Forest bathing activity as a tool to promote wellness tourism in Thailand
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study broke new ground by exploring forest bathing in Thailand, examining its potential to improve health within the country's unique environment and culture. Recognizing the practice's novelty, the research assessed both feasibility and acceptability, along with its effectiveness in boosting well-being. Bespoke activities designed to optimize the experience for Thailand's diverse landscapes were also developed. Additionally, the study evaluated forest bathing's potential as a novel and attractive wellness tourism option in Thailand, highlighting its health benefits. The study engaged 94 volunteer tourists, randomized based on location and availability, who participated in forest bathing activities across varied ecosystems—National Park, Community Forest, and Urban Forest. A significant outcome was the observable decrease in participants' systolic blood pressure levels after engagement. This decrease, averaging approximately 6.6%, sparked discussions on its clinical relevance compared to other health interventions. To understand forest bathing's effects comprehensively, the study tracked systolic and diastolic blood pressure before and after the activity. It also incorporated psychological measures, including the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and a happiness assessment. The latter revealed that the vast majority of participants (88.3%) reported high levels of happiness. This research significantly advances forest bathing as a sustainable health tourism model in Thailand by providing early evidence of its effectiveness across diverse landscapes and reinforcing its adoption. The study highlights the importance of merging physiological and psychological assessments, offering a more comprehensive method to evaluate forest bathing's therapeutic potential, thereby enhancing its feasibility and maximizing its benefits within Thailand's unique environmental contexts.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
All rights reserved. Apart from citations for the purposes of research, private study, or criticism and review,no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any other form without prior written permission by the publisher.
References
Antonelli, M., Barbieri, G., & Donelli, D. (2019). Effects of forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) on levels of cortisol as a stress biomarker: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Biometeorology, 63(8), 1117–1134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-019-01717-x
Berman, M. G., Jonides, J., & Kaplan, S. (2008). The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature. Psychological Science, 19(12), 1207–1212. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02225.x
Bielinis, E., Takayama, N., Boiko, S., Aneta, O., & Bielinis, L. (2018). The effect of winter forest bathing on psychological relaxation of young Polish adults. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 29, 276–283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2017.12.006
Cohen, S., & Williamson, G. (1988). Perceived stress in a probability sample of the United States. In S. Spacapan & S. Oskamp (Eds.), The social psychology of health: Claremont Symposium on applied social psychology (pp. 31–67). Sage.
Cook, M. (2020). Using urban woodlands and forests as places for improving the mental well-being of people with dementia. Leisure Studies, 39(1), 41–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/02614367.2019.1595091
Donovan, G. H., Butry, D. T., Michael, Y. L., Prestemon, J. P., Liebhold, A. M., Gatziolis, D., & Mao, M. Y. (2013). The relationship between trees and human health: Evidence from the spread of the emerald ash borer. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 44(2), 139–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2012.09.066
Erfurt-Cooper, P., & Cooper, M. (2009). Health and wellness tourism: Spas and hot springs. Channel View Publications.
Furuyashiki, A., Tabuchi, K., Norikoshi, K., Kobayashi, T., & Oriyama, S. A. (2019). A comparative study of the physiological and psychological effects of forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku) on working age people with and without depressive tendencies. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 24, Article 46. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12199-019-0800-1
Global Wellness Institute. (n.d.). What is the wellness economy? https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/what-is-the-wellness-economy
Guan, H., Wei, H., He, X., Ren, Z., & An, B. (2017). The tree-species-specific effect of forest bathing on perceived anxiety alleviation of young adults in urban forests. Annals of Forest Research, 60(2), 327–341. https://doi.org/10.15287/afr.2017.897
Hansen, M. M., Jones, R., & Tocchini, K. (2017). Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) and nature therapy: A state-of-the-art review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(8), Article 851. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14080851
Kardan, O., Gozdyra, P., Misic, B., Moola, F., Palmer, L. J., Paus, T., & Berman, M. G. (2015). Neighborhood greenspace and health in a large urban center. Scientific Reports, 5, Article 11610.
Kellert, S. R., & Wilson, E. O. (Eds.). (1993). The biophilia hypothesis. Island Press.
