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Wellness adventure tourism is one attractive activity for tourists to gain a sense of self-achievement, ultimately leading to health and well-being. In recent years, mountain adventure tourism has made greater demands for the experience and sensation of such activities. The main aim of this paper is to seek an answer to the question of to what extent mountain-based adventure is the realization of eudaimonic well-being development. Qualitative research methods were employed in this study and a content analysis technique adopted to analyze data. The data were collected through 40 face-to-face interviews conducted at a mountain national park in Thailand. The results revealed that the motives driving tourists to participate in mountain hiking through eudaimonic experience could more easily achieve sustainable development of mountain-based tourism. It also helps to provide a greater marketing competitiveness advantage for a destination, helps to maintain and/or improve the physical and mental well-being of tourists, increases tourist numbers, and generates income to the community.

AbstractMany countries advertise their natural resources or other attractions, but differentiating one destination from others is also important. Destination brand value has been acknowledged as a crucial component tool for competitive advantage in tourist destination development. This paper investigates this issue in Southland, New Zealand. The methodology for this study employs a qualitative approach using face-to-face interview technique and a content analysis was used to analyse data. Results revealed that the key components to be considered for destination brand value development are a variety of products: services with high quality at the best price, convenience of consumption, interaction with ethnic groups and locals giving an insight into the destination's history and culture, and unique activities with memorable life-time experiences. The findings of this study provide the theoretical and managerial contributions of a destination brand value development.

Contemporary tourists increasingly rely on social media platforms to inform their consumption choices. Increasingly more travellers rely on social media to make their travel choices; however, scant research explored the impacts of sudden destination popularity through social media. The current study reveals how TikTok made two off-the-beaten-track destinations in Hainan (China) famous overnight. Using participant observation and interviews, this paper explores how a destination suddenly had to cope not only with overtourism but also with all the issues it generates. The findings revealed that the local community struggles to seize the opportunities offered by tourism while forced to manage the tourist's flow. We propose a management framework for destinations in protected areas that suddenly became ‘hot’ on social media and Web 2.0. Finally, we discuss the implications for tourism policies and management and highlight the importance of links between user-generated content and the promotion as crucial for future tourism planning in protected areas.