1. CALL FOR PAPERS
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN TOURISM DESTINATIONS
September the 16th and 17th, 2014
Turku, Finland
The seminar will take place from September the 16th to 17th in Turku, Finland and will continue
aboard M/S Viking Grace for an optional post tour (from evening of 17th until the evening of 18th
September) through the beautiful archipelago between Finland and Sweden. The seminar will
provide an opportunity for researchers and practitioners from all over the world to exchange ideas
and scientific results and discuss new and emerging directions in research and practice in the field.
The seminar will be organised in conjunction with the European Union LLP funded Project WelDest
(Health and Well-being in Tourism Destination) and the Faculty of Business, ITC and Life Sciences
at Turku University of Applied Sciences / Degree Program in Hospitality Management.
Seminar themes:




Key service supply, resources, staff
competencies and elements of health and
well-being
at
tourism
destinations
appreciated by both tourists and locals
Potential for business opportunities and
innovations in health and well-being based
tourism services in destinations
Competence needs in managing and
developing health and well-being destinations
Destination management network structures
and destination development approaches and
tools to develop a health and well-being
destination
Seminar offers:
1) Renowned international keynote speakers,
2) High quality scientific sessions with internationally
peer-reviewed paper presentations,
3) Special session dedicated to PhD students
mentored by The Finnish University Network for
Tourism studies (FUNTS) open to all PhD students
attending the seminar,
4) Journal coverage for selected papers on the Finnish
Journal for Tourism Research*,
5) A unique experience in Turku, the oldest city in
Finland. Turku is a fascinating mixture of a medieval
town and a vibrant modern city. The Turku archipelago
is among the world’s largest and you can enjoy it on
an optional post-tour with the greenest and quietest
passenger ferry in the world, M/S Viking Grace. The
post-tour offers a mini cruise of one day and one night
aboard with modern equipped cabins, many
restaurants, entertainment and a Spa & Wellness
Center with saunas, Jacuzzis and vivacious treatments
(http://www.vikinggrace.com/?lang=en)

2. Thematic Area addressed:
Participants are welcome to present conceptual and empirical papers on a range of topics including:
 Competitiveness of tourism destinations, especially health and well-being destinations and regions
(e.g. service supply, resources and competencies as part of the competitiveness)
 Destination management and aspects of multi-stakeholder collaboration in tourism planning and
management (e.g. public-private partnerships, networks, destination management organisations,
clusters and innovation systems)
 Innovation in Tourism and Health & Well-being services
 Changing consumer behaviour and future tourism demand in health and wellbeing services
 Position of health and well-being tourism or health promotion in overall strategies and plans for
local and regional development
 Cross-sector analyses: synergetic inter-linkages between health and well-being tourism and related
sectors, such as regional development, health sciences and creative industries
 Quality management, safety and sustainability in health and well-being destinations
Submission guidelines
Researchers are invited to submit extended abstracts of no more than 4000 characters which will be
reviewed in a double-blind refereeing process. If accepted, researchers will be invited to present at the
conference in September 2014. A selection of papers will also be suggested for publication in a Special Issue
on the multidisciplinary Finnish Journal of Tourism Research. Abstracts are to be submitted electronically
for review and selection using this link (https://www.webropolsurveys.com/S/234E4BDA269FC1EF.par).
The structured abstract form includes:
• Authors’ contact details
• Title (up to 120 characters)
• Keywords (up to five)
• Structured Abstract:
• Purpose of the study
• Design/methodology/approach
• Findings
• Originality/value
• Research limitations/implications
• Practical implications
• References

3. You will also be asked to indicate:
• Preferred Type of Presentation:
(a) Research paper for Oral presentation
(b) PhD session presentation.
Scientific committee
Prof. Antti Honkanen, Prof. Kai Illing, Dr. Steffen Lange, Prof. Peter Björk, Lic.Sc.(B.A.) Henna Konu, Doctoral
student (M.Sc. Econ. & Bus.Adm.) Juulia Räikkönen.
Contact
Ms. Susanna Saari: Susanna.saari@turkuamk.fi or mobile: +358 50 5895 343
Important Dates
Abstract submission deadline: March 7th 2014
Acceptance notification: April 7th 2014
Registration deadline (early bird): May 30th 2014
If an abstract is preliminarily accepted, at least one presenting author must register for the conference
before May 16th 2014. Preliminarily accepted abstracts with no single author registered in time will be
removed from the program and from the journal.

4. Additional information
Venue:
The seminar will take place at the TUAS campus in the Turku, Finland.
Address:
Turku University of Applied Sciences
Faculty of Business, ICT and Life-Sciences
Lemminkäisenkatu 30,
20520 Turku
Finland
Map of the venue: http://goo.gl/maps/HVjEm
Accommodation – more details to follow, a special rate will become available at participating hotels within
Turku city centre and Kultaranta Resort, Naantali.
Travel to the seminar venue
 The closest airport is Turku, which is served by daily flights from Helsinki, Copenhagen, Stockholm,
Riga and Gdansk.
 Helsinki-Vantaa airport is app. 170km away with an excellent direct Express bus connection
 There are several daily bus and train connections from Helsinki city centre to Turku.
 Also a twice a day ferry connection from Stockholm to Turku is available.
* The Finnish Society for Tourism Research was established in spring 2004. The aim of the activities is to
enhance multidisciplinary research in tourism and leisure studies, and to increase interest in and
appreciation for these fields of research. The Finnish Society for Tourism Research publishes a bi-annual
multidisciplinary journal.
More about WelDest project http://weldest.blogspot.com
WelDest project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This call for paper reflects the views
only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information
contained therein.
527775-LLP-1-2012-1-FI-ERASMUS-ECUE