A Study of Guests’ Motivation to Select Ayurvedic Hotels in Sri Lanka: A Case Study of Baberyn Beach Hotel, Weligama

Abstract

The concept of Ayurveda hotels and their rapid expansion in island- wide has been noticed by the industry and academics for several years after re-establishing the peace & harmony inside the country in 2009. Even though the demand has increased, it has not been investigated why tourists are demanding the Ayurveda hotels in Sri Lankan context. Therefore, the objective of this study is to examine the pull motivational factors that affect tourists’ decision in their choice of Ayurvedic tourist hotels in Sri Lanka. The study has employed a mix-method where both quantitative and qualitative techniques such as questionnaire survey & interviews were utilized for data gathering. The mean ranking & descriptive statements were utilized for the data analysis. The findings demonstrate that Authentic Ayurveda treatments are the most compelling pull motivation forces followed by Sri Lankan Hospitality, Exotic Atmosphere, and Authentic Sri Lankan culture, Value for money & Safety & security. The results of this study may offer useful information regarding guests’ pull motivation factors which could benefit hotel managers in designing marketing strategies such as targeting, packaging, and advertisement.