As travel ramps up again, nature and safety are
ranked as extremely important by consumers.
Anne Dimon reports on the latest findings from
Wellness Tourism Association research
Bali is one of the top desinations cited by consumers interested in wellness travel / shutterstock/bogdanhoda
The key challenge for the Wellness Tourism Association (WTA) 2021 Wellness Travel Consumer Survey was to establish what wellness-minded consumers consider to be most important as global travel begins to grow again.
The third survey of its kind conducted since the WTA launched in 2018, the objective this time was to give spa operators and the hospitality industry a clearer understanding of consumers’ priorities as they start planning to travel.
Business improving Members of the WTA are reporting business is looking up. Kimberly Rossi, wellness and business development director at the Art of Living Retreat Center in North Carolina, says there has been a steady stream of visitors since reopening: “People are ready – more than ever – to explore, be with others and practice radical self-care,” she says.
Some operators are running at higher capacity and charging more than pre-COVID. “In some segments, we’re seeing more than a 20 per cent increase in both guests numbers and room rates when compared with 2020 and 2019,” says Denise Perkins, vice president of marketing at the Garden of the Gods Resort and Club and Strata Integrated Wellness and Spa in Colorado.
In Switzerland, Marina Oshchepkova, senior medical sales manager, at Bürgenstock Hotels, says the Healthy by Nature wellness concept, launched in 2019 at the Waldhotel in Switzerland, welcomed three times as many guests between January and September of 2021.
Davina Bernard, director of wellness for Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in Canada says enquiries for multi-day, wellness-focused retreats have significantly increased. “People are searching for holistic programmes now, which they would never have considered prior to the pandemic,” she says.
Cleanliness ‘a top priority’ A certified safe and clean hotel environment ranked number one across the three main generational cohorts surveyed (Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers) and research sponsor, WeTravel – which reached US$20m (€17.4m, £14.6m) in wellness-related bookings last year – reports retreat leaders are booking out places such as boutique hotels for groups of six to 12 people.
Sustainability and green practices also ranked highly, with consumers reportedly pushing retreat leaders to choose eco-friendly accommodation, donate a portion of sales to a cause, or add a volunteering dimension to their trip.
Researchers asked an open question in relation to what would be considered ‘must-haves’ and three main themes emerged – safety, access to stillness and quiet spaces and nature and the outdoors.
Desire for nature Even though “access to fitness activities in nature” was included in the overall top five offerings and was rated extremely important by respondents, these same consumers also overwhelmingly included references to nature and the outdoors in their responses to the open question.
The importance of nature has been an overriding theme for wellness travellers since the WTA began conducting surveys in 2018, and there’s every indication that the demand for access to easily accessible natural assets – along with the opportunity to spend time in nature – will continue.
When asked what might influence them most when it came to booking wellness-travel over the next two years, respondents cited price; flexibility with both bookings and cancellation policies; trust in the supplier, and destination management in relation to how well local lawmakers are managing the pandemic.
Call of the ocean Another question asked which geographical regions would be favoured when people feel comfortable travelling again. Reflecting the demographic of the respondents, the US was the most popular country, and Hawaii the most preferred state. South east Asian countries, particular Bali and Thailand, were mentioned and Italy was the most selected country in Europe. Costa Rica was the favoured country in Latin America, and the Caribbean was an often-mentioned destination.
When asked why they chose those places, the prominent theme was nature, with recipients using words such as beautiful, beaches and ocean, climate, outdoor adventures and tranquility. Others made their selections based on locations being safe, easy and close to home or being on their bucket list.
Overall, the takeaways for stakeholders are that demand for wellness-focused travel is increasing. Consumers rank nature and safety as top priorities when planning their wellness travels, and Millennials especially are currently planning trips. Finally, regenerative travel, which incorporates sustainability efforts, green practices, engaging and giving back to local communities, will continue to gain prominence.
• Anne Dimon is CEO of the WTA
These 10 offerings were rated
as less important
• Restaurant menus that catering for dietary restrictions
• Access to medical practitioners for one-on-one consultations or medical testing that could predict a predisposition to future medical issues
• Access to fitness trackers and apps (that can monitor heart rate and body temperature in real time)
• Touchless points of access (digital check-in/check-out, motion-sensor amenities, voice-controlled elevator technology, digital room keys, phone controlled features, face recognition, etc.)
• Wellness-focused opportunities integrated into building design (incorporating nature indoors, in-room fitness spaces, pathways to encourage use of stairs instead of elevators, active workstations such as treadmill desks, etc.)
