Digital Communication Empowering Wellness Ecotourism in Western China: A Study on Sayram Lake’s Tourism Marketing and Health Value Co-Creation Based on the AISAS Model

In the modern world, the way we choose where to travel has changed fundamentally. It is no longer just about seeing a beautiful view; it is about how that place makes us feel inside. As the global economy shifts toward digital connections, tourism destinations are learning that their success depends on how well they communicate with people online. This field of study sits at the intersection of travel, technology, and human well-being. Researchers are increasingly interested in a concept called "wellness tourism," which moves beyond simple sightseeing to focus on activities that restore physical and mental health. To understand how people decide to visit these places, experts often use a framework known as the AISAS model. This model tracks the journey a person takes from first noticing a place, to becoming interested in it, searching for more information, taking action to book a trip, and finally sharing their experience with others. The question driving this research is simple yet profound: in an era where everyone is online, are remote natural wonders actually reaching the people who need them most, and are they telling the right story about health and healing?

A team of researchers from universities in China and Thailand set out to answer these questions by studying Sayram Lake, a stunning high-mountain lake in the western region of Xinjiang, China. This body of water, often called the "last tear of the Atlantic," is surrounded by snow-capped mountains and pristine wetlands. It is a place where nature is so untouched that it feels like a sanctuary. The researchers wanted to see if the digital marketing efforts for this lake were working effectively, specifically looking at whether they were successfully communicating the lake's potential to heal and restore visitors. They combined traditional field research with a deep dive into online data, analyzing thousands of tourist reviews, social media posts, and search trends to build a complete picture of the destination's digital life.

The study began by measuring the lake's overall appeal using a structured evaluation system. The researchers found that the natural resources themselves are exceptional. The ecological environment and the value of the tourism resources received high scores, confirming that the lake is a world-class destination with clear air, clean water, and breathtaking scenery. However, when the researchers looked at the digital side of things, the picture changed. The score for the lake's ability to communicate its value online was significantly lower. While the place is beautiful, the digital tools used to tell its story were not keeping up with the potential. The team discovered that the lake's online presence was strong within its own region but struggled to reach travelers in more distant, developed cities. The digital communication was often scattered, relying heavily on what visitors posted themselves rather than a clear, guided narrative from the destination managers.

To understand what visitors were actually feeling, the researchers analyzed nearly one thousand online reviews and social media posts. The results were revealing. A large majority of the comments from tourists focused on themes of health and wellness. Words like "healing," "relaxation," "soul purification," and "fresh air" appeared frequently. More than three-quarters of the reviews expressed positive emotions, and a significant portion of those positive feelings were directly linked to the sense of physical and mental recovery the visitors experienced. People were not just saying the view was pretty; they were saying the place made them feel better. This indicated that the lake had naturally evolved into a place for therapeutic tourism, where the primary value for many guests was the restoration of their well-being.

Despite this strong natural demand for healing, the researchers found a disconnect between what tourists wanted and what the destination was offering online. In the early stages of a traveler's journey, when they are first noticing the lake or getting interested, the official content rarely highlighted the health benefits. Instead, the focus remained on the visual beauty of the landscape. When travelers moved to the search stage, looking for specific information on how to experience this healing, they found a lack of authoritative guidance. There was little official information about where to meditate, how to practice forest bathing, or the specific health metrics of the air they were breathing. The official channels were missing the very information that visitors were actively seeking.

This gap became even more pronounced when travelers were ready to book their trip. While people could easily buy tickets for standard tours, there were very few digital options for booking specific wellness experiences. Activities like guided meditation, traditional healing sessions, or structured nature therapy were not available as bookable products on major travel platforms. The final stage of the journey, where visitors share their stories, showed a similar pattern. Tourists were eager to share their feelings of relief and joy, but they did so spontaneously without any organized support or encouragement from the destination. The official management was not actively guiding these conversations or helping to amplify the health-focused stories that were already happening.

The researchers concluded that the core problem was not a lack of beauty or a lack of interest from travelers. The lake has everything it needs to be a top-tier wellness destination. The bottleneck was in the communication strategy. The destination was still marketing itself as a place to look at, rather than a place to feel and heal. The study suggests that for places like Sayram Lake to thrive in the digital age, they must shift their approach. They need to stop treating health as a secondary feature and start presenting their natural resources as accessible health assets. This means creating clear, authoritative online content that explains the healing properties of the environment, developing specific wellness products that people can book, and actively encouraging visitors to share their health-focused experiences. By doing so, the destination can transform from a scenic spot into a recognized provider of social well-being, ensuring that the healing power of the landscape reaches the people who need it most.