September 1, 2004 (Ithaca, NY) In America’s never-ending quest for increased energy levels and endurance, a recent study by Cornell University’s School of Hospitality Administration has revealed that visiting a destination spa, may just do the trick.

A visit to a destination spa - where the focus is on healthy living - serves as one of the few travel options that actually leaves vacationers feeling rested, refreshed and energized. According to more than 500 respondents, they felt more fit, more energetic and experienced increased levels in of endurance performing every day mental and physical activities after their destination spa vacation. The study suggests that increased levels of energy and stamina during the day may contribute to a greater sense of self confidence and body image which translates positively into many aspects of life such as increased job performance, feelings of accomplishment, positive well-being and less fatigue. Once thought of as a luxury, destination spa vacations are proving to be more of a necessity for living a healthy, balanced life.

Professor Mary Tabacchi from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and The Center for Survey Research conducted the study – the first to quantitatively show the benefits of destination spa vacations.

Other key findings in the study suggest that people who visited a Destination Spa:
-greatly improved their agility levels
-felt that body image was very improved
-exercised very enthusiastically
-noted that routine physical work was much easier
-reported their fitness levels increased
-understood physical limitations better

“The sole purpose and mission of a destination spa is to motivate and enlighten guests on how to achieve healthier, more joyous living,” said Michelle Kleist, Executive Director of Destination Spa Group (DSG), an organization of destination spas that have joined together to educate people about destination spas. “This study corroborates what we have said for years about the lasting benefits of this type of experiential vacation. Destination spas have become a viable category of vacation alternatives.”

Respondents were randomly chosen from the guest lists of 25 destination spas. Five hundred completed surveys were obtained from these guests. Their responses were then compared to a list of 500 randomly selected individuals who had not attended a destination spa but who had taken at least one vacation in the past 12 months.

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