Top 5 Wellness Travel Trends
29.02.2024
The pandemic years left valuable lessons and heightened the importance of things we took for granted, including wellness. That’s why it’s unsurprising that the wellness travel tourism industry has been experiencing a boom post-COVID-19.
According to the Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2023 released by the Global Wellness Institute, the wellness tourism industry is valued at $651 billion, a staggering growth after 2020, projected to grow to $1.4 trillion in 2027.
Those impressive numbers say just one thing: wellness travel is in vogue, which means there are plenty of trends innovating the scene and promising to take over the year and beyond. Ready to meet them?
1. Wellness Travel for Women
There is an increasing awareness of women’s wellness being an unstoppable phenomenon—women are the pioneers of the wellness movement, so it makes sense to create travel experiences that cater to them.
Agencies have noticed a tangible increase in the demand and sign-up for women-only retreats, which means that throughout 2024, it’ll lead to a spike in the number of startups and businesses seeking to supply that demand.
For example, the 02 Beach Club & Spa at Barbados offers the Acqua Spa Women’s Wellness program, focused primarily on menopausal women at the hands of specialists.
2. Remote Wellness Retreats
Nowadays, even the most obscure tourist spots have become well-known and publicised thanks to social media. That is why finding travel destinations not overrun by other travellers will keep being a huge trend through 2024.
In particular, wellness retreats to remote locations away from technology and other daily stressors will pop up more than ever. People seek an escape from everyday life, and nature always stands out as the most beneficial wellness retreat.
3. Sustainable Wellness Tourism
Sustainable tourism is not a new trend—there has been an ongoing and ever-present conscientious effort to reduce the impact of travelling adventures on Mother Earth. However, sustainable wellness tourism is something that is quickly catching up.
Simply put, it combines the inward beneficial elements of wellness tourism with the outward benefits of sustainability: heal your body while doing your best to heal the planet—or at least working towards reducing the damage.
Sustainable wellness travel companies often compromise to offset their carbon footprint, invest in local environmental projects, or otherwise have a general focus on recycling and regeneration.
4. Indigenous Travelling
A particular brand of wellness travelling caters to spiritual fulfilment and the yearning for cultural bonding and experiences. In that regard, indigenous travelling is a trend gaining popularity among enthusiasts.
It involves creating experiences by the hand of the indigenous people of the destination, with a focus on immersive and cultural activities meant to preserve both the land and the culture. Of course, it also financially supports and empowers the locals and upholds indigenous entrepreneurs and businesses.
5. Blue Zone Wellness Travel
The term “blue zone” describes areas where people live much longer than average. Locations such as Okinawa in Japan, Nuoro in Italy, or Nicoya in Costa Rica are well known for their healthy and long-lived citizens—and people want to learn the secrets.
After Netflix spotlighted Blue Zones with their documentary series Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zone, you can expect a tourist boost in those areas from eager folks seeking wellness focusing on longevity.
Local businesses and travel companies are eager to capitalize on this, as plenty of Blue Zone retreats and tours focus on cuisine, exercise, mindfulness, and more.
Do You Love These Trends?
As the world of wellness travelling gets bigger and stronger, it’ll develop new facets. After all, physical, mental, and spiritual health comes in many ways, shapes and sizes.
But while sometimes trends are here to stay, on other occasions they’re nothing more than a novelty fad—only time will tell which ones in this list will stand the test of time and thrive well past 2024.
