In the coming years, competition between tourism suppliers for those few individuals who have the health, wealth, and risk profile to travel will be fierce. As it is crucial to understand what motivates wellness tourists, the industry must work with academics to understand the factors which affect motivation. The aim of this exploratory study is twofold. First, this study investigates factors that motivate wellness tourists. Secondly, it seeks to synthesise and validate a wellness tourist motivation scale (WTMS). Study 1 analysed qualitative data from a 2019 industry survey asking respondents about their motivations for going on wellness vacations. Seven motivational dimensions emerged; Movement & Fitness, Healthy Food & Diet, Meditation & Mindfulness, Rest & Relaxation, Learning about Wellness, Self-Care and Nature & Disconnect. From these seven dimensions, wellness tourism industry experts and tourism scholars assisted in creating a survey instrument, representing emergent themes from the data. A Wellness Tourist Motivation Scale (WTMS) was synthesised with twenty-eight items (four motivational items per dimension). In study 2, these twenty-eight statements were tested with 2,267 survey respondents, of which 93% came from North America. The results give a comprehensive overview of North American-based wellness tourism consumer motivation.

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The Ontario Government passed the Ontario Green Energy and Green Economy Act in 2009. The Act promoted wind turbines and solar panels as a major component of the energy supply for the Province of Ontario as a replacement for coal-fired electricity generation plants. This article provides an economic assessment of the rationales that were offered for this policy, specifically, that the Act would help the Government of Ontario reduce the province’s reliance on fossil fuels, reduce carbon emissions, and stimulate the economy through the creation of jobs. The effects of the policy on the cost of electricity in the province are also considered. The analysis concludes that the Act will not reduce the Province of Ontario’s reliance on fossil fuels due to the inefficiency and unpredictability of wind turbines, ultimately leading to the need to use energy from more readily available sources of electricity such as gas. The need for fossil fuel backup also limits the potential to reduce the green house gas emissions. Keywords: Ontario Green Energy and Green Economy Act (2009); renewable energy; economic review

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