading to satisfaction and positive word-of-mouth. This article also provides important managerial implications, limitations, and suggestions for future avenues. We can also point out two aspects about the originality of this research, namely the adaptation of the S-O-R model to the context of SPA, and the introduction of satisfaction as a result of the use of relaxation instead of arousal.
