Digital Applications for Improving Tourist Experience in the Wellness Centers in Bulgaria

Abstract

Digital wellness technologies and their use have become exceedingly popular. More and more people use them daily. Respectively, the need to understand this newly formed welltech field has increased. This paper aims to deepen the understanding of how people react to the new wellness technologies and if they are valuable to them or not. Empirically, the research is based on a questionnaire, collecting data from 272 participants over a four-month period, which are further analysed. Besides this, 20 interviews are conducted with experts from the wellness industry in Bulgaria. The results show that there is a positive correlation between wellness technology and its effect on the users. It can be concluded as well that digital wellness applications can only enhance tourists’ experience. Further, all wellness digital applications and their main feature - self-monitoring - have a learning effect on the users. Three possibilities stand out in front of wellness tourists: to relax in a high-tech area, to enjoy digital detox opportunities or to combine both. Even though 2020 was an unpredictable year, we are assured that there will be a huge future interest in tech wellness and a wider spread adoption of it.