• Access to mental health professionals
• Access to nutritionists
• Access to other wellness practitioners
• Access to learning opportunities (wellness-focused classes, healthy-eating demos etc.)
• Spaces / classes / activities to meet and engage with like-minded people
About the WTa survey
The three-month online survey was carried out during April, May and June 2021.
The gathering of survey data was administered by the Wellness Tourism Association (WTA) in collaboration with WTA research associate, Danny Kessler PhD, assistant professor at Dongseo University, while the International College in Busan, South Korea, collected responses from close to 2,500 consumers from 52 countries and territories.
About the respondents:
•
64% female
• 65% between the ages of 26 and 54
• 43% have an annual income of more than US$75,000 (€64,660, £55,000)
• 60% have a Bachelor’s degree or higher.
• 84% reported they participate in wellness activities when they travel
• 61% reported they’re planning a wellness vacation
• 50% of those planning a wellness
vacation were Millennials
• 75% were from the US
Participants were asked to rank a collection of 16 assets, amenities, activities and other offerings that had been sourced from industry data and expertise.
The data collected revealed what offerings are most important to key consumers as they plan their future wellness travel.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2022 issue 1
"When you know you're doing things right, you have power" – Deborah Szekely talks to Spa Business
Spa People: Zoe Wall
Zoe Wall talks about driving the global spa and wellness agenda at Kerzner
New opening: Healing oasis
Zoya, a new integrative health and wellbeing retreat, is opening in the Middle East, as Megan Whitby reports
Interview: Deborah Szekely
As the 'godmother of spa' approaches her 100th birthday, Jan Kitchen travelled to Rancho La Puerta to find out more about her extraordinary life
First Person: Siempre Mejor!
After 82 years, Rancho La Puerta is
still beloved among guests around
the world, who return year after
year for a dose of holistic wellbeing.
Jane Kitchen spent a week at the
Mexican resort to discover how the
spirit of ‘Siempre mejor!’ or ‘Always
better!’ lives on in the 21st century
Sponsored: Phytomer: Celebrating the sea
The story surrounding Phytomer is one of a unique wellness vision, a loyal family, remarkable marine science and pioneering skincare. We talk to deputy general manager Mathilde Gédouin-Lagarde as the company celebrates its 50th anniversary
GWS: Boston strong
If you missed the GWS – or even if you were there – Jane Kitchen's detailed report will give you endless useful actionable insights
Promotion: Yon-ka: Plant power
Benefiting from its founders’ passion for plants, Yon-Ka’s new brand identity reflects its past and its continued research into the healing power of plants which enables the company to craft innovative formulas that deliver results
First person: Paradise at Preidlhof
Lisa Starr travelled to Italy to interview Patrizia Bortolin for Spa Business and experience all that Preidlhof has to offer
Q&A: Patrizia Bortolin
Lisa Starr talks to the award winning visionary
who’s injecting new vigour into Preidlhof
Promotion: Reconnect with ISPA
After a two-year absence, ISPA’s annual Conference offers its
members an opportunity to reconnect and to learn more about
the available tools that can help them recharge their businesses
Q&A: Daniele Vastolo
Chiva-Som has opened a major new property in Qatar, with treatments focused on Traditional Arabic and Islamic Medicine. We talk to the GM
Research: Human nature
Anne Dimon reports on the latest research insights from the Wellness Tourism Association
Saunas: Aufguss
The first aufguss sauna experience in the US has opened in Las Vegas, as Cassandra Cavanah reports
Software: Getting (Hyper) personal
Software that drives generational marketing can create hyper-personalised offerings, as Karen Maxwell discovers
Supplier showcase: Art of Cryo: Best of both worlds
Art of Cryo is blending its high-performance cryotherapy
solutions with intermittent vacuum therapy to offer a
complete and effective whole-body wellness experience
Promotion: Comfort Zone
From 2022, Comfort Zone’s products are going plastic-neutral, certified by Plastic Bank
In a world where imbalance often accumulates quietly, Wildsmith unveils its newest
wellbeing innovation: Silent Loads, an approach designed to meet the needs of modern spa
guests with precision and depth. [more...]
As travel ramps up again, nature and safety are
ranked as extremely important by consumers.
Anne Dimon reports on the latest findings from
Wellness Tourism Association research
Bali is one of the top desinations cited by consumers interested in wellness travel / shutterstock/bogdanhoda
The key challenge for the Wellness Tourism Association (WTA) 2021 Wellness Travel Consumer Survey was to establish what wellness-minded consumers consider to be most important as global travel begins to grow again.
