This Year’s Biggest Wellness Tourism Trends To Watch

The Global
Wellness Institute estimates that wellness tourism, expanding at an average
growth rate of 16.6 percent over the next five years, will reach a record $1
trillion by the end of 2024 and 1.3 trillion by 2025. It is one of, if not the
fastest-growing tourism segment, as travelers increasingly seek to mitigate the
effects of today’s hustle culture and harried lifestyle. 

Whereas wellness
on vacation used to mean trying to maintain a semblance of your usual diet and
getting yourself to the hotel’s fitness center, the term “wellness” has now
become far more multidimensional. And, while wellness tourism may still
incorporate the conventional spa experience and such traditional treatments as
massage therapy, today’s wellness trips often encompass other, more
outside-the-box experiences. 

2024’s wellness
tourism trends reflect a more holistic view of personal well-being, with mental
and emotional, as well as physical, recuperation and optimization being the
larger goal. The quest for better health is also expanding beyond the immediate
moment, with a focus on longevity, a term which in this case has come to mean
not just the number of years you live, but the quality of those years. 

That’s why plenty
of people are trading the immediate pleasures of a fun-time getaway for a more long-term
results-oriented vacation. It’s also why more and more hotels and resorts are
enhancing their wellness offerings to go beyond the spa, infusing wellness concerns
into guests’ entire stay, from private fitness facilities and custom-tailored
dietary plans to outdoor programming to reconnect with nature and biohacking
using cutting-edge technologies. 

Woman at a wellness retreat in Bali, Indonesia. (Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/puhhha)

Biohacking 

The buzzword
“biohacking” refers to practices that might share some aspects with medical
tourism, such as diagnostic screening, sleep tracking, and special diet plans
or fasting. But, it also goes beyond that to encompass technological
advancements, using tools like AI and wearable tech as tools to help guests
optimize their health. It can also incorporate unconventional modalities and newer
treatments, such as photobiomodulation,
infrared PEMF, cryotherapy, compression tech, hyperbaric oxygen chambers and vitamin
IV infusions. These days, you don’t have to go to a secluded retreat and
isolate from the rest of the world to enjoy these benefits—you can even combine
them with your beach vacation. For example, the Four
Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea has just introduced its Next|Health Longevity Protocol package, a multifaceted wellness approach
that incorporates such cutting-edge therapies such as ozone, stem cells, exosomes
and NAD+ (also called the “fountain of youth”).

Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, Hawaii. (Photo Credit: Four Seasons)

Sleep Tourism

The sleep tourism market is estimated
to grow by nearly eight percent annually and by over
$400 billion through 2028, according to an analysis by HTF Market Intelligence,
with the market value currently sitting at $640.9 Billion. These figures
illustrate the fact that sleep hygiene has become so important, and a good
night’s sleep so elusive, that many hotels and resorts are focusing their
efforts intensely on helping guests catch some quality zzz’s during their
vacation, including introducing special rooms, suites and whole retreats that
are uniquely designed for the purpose. And, that doesn’t just mean offering a
soft mattress and cushy pillows, but leveraging cutting-edge technologies to
tip the odds of achieving a satisfying snooze session in your favor. 

According to Condé Nast Traveler, some of these special rooms, like those
at California’s Mission Pacific Beach Resort, are even equipped with AI-powered smart
beds that dynamically heat and cool the body while you’re sleeping. Meanwhile,
at Carillon Miami
Wellness Resort, guests
who sign up for a
four-night Sleep Well Retreat benefit from not only a Bryte Balance Smart Bed,
but also complementary treatments like harmonic sound, vibroacoustic, electromagnetic, and infrared
therapies to help de-stress and rebalance their minds and bodies.

Hilton recently introduced
its first dedicated
Sleep Retreats at Maui’s Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort and Conrad
Orlando, and has plans to expand the program soon. These specialized escapes
are part of a new partnership the hospitality giant has forged with sleep
science expert Dr. Rebecca Robbins to infuse evidence-based research and
scientific insights into sleep programming design at Hilton. 

