How can temple food be developed as a wellness tourism product?: Focusing on the individuality and commonality of temple food offerings

Empirical research on wellness tourism has focused on either nature-based experiences or medical tourism activities. To fill this gap, the purpose of this study is to analyze the wellness tourism factors related to temple food services and suggest the future direction of temple food as a cultural wellness tourism resource. Using qualitative content analysis, data were collected from the promotional texts written by temple food providers in Korea and Japan and analyzed sequentially as follows: (a) extracting main categories and sub-categories based on extant literature on wellness tourism, (b) identifying main categories obtained from the representative cases of temple food products, and (c) analyzing the relations among the qualities of the products, selling information, and the main categories. Results showed that the main elements of wellness tourism-rich experiences, physical health, mental balance, and psychological healing-were significantly considered in the overall aspects of temple food sales. However, the promotion of temple food through the four elements of wellness tourism varied depending on the service context. Inside the temple, the promotion emphasized the traditional Buddhist spirit, while outside, the experience of temple food varied depending on public consumption trends. The results elicited four specific dimensions for expanding the venue of temple food application. The significance of this paper is that it highlights the importance of including temple food products in the context of the wellness tourism industry, with implications for professionals in the field to consider.