The third survey of its kind conducted since the WTA launched in 2018, the objective this time was to give spa operators and the hospitality industry a clearer understanding of consumers’ priorities as they start planning to travel.
Business improving Members of the WTA are reporting business is looking up. Kimberly Rossi, wellness and business development director at the Art of Living Retreat Center in North Carolina, says there has been a steady stream of visitors since reopening: “People are ready – more than ever – to explore, be with others and practice radical self-care,” she says.
Some operators are running at higher capacity and charging more than pre-COVID. “In some segments, we’re seeing more than a 20 per cent increase in both guests numbers and room rates when compared with 2020 and 2019,” says Denise Perkins, vice president of marketing at the Garden of the Gods Resort and Club and Strata Integrated Wellness and Spa in Colorado.
In Switzerland, Marina Oshchepkova, senior medical sales manager, at Bürgenstock Hotels, says the Healthy by Nature wellness concept, launched in 2019 at the Waldhotel in Switzerland, welcomed three times as many guests between January and September of 2021.
Davina Bernard, director of wellness for Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in Canada says enquiries for multi-day, wellness-focused retreats have significantly increased. “People are searching for holistic programmes now, which they would never have considered prior to the pandemic,” she says.
Cleanliness ‘a top priority’ A certified safe and clean hotel environment ranked number one across the three main generational cohorts surveyed (Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers) and research sponsor, WeTravel – which reached US$20m (€17.4m, £14.6m) in wellness-related bookings last year – reports retreat leaders are booking out places such as boutique hotels for groups of six to 12 people.
Sustainability and green practices also ranked highly, with consumers reportedly pushing retreat leaders to choose eco-friendly accommodation, donate a portion of sales to a cause, or add a volunteering dimension to their trip.
Researchers asked an open question in relation to what would be considered ‘must-haves’ and three main themes emerged – safety, access to stillness and quiet spaces and nature and the outdoors.
Desire for nature Even though “access to fitness activities in nature” was included in the overall top five offerings and was rated extremely important by respondents, these same consumers also overwhelmingly included references to nature and the outdoors in their responses to the open question.
The importance of nature has been an overriding theme for wellness travellers since the WTA began conducting surveys in 2018, and there’s every indication that the demand for access to easily accessible natural assets – along with the opportunity to spend time in nature – will continue.
When asked what might influence them most when it came to booking wellness-travel over the next two years, respondents cited price; flexibility with both bookings and cancellation policies; trust in the supplier, and destination management in relation to how well local lawmakers are managing the pandemic.
Call of the ocean Another question asked which geographical regions would be favoured when people feel comfortable travelling again. Reflecting the demographic of the respondents, the US was the most popular country, and Hawaii the most preferred state. South east Asian countries, particular Bali and Thailand, were mentioned and Italy was the most selected country in Europe. Costa Rica was the favoured country in Latin America, and the Caribbean was an often-mentioned destination.
When asked why they chose those places, the prominent theme was nature, with recipients using words such as beautiful, beaches and ocean, climate, outdoor adventures and tranquility. Others made their selections based on locations being safe, easy and close to home or being on their bucket list.
Overall, the takeaways for stakeholders are that demand for wellness-focused travel is increasing. Consumers rank nature and safety as top priorities when planning their wellness travels, and Millennials especially are currently planning trips. Finally, regenerative travel, which incorporates sustainability efforts, green practices, engaging and giving back to local communities, will continue to gain prominence.
• Anne Dimon is CEO of the WTA
These 10 offerings were rated
as less important
• Restaurant menus that catering for dietary restrictions
• Access to medical practitioners for one-on-one consultations or medical testing that could predict a predisposition to future medical issues
• Access to fitness trackers and apps (that can monitor heart rate and body temperature in real time)
• Touchless points of access (digital check-in/check-out, motion-sensor amenities, voice-controlled elevator technology, digital room keys, phone controlled features, face recognition, etc.)
• Wellness-focused opportunities integrated into building design (incorporating nature indoors, in-room fitness spaces, pathways to encourage use of stairs instead of elevators, active workstations such as treadmill desks, etc.)
• Access to mental health professionals
• Access to nutritionists
• Access to other wellness practitioners
• Access to learning opportunities (wellness-focused classes, healthy-eating demos etc.)
• Spaces / classes / activities to meet and engage with like-minded people
About the WTa survey
The three-month online survey was carried out during April, May and June 2021.
The gathering of survey data was administered by the Wellness Tourism Association (WTA) in collaboration with WTA research associate, Danny Kessler PhD, assistant professor at Dongseo University, while the International College in Busan, South Korea, collected responses from close to 2,500 consumers from 52 countries and territories.