Wild Wellness

According to Hilton’s 2024 Trends Report, nearly half of travelers are
looking to prioritize exploration and adventure, with Gen Z and
Millennials (52 percent each) actively seeking out ways to connect with nature and
scheduling off-the-beaten-path excursions. Sure, it may sound like simply going
camping would fit the bill, but discerning travelers are seeking more luxurious
“wild wellness” experiences. And this dovetails in with another emerging trend called
bio-harmonizing—the pursuit of resetting one’s natural balance and rhythms, which
often translates to nature immersion experiences, whether that be forest
bathing, outdoor adventuring or sleep sessions under the stars.

Some fall under
the category of extraordinary opportunities you only gain access to while
traveling farther afield, like those at The
Tryall Club in Montego
Bay, Jamaica. There, guests can swim in the bioluminescent waters of the area’s
glowing blue lagoon, one of the only places in the world where you can
experience this natural phenomenon nearly all year long. Or, you might opt to go
on a guided trek with the property’s own Environment and Conservation Manager, forest
bathing on its private land while working your way down to a secret river. 

The new Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines reveals a uniquely Caribbean vacation experience (Photo Credit: Sandals)

Private Fitness

Apparently, it’s
no longer enough to visit the communal fitness center during wellness-focused
escapes and exclusivity is the name of the game. In-room exercise sessions are
becoming the way to work out for wellness-seekers who aren’t feeling so social.
Part of this trend can be attributed to the increased prevalence of equipment
like Peloton bikes, which offer individualized fitness training on demand. The
brand-new Sandals
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has debuted a brand-first with its new
Lady Palm Club Suites, two-room
suites that feature a separate, private exercise room that’s fully
outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment by Technogym, including two exercise
bikes, athletic programming, yoga mats, stretch kit and an assortment of free
weights. 

The Tryall Club, Montego Bay, Jamaica. (Photo Credit: The Tryall Club)

Wellness at Sea

While there have
been spas aboard cruise ships for quite some time, these days, some cruise
lines are taking their commitment to onboard wellness programs even further
with dedicated programming that marries luxury with wellness. Aboard the Regent
Seven Seas Cruises’ vessel Seven Seas Splendor, in the 4,443-square-foot,
11,000-dollar-per-night Regent Suite, you’ll find a $200,000 Hästens Vividus
custom handmade mattress, complete with satiny smooth bed linens made from
batiste makò cotton and 100-percent virgin Alaskan goose down, which helps guests
maintain their ideal body temperature as they sleep. This palatial abode at sea
also boasts an in-suite spa retreat with a personal sauna, steam room and
treatment area, which comes complete with unlimited spa treatments.

On the
other hand, aboard Uniworld
Boutique River Cruises’ India sailings, all guests are invited to experience
an exclusive wellness program, specifically focused on the destination’s
ancient tradition and practice of yoga. While on board the Ganges Voyager II,
travelers can benefit from the wisdom of a dedicated professional yogi who guides
two yoga classes daily, one-on-one sessions, meditation practice and advice on
holistic living throughout the trip.

Seven Seas Splendor. (Photo via Regent Seven Seas Cruises)

Grief
Travel

The past few years
have been filled with fear, uncertainty and loss, so it really ought to come as no surprise
that a whole new subsection of travel has sprung up around helping people process
their grief and turn their emotional pain into positive momentum.

This type of
tourism goes beyond the traditional realms of talk therapy to tackle bereavement
in a more holistic way. And, death is not the only type of loss that can lead
travelers to seek out these retreats—they may need to mourn the loss of a
relationship or recover from a traumatic event. Everyone handles grief
differently, so these getaways can take on various forms, and incorporate
aspects ranging from counseling and group workshops to chakra realignment and acupuncture to the cathartic power of physical pursuits.

For those who are looking for powerful healing
in a more private setting, there are programs like the one at Carillon Miami
Wellness Resort, which
employs a resident hypnotherapist
to help guests tap directly into their subconscious to release emotional
blockages. If you’re looking to leave your grief farther behind geographically
speaking, you might head to The Place
Retreat in beautiful Bali, a serene sanctuary for those in need of and
psychological healing. There, guests get a minimum of three weekly private therapy
sessions with renowned psychotherapist Jean-Claude Chalmet, and can take
advantage of such holistic practices and treatments as clinical hypnosis, yoga,
meditation, acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine on site. 

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