Komori, T., Fujiwara, R., Tanida, M., Nomura, J., & Yokoyama, M. (1995). Effects of citrus fragrance on immune function and depressive states. Neuroimmunomodulation, 2(3), 174–180. https://doi.org/10.1159/000096889
Lee, J., Park, B. J., Tsunetsugu, Y., Ohira, T., Kagawa, T., & Miyazaki, Y. (2011). Effect of forest bathing on physiological and psychological responses in young Japanese male subjects. Public Health, 125(2), 93–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2010.09.005
Li, Q., Kobayashi, M., Kumeda, S., Ochiai, T., Miura, T., Kagawa, T., Imai, M., Wang, Z., Otsuka, T., & Kawada, T. (2016a). Effects of forest bathing on cardiovascular and metabolic parameters in middle-aged males. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2016(1), Article 2587381. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/2587381
Li, Q., Kobayashi, M., Wakayama, Y., Inagaki, H., Katsumata, M., Hirata, Y., Hirata, K., Shimizu, T., Kawada, T., Park, B. J., Ohira, T., Kagwa, T., & Miyazaki, Y. (2009). Effect of phytoncide from trees on human natural killer cell function. International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology, 22(4), 951–959. https://doi.org/10.1177/039463200902200410
Li, Q., Morimoto, K., Nakadai, A., Inagaki, H., Katsumata, M., Shimizu, T., Hirata, Y., Hirata, K., Suzuki, H., Miyazaki, Y., Kagawa, T., Koyama, Y., Ohira, T., Takayama, N., Krensky, A. M., & Kawada, T. (2007). Forest bathing enhances human natural killer activity and expression of anti-cancer proteins. International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology, 20(2_suppl), 3–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/03946320070200S202
Li, Q., Otsuka, T., Kobayashi, M., Wakayama, Y., Inagaki, H., Katsumata, M., Hirata, Y., Li, Y., Hirata, K., Shimizu, T., Suzuki, H., Kawada, T., & Kagawa, T. (2016b). Acute effects of walking in forest environments on cardiovascular and metabolic parameters. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 111(11), 2845–2853. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-011-1918-z
McGroarty, B. (n.d.). New study reveals wellness tourism now a $639 billion market–to reach $919 billion by 2022. The Global Wellness Institute (GWI). https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/press-room/press-releases/new-study-reveals-wellness-tourism-now-a-639-billion-market
Morita, E., Fukuda, S., Nagano, J., Hamajima, N., Yamamoto, H., Iwai, Y., Nakashima, T., Ohira, H., & Shirakawa, T. (2007). Psychological effects of forest environments on healthy adults: Shinrin-yoku (forest-air bathing, walking) as a possible method of stress reduction. Public Health, 121(1), 54–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2006.05.024
Morita, E., Imai, M., Okawa, M., Miyaura, T., & Miyazaki, S. (2011). A before and after comparison of the effects of forest walking on the sleep of a community-based sample of people with sleep complaints. BioPsychoSocial Medicine, 5(1), Article 13. https://doi.org/10.1186/1751-0759-5-13
Mygind, L., Kjeldsted, E., Hartmeyer, R. D., Mygind, E., Bølling, M., & Bentsen, P. (2019). Immersive nature-experiences as health promotion interventions for healthy, vulnerable, and sick populations? A systematic review and appraisal of controlled studies. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, Article 943. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00943
O'Brien, M., Anderson, H., Kaukel, E., O'Byrne, K., Pawlicki, M., von Pawel, J., & Reck, M. (2004). SRL172 (killed Mycobacterium vaccae) in addition to standard chemotherapy improves quality of life without affecting survival, in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: Phase III results. Annals of Oncology, 15(6), 906–914. https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdh220
Park, B. J., Tsunetsugu, Y., Kasetani, T., Kagawa, T., & Miyazaki, Y. (2010). The physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing): Evidence from field experiments in 24 forests across Japan. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 15, 18–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12199-009-0086-9
Sheldon, P. J., & Bushell, R. (2009). Introduction to wellness and tourism. In R. Bushell & P. J. Sheldon (Eds.), Wellness and tourism: Mind, body, spirit, place (pp. 3–18). Cognizant Communication Corporation.
Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital. (2024, May 23). Do you have high blood pressure? http://www.siphhospital.com/th/news/article/share/hypertensio [in Thai]
Smith, M., & Kelly, C. (2006). Wellness tourism. Tourism Recreation Research, 31(1), 1–4.
Suteethorn, K. (2021). Shinrin-yoku and urban forests: A systematic review of forest bathing in urban landscape. Academic Journal of Architecture, 72, 17–32. https://so01.tci-thaijo.org/thaijo.org/index.php/AJA/article/view/247287/167812 [in Thai]
Tsunetsugu, Y., Park, B.-J., & Miyazaki, Y. (2010). Trends in research related to ‘‘Shinrin-yoku’’ (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing) in Japan. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 15, 27–37. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12199-009-0091-z
Ulrich, R. S., Simons, R. F., Losito, B. D., Fiorito, E., Miles, M. A., & Zelson, M. (1991). Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 11(3), 201–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(05)80184-7
Wongpakaran, N., & Wongpakaran, T. (2010). The Thai version of the PSS-10: An investigation of its psychometric properties. BioPsychoSocial Medicine, 4, Article 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/1751-0759-4-6
Winter, P. L., Selin, S., Cerveny, L., & Bricker, K. (2020). Outdoor recreation, nature-based tourism, and sustainability. Sustainability, 12(1), Article 81. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12010081
Yampiw, S. (2020, October 24). The Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, uses the forest and nature to relieve urban stress in a short amount of time. The Cloud. https://readthecloud.co/forest-bathing [in Thai]