Wellness tourism has undergone rapid development in recent decades. Based on the transmission model of inspiration, this article aims to explore the antecedents and consequences of tourist inspiration in the context of wellness tourism. Survey data (N = 494) from Shizhu county, a well-known China local tourism destination renowned for its health-and-wellness tourism, showed that tourist inspiration can be elicited by a wellness tourism experience, which in turn has a positive influence on tourist engagement. By using openness to experience as a moderating factor, we uncovered significant and positive relationships between experience and inspiration when tourists have high levels of openness to experience. Through this original study focusing on relationship management in wellness tourism, we demonstrated the cruciality of inspiration and its underlying role in creating tourist engagement. Our research results have yielded theoretical and practical findings and outcomes that will benefit both academia and industry practitioners alike.