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Developing a multidimensional scale of healing tourism experiences based on a mixed methods approach
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  • Published: 06 January 2026

Developing a multidimensional scale of healing tourism experiences based on a mixed methods approach

  • Jize Xie1,
  • Han Li1,
  • Ziyu Chen1,
  • Hong Wang1 &
  • …
  • Haiyan Hua1 

Scientific Reports , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

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We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Subjects

  • Psychology
  • Psychology and behaviour

Abstract

This paper develops a scale to measure the healing tourism experiences, drawing on grounded theory and extant relevant literature. In Study 1, 30 in-depth interviews with purposive sampling were conducted to establish a conceptual model comprising four dimensions: anticipated healing, embodied healing, interactive healing, and reminiscence healing. Study 2 applied multivariate statistical analyses to refine the scale, and based on 280 valid questionnaires, developed a 13-item instrument representing the four dimensions. Study 3 further tested the validity and applicability of the scale using data from Study 2, confirming its reliability and predictive power. Study 4 was subsequently conducted to validate the model’s predictive utility by testing the relationship between healing tourism experiences and tourists’ willingness to revisit, thereby confirming the criterion-related validity of the scale. The findings contribute both theoretically and practically: the scale offers a robust measurement standard for scholars to investigate the healing tourism experiences in greater depth, and it provides a theoretical reference for practitioners seeking to evaluate and enhance the restorative value of tourism products and services.

Data availability

Data used in this study will be made available by the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Funding

This research was supported by [Sichuan Province Natural Science Foundation] under Grant [2024NSFSC0270]; [the Ministry of Education’s Humanities and Social Sciences Research Youth Fund Project] under Grant [24YJC890053]; [the Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan (Youth Project)] under Grant [23NSFSC1062]; [the Philosophy and Social Science Foundation of Sichuan Province (General Project)] under Grant [SCJJ24ND081, SCJJ24ND169]; [Chengdu University of Technology “Double First-Class” initiative Construction Philosophy and Social Sciences Key Construction Project] under Grant [ZDJS202320].

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chengdu University of Technology, No.1 East 3 road ErXian brige, Chengdu, 610059, PR China

    Jize Xie, Han Li, Ziyu Chen, Hong Wang & Haiyan Hua

Authors
  1. Jize Xie
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  2. Han Li
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  3. Ziyu Chen
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  4. Hong Wang
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Contributions

Jize Xie: Writing – original draft, Visualization, Formal analysis, SoftwareHan Li: Writing – review & editing, Supervision, MethodologyZiyu Chen: Writing – original draft, Formal analysis, Data curationHong Wang: Writing – review & editing, Conceptualization, InvestigationHaiyan Hua: Writing – review & editing, Conceptualization, Project administration.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Han Li.

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Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Methods and human experiments statement

The ethics committee of the Business School Chengdu University of Technology has approved the experiment on " Developing a Multidimensional Scale of Healing Tourism Experiences Based on a Mixed Methods Approach” conducted by Jize Xie et al. The research group promised that the experiment would be conducted with full information given, and informed consent from all subjects received. The experiment would not cause any psychological or physical harm to the subjects. Subjects have the right to withdraw from the experiment at any stage. For data collected in the experiment, they can be used in the study after anonymization. The subject has the right to ask the research group to delete the experiment result about himself at any stage.

Furthermore, we confirm that this study has been conducted in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations and that all methods have been approved by the appropriate authorities.

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Xie, J., Li, H., Chen, Z. et al. Developing a multidimensional scale of healing tourism experiences based on a mixed methods approach. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-34286-8

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  • Received: 26 May 2025

  • Accepted: 26 December 2025

  • Published: 06 January 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-34286-8

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Keywords

  • Healing tourism experiences
  • Scale development
  • Grounded theory
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