Excess weight loss while minimising fat-free mass (FFM) loss is important for health. Travel is a particular period at risk for weight gain and for which the effects of a short-term intensive weight loss programme have not been studied. Therefore, we studied the effect of a novel, 1-week supervised health travel programme combining high volume, low-to-moderate intensity exercise and energy intake restriction on weight, body composition and health outcomes in adults. Weight was also monitored for 12 weeks after the programme. In all, thirty-six subjects (nineteen men, seventeen women) consisting of sixteen excess-weight (BMI: 27·1 (sd 1·7) kg/m2) and twenty healthy-weight (BMI: 22·3 (sd 1·8) kg/m2) individuals participated. Subjects performed 1 h of slow-paced intermittent jogging three times per d and other leisure activities, whereas consuming only provided foods without water restriction. Body mass significantly decreased from pre- to post-intervention in excess-weight and healthy-weight individuals (−3·5 (sd 1·5) and −3·5 (sd 1·3) %, respectively; P<0·001 for both), and losses were maintained at 12 weeks post-intervention in both groups (−6·3 (sd 3·8) and −1·7 (sd 4·0) %, respectively; P<0·01 for both). Fat mass also significantly decreased in both groups (excess weight: −9·2 (sd 4·6) %: healthy weight: −13·4 (sd 9·0) %; P<0·01 for both), whereas FFM was maintained. Similar improvements were observed for blood biochemistry and pressure in both groups. This short-term weight loss intervention yielded favourable outcomes in both excess- and healthy-weight adults, particularly a 3·5 % weight loss with no significant change to FFM. In addition, participants maintained weight loss for at least 12 weeks. Of multiple programme choices, the Health Tourism weight loss programme’s results indicate that it is a viable option.

Early 21st century postmodern western societies are witnessing the rebirth and reinvention of health tourism founded on new ideologies, concepts, spaces and services mostly dominated by the desire for wellbeing expressed by the spa ideal. This is the affirmation of a new reality which, considering its growing role in present-day society, requires research, especially regarding demand, motivation and profile. Based on doctoral research in tourism, leisure and culture entitled The New Spaces for Leisure, Tourism and Health in Portugal: The Spas, this article sets out to present, examine and discuss a review of the literature on current principles and issues associated with health and body management, especially as they pertain to periods of leisure and tourism through a global and transversal approach. Then, in empirical terms, the article portrays the client profile of the new spas (including the new wellness segment tourist), founded on a pioneering and wide-ranging national survey carried out in Portugal. The information was gathered by means of a questionnaire directed to clients of Portuguese spas. Spa-goers were questioned as to the regularity, services, motivation and context of their spa use, as well as their other healthcare habits. Based on the information gathered, a profile of spa-goers in Portugal was designed and, by means of a classification technique, clusters were subsequently identified in this consumer group.

Interest in all aspects of health and wellness tourism has been growing in every part of the world. Businesses have responded with aggressive growth in the quantity and diversity of supply offered, especially in North America. Yet few countries have systematically assessed their supply and linked it to the changes in motivation and behaviour towards spas, health and wellness in their own population. This article brings together a number of secondary sources as well as research conducted by the author with the leading spa association in Ontario, Canada, in an effort to present an overview of the characteristics of the supply of and demand for spa, and the forces that continue to shape both aspects in that country.