Latest guide to one of the fastest growing niches in the travel industry

Travel Market Report has launched its Wellness Travel Outlook for 2020-2021. Of the 1,100 travel advisors surveyed, 71% said that their annual sales for wellness travel is likely to increase in 2021, whether it be spa vacations solely focused on wellness or adventure travel with some wellness component included.

The Outlook defines any travel that is focused on improving well-being as wellness travel, including dedicated health retreats and bespoke wellness vacations.

The report says that the affluent traveller will be a key segment that will help grow wellness travel. Many wellness travellers are intent on reaching a personal goal or outcome during their healthy vacation. They will often travel solo during their initial primary trip but later return taking along a friend, or partner, to share the experience with them.

Holistic and preventative health care measures are increasingly at the centre of consumer decision-making when it comes to wellness travel. The top client motivators for taking a wellness vacation was to enhance their quality of life at 55%. Among these clients, 51% booked travel (vacations) for more than 7 nights.

As travel becomes more complicated; people will not travel unless they know their well-being is taken care of. There will be more thoughtfulness before taking a break, and more travellers will seek out experiences that allow them to rejuvenate and recover from the restrictions on regular life. This could signal a take-off for high-end wellness travel.

Hygiene is the new baseline and the high standards that have been implemented due to the pandemic will need to remain in place. The report suggests that suppliers need to get better at offering products with a high quotient of wellness attached to it, alongside more innovative wellness experiences.