Wellness Tourism: What it is and Why it Matters

Benefits of a Growing Trend

Many of today’s travelers want more than simply taking a vacation and snapping photos at famous tourist sites. In an effort to boost physical, mental, and spiritual health, they are seeking out wellness tourism. Research shows that the global wellness tourism market size is expected to reach $1.02 trillion by 2030. With this increased awareness and growing demand, here’s insight to wellness tourism and its benefits.

What is wellness tourism?

Increasing awareness of health, well-being, and personal care is driving the change in tourism. The Global Wellness Institute, a nonprofit organization that educates about preventative health and wellness, defines wellness tourism as “travel associated with the pursuit of maintaining or enhancing one’s personal wellbeing.” It is about engaging in travel to maintain and improve a person’s holistic health through spiritual, physical, and psychological activities.

Why is wellness tourism important?

Research by the National Institute of Health found that people who maintained five healthy lifestyle factors lived more than a decade longer than those who didn’t maintain any of the five. Wellness tourism helps improve people’s overall wellbeing, which can be done by offering practices for self-improvement, teaching ways to eat healthy and eliminate stress, and provide a safe space to heal from trauma.Wellness tourism also helps preserve cultural traditions in certain parts of the world and introduces others to experience healing practices of other cultures.  

What are some examples of wellness tourism?

There are many different kinds of wellness retreats and experiences that can be defined as wellness tourism. They may include:

Spa retreats: Perhaps the most well-known example is when a traveler heads to a resort for relaxation and pampering. These experiences provide a variety of different treatments such as massages, facials, and body wraps. They may also include special meals, music therapy, or alternative healing methods such as sound baths or acupuncture.

Transition therapy: These are trips to engage and enhance one’s personal journey. This type of wellness tourism can help the traveler through stages such as divorce, recovering from an illness, or dealing with a difficult situation.

Meditation retreats: Typically taking place over several days, participants enjoy daily meditation sessions. Led by healers, sessions provide a period to reset, rejuvenate, and examine the inner workings of one’s mind.

Grief retreats: Bereaved people often find grief to be an isolating experience and as one grieves, mental and physical health can be compromised. These retreats provide the opportunity to socialize with others going through a profound loss. Such a retreat may offer planned meals, lectures, meditations, healing sessions, writing exercises, physical activities, and more.

Healing you’re seeking

Interested in exploring wellness tourism? At Thrive Souljourns, we know the benefit of travel on one’s mind, body, and soul. Our boutique agency keeps the staff-to-participant ratio small, allowing for individualized attention and maximum attention to your wellness. Find a wellness retreat that helps you regenerate your spirit with support you’re seeking during a healing journey.  

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