Abstract: The purpose of this research is to explore new perspectives and factors that motivate wellness tourists to travel in a post-COVID-19 world. The current pandemic constitutes a paradigm shift in research on tourist behavior, spending, and decision-making. Framework analysis was used to analyze the 2,240 responses to this open-ended question ‘As a result of the coronavirus affecting your life, what are some new motivations for going on a wellness vacation/holiday?’ Thematic qualitative coding of responses to this open-ended question regarding tourist motivations yielded four themes and eight interpretive codes. The themes were ‘Escape into Nature,’ ‘Self-development,’ ‘Mental Wellness,’ and ‘Relatedness.’ The findings of this exploratory study give a prospective overview of the future of North American wellness tourist motivation in a post-COVID-19 world. It is important that researchers and tourism companies adjust their pre-COVID-19 perspectives on customer needs, and invest in understanding customers’ new perspectives and motivations. Mental Wellness is a new concept that has potential for tourism product development because of its focus on resilience in this challenging pandemic period. After the pandemic, it is expected more consumers will be health-conscious and will bring wellness priorities into travel.

https://doi.org/10.31667/jhts.2022.04.91.127