5 Wellness Travel Trends for 2023 to Soothe the Body and Mind
Health fads come and go, but global interest in wellness tourism shows no signs of abating anytime soon. Wellness travel presents an opportunity for tourists to head off on vacation to focus on their physical and mental health and wellbeing.
In 2019, 936 million spa and wellness trips were made globally, according to data from the Global Wellness Institute. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, rapid growth is predicted to continue, with new wellbeing retreats and spas opening around the world and dedicated health resorts continuing to see a surge in popularity.
At a media event staged by the Global Wellness Summit (GWS) in New York on January 31, 2023, wellness experts and analysts shared insights from the latest GWS Future of Wellness trend report. According to Beth McGroarty, GWS Vice President of Research and Forecasting, a focus on solving “the loneliness of epidemic” is chief among the trends for 2023. As Beth McGroarty pointed out, the number one predictor of happiness and health is our social relationships. While the last decade saw an avalanche of at-home digital wellness products, these ultimately kept people in isolation on their endless journey of self-care. Rather, McGroarty indicated, the future of wellness lies in a transition from solo to social self-care.
Travel wellness brands are tapping into a human longing for connection, promoting community building through social club-style concepts. From modern interpretations of ancient practices like sound healing to animal therapy, we look at wellness travel trends that experts predict will feature prominently through 2023.
1. Sound Healing Journeys
The benefits of sound are well known, from listening to a soothing soundtrack to help you doze off to sleep to listening to upbeat music to motivate you throughout your workout. Spas and wellness retreats have long used music to help create a tranquil, restorative atmosphere.
Sound healing, sound bathing, and sound therapy take this principle a step further than simply listening to ambient or mood-boosting noise. Tibetan monks have incorporated singing bowls into their meditation practices for centuries. Since arriving in the West in the 1990s, sound healing has grown in popularity and is today featured in spas all over the world, the combination of vibration and sound soothing us and helping us to focus.
2. Wild Swimming
In the United Kingdom, wild swimming started trending as a pandemic-era wellness activity, with participants bathing in rivers, ponds, lakes, and the ocean, even venturing into the water during winter. Recognizing the explosion of interest in the activity, operators in the hospitality field were keen to get involved. Today, increasing numbers of hotels across the UK and beyond are adding wild swimming to their wellness programming, including options such as guided wild swimming or lakeside immersion programs.
3. Sustainable Travel
Today, countries all over the world are bearing the brunt of climate change, increasing pressure on consumers to make more ecologically conscious choices. Against this backdrop, it is unsurprising that sustainability is a growing trend in both the health and wellness industry and the travel sector. In fact, according to a survey by YouGov in the UK, more than half of global consumers agreed that they would be prioritizing sustainable travel options when planning their next trip. Many respondents showed a preference for air-free travel, enabling them to reduce their carbon footprint. Bearing in mind that an economy class return flight from New York to London generates 1.48 tonnes of CO2 emissions per passenger — double the emissions created by the average person in Ghana over the course of a whole year — the benefits of vacationers cutting down on air travel are plain to see.
4. Animal Therapy Retreats
Psychologists have long recognized that spending time with animals can be hugely beneficial to an individual’s mental health. Animal therapy can counter a variety of mental health problems, easing stress and anxiety, providing comfort, increasing motivation, and improving social skills. Indeed, animal therapy has even been shown to reduce pain levels, as well as boosting motor and movement skills. Retreats do not have to be solely devoted to animal therapy, with many incorporating contact with animals as part of other activities. Be it a walk in the countryside or scuba diving, contact with the animal world can be greatly advantageous, providing a natural boost.
5. Digital Detoxes
In an age of ever-increasing digitization, people’s lives are becoming cluttered with constant digital exposure. As an antidote, digital detox breaks have become popular with wellness vacationers, presenting an opportunity to shut down the many electronic devices that form part of our daily lives and providing time and space to refocus and reconnect with ourselves, each other, and the world around us. In the U.S., 3 out of 4 families committed to participating in a digital detox after lockdown. With 60 percent of vacationers agreeing that a traditional break does not relieve stress, a digital detox is an effective means of dealing with computer addiction, eliminating work-related communications and digital distractions, and providing the vacationer with a proper break from the pressures of their daily life.
