Spa and wellness travel trends in 2018

By
IMTJ Team
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Health and Fitness Travel, wellness holiday specialist has listed their top spa and wellness travel trends for 2018.

  • Preventative Health to Eliminate Disease

With preventable diseases responsible for 70% of premature deaths worldwide each year people become increasingly aware of how unhealthy habits and lifestyle can significantly increase the risks of illness, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer. So there has been an increase in preventative health holidays to keep well-being in check. Medi-spas offer a comprehensive health check-up, counselling and spa therapies and increasingly cater to disease prevention.

  • Architectural Wellness
    Wellness architecture is reshaping the luxury travel sector, providing spaces that are not only structurally beautiful, but also comfortable, functional and sustainable. With guest welfare at the forefront, more healthy-for-human hotels are emerging, where both the design and materials used address the physical and mental health of the people inside. This includes living buildings, with greenery that grows inside, and design that encourages human movement and mindfulness.
  • Food as Medicine
    There is growing awareness of the need to replace pharmaceuticals with more natural remedies. This has led to an increase in nutrition-friendly holidays, where guests can discover the best diet for their body type and health concerns.
  • Break-up Breaks
    More people are planning wellness holidays following the breakdown of a relationship. The stress and anxiety caused by major life changes such as divorce, lead many individuals on a solo wellness trip, to tap into the transformative power of travel. Retreats are responding to this growing trend, with an array of emotional healing therapies, stress management and life coaching services.
  • Mindful Movement
    Mindfulness has been a major buzzword in the wellness world over the last few years, and 2018 is set to be the year of mindful movement. With increased awareness of the connection between the mind and body, a shift towards mindful exercise is occurring, reaping the physical and psychological benefits of exercise. 2018 will see a significant emergence of such workouts, as well as more retreats offering wellness programmes with equal focus on being active and mindful.
  • Technology for Wellness
    One of the biggest trends in the wellness industry is technology. Spa and fitness technology has become increasingly sophisticated, with traditional treatments and activities being adapted to enhance results using technical approaches, from measuring your body composition to high-tech anti-aging medi-spa treatments. Despite the growing awareness of the need for regular digital detoxing, technological advances in wellness will continue to accelerate to meet consumer demands.
  • Skip Gen Holidays
    2018 is set to be the year of skip-gen trips, where grandparents take grandchildren on once-in-a-lifetime holidays, leaving parents behind. The baby boomer generation are now retiring, with their top priorities being family and travel. Skip-gen holidays combine the two, providing the opportunity for major milestones such as graduations and special birthdays to be celebrated in style.
  • Happy Retreats
    Experiences, not things, make us happy. So people are investing more on satisfying their wanderlust than buying material goods. Activities including morning hikes and beach circuit training all foster the production of serotonin (the happy hormone) while laughter yoga, smile-asanas and inner-smile meditation are growing in popularity.
  • Now Age Holidays
    More wellness retreats are beginning to tap into the healing powers of spirituality. There is integration of holistic or alternative healing therapies with modern Western medicine. From crystal and energy healing, to reiki and light therapy, wellness retreats are bringing these unconventional healing techniques to achieve harmony of the mind, body and spirit.
  • Community Wellness
    The wellness tourism industry is placing an emphasis on social responsibility and starting to take steps to pay it forward and give back to their communities. From championing locally made commodities, supporting farmers by procuring home-grown harvests to arranging community exercises to nearby villages, schools or orphanages, resorts are spreading the essence of wellness to those who need it. The rise of eco-tourism complements these humanitarian efforts with a focus on community, environmental preservation and self-sustainability.
  • Health DNA Testing
    People can now discover the role their genes play in their overall well-being with the emerging science of DNA testing. More spas and retreats offer DNA analysis and consultations, to tailor guests’ treatment plans to their health needs, and determine any predispositions they might have to certain types of diet, exercise and lifestyle choices.
  • Healthy Ageing Population
    We are living longer, but want to look and feel younger, resulting in a boom of healthy-aging holidays to help maintain a youthful glow. Already highly popular with the Baby Boomer generation, the appeal of healthy-aging holidays is also rising in popularity with millennials; the oldest of whom are now in their mid-thirties. From collagen facials and vitamin C injections to non-surgical facelifts and menopause relief, spas and health retreats are offering consumers the opportunity to help slow down the clock.

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