About the respondents:
•
64% female
• 65% between the ages of 26 and 54
• 43% have an annual income of more than US$75,000 (€64,660, £55,000)
• 60% have a Bachelor’s degree or higher.
• 84% reported they participate in wellness activities when they travel
• 61% reported they’re planning a wellness vacation
• 50% of those planning a wellness
vacation were Millennials
• 75% were from the US
Participants were asked to rank a collection of 16 assets, amenities, activities and other offerings that had been sourced from industry data and expertise.
The data collected revealed what offerings are most important to key consumers as they plan their future wellness travel.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2022 issue 1
"When you know you're doing things right, you have power" – Deborah Szekely talks to Spa Business
Spa People: Zoe Wall
Zoe Wall talks about driving the global spa and wellness agenda at Kerzner
New opening: Healing oasis
Zoya, a new integrative health and wellbeing retreat, is opening in the Middle East, as Megan Whitby reports
Interview: Deborah Szekely
As the 'godmother of spa' approaches her 100th birthday, Jan Kitchen travelled to Rancho La Puerta to find out more about her extraordinary life
First Person: Siempre Mejor!
After 82 years, Rancho La Puerta is
still beloved among guests around
the world, who return year after
year for a dose of holistic wellbeing.
Jane Kitchen spent a week at the
Mexican resort to discover how the
spirit of ‘Siempre mejor!’ or ‘Always
better!’ lives on in the 21st century
Sponsored: Phytomer: Celebrating the sea
The story surrounding Phytomer is one of a unique wellness vision, a loyal family, remarkable marine science and pioneering skincare. We talk to deputy general manager Mathilde Gédouin-Lagarde as the company celebrates its 50th anniversary
GWS: Boston strong
If you missed the GWS – or even if you were there – Jane Kitchen's detailed report will give you endless useful actionable insights
Promotion: Yon-ka: Plant power
Benefiting from its founders’ passion for plants, Yon-Ka’s new brand identity reflects its past and its continued research into the healing power of plants which enables the company to craft innovative formulas that deliver results
First person: Paradise at Preidlhof
Lisa Starr travelled to Italy to interview Patrizia Bortolin for Spa Business and experience all that Preidlhof has to offer
Q&A: Patrizia Bortolin
Lisa Starr talks to the award winning visionary
who’s injecting new vigour into Preidlhof
Promotion: Reconnect with ISPA
After a two-year absence, ISPA’s annual Conference offers its
members an opportunity to reconnect and to learn more about
the available tools that can help them recharge their businesses
Q&A: Daniele Vastolo
Chiva-Som has opened a major new property in Qatar, with treatments focused on Traditional Arabic and Islamic Medicine. We talk to the GM
Research: Human nature
Anne Dimon reports on the latest research insights from the Wellness Tourism Association
Saunas: Aufguss
The first aufguss sauna experience in the US has opened in Las Vegas, as Cassandra Cavanah reports
Software: Getting (Hyper) personal
Software that drives generational marketing can create hyper-personalised offerings, as Karen Maxwell discovers
Supplier showcase: Art of Cryo: Best of both worlds
Art of Cryo is blending its high-performance cryotherapy
solutions with intermittent vacuum therapy to offer a
complete and effective whole-body wellness experience
Promotion: Comfort Zone
From 2022, Comfort Zone’s products are going plastic-neutral, certified by Plastic Bank
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day
(GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in
alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in
Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a
series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary,
with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s
Southwest coast – the Calusa.
Swire Hotels’ luxury hospitality brand Upper House has revealed it will roll out its two-day
House of Healing retreats at its three hotels in Hong Kong, Chengdu and Shanghai.
LVMH-owned beauty house Guerlain will launch up to five spas with partners a year as part of
its plan to expand globally, according to the brand’s international spa and wellness director,
Diane Davody.
A new global study by Kevin Kelly and Peter Yesawich, called WELLSurvey 2.0, has revealed
more than half of consumers in the UK, US and Germany would not choose numerous high-
profile wellness resort brands for a future trip.
Luxury hospitality and wellness pioneer Jeremy McCarthy has launched Leisure Alchemy, a
digital platform that will provide professionals with strategic guidance on how to build
transformational leisure experiences that drive profit.
In a world where imbalance often accumulates quietly, Wildsmith unveils its newest
wellbeing innovation: Silent Loads, an approach designed to meet the needs of modern spa
guests with precision and depth. [more...]
