Health & Wellness Tourism Insights, 2019: Analysis of Traveller Types, Key Market Trends, Key Destinations, Challenges & Opportunities

This report provides analysis of traveler types and key market trends which are contributing to one of the fastest growing segments within tourism currently - health and wellness. Major and upcoming destinations are assessed, along with growth forecasts to provide valuable insight. Challenges along with opportunities in the industry are explained in relation to industry examples.

The number of countries purposefully marketing their Wellness offerings at a national level jumped from 65 in 2013 to over 100 in 2018. In the US, only eight of the fifty states marketed the sector in 2013, now over one-third promote some form of wellness tourism on their official state tourism website. A significant motivation to take a wellness holiday is mental exhaustion from work. Workplace burnout can be attributed to various reasons such as having to manage workplace conflicts, working long hours and a lack of work-life balance.

Health and Wellness tourism is highly beneficial to a host destination as this tourism type assists in strengthening a nation’s GDP, through providing an increase in services and products by diversifying a destinations tourism product. It gives primary health and wellness tourists a reason to go to a destination and secondary tourists who are loosely interested in health and wellness a reason to return to a destination.

Health and Wellness tourism also increases employment figures for countries through low-skilled jobs such as cleaning positions and higher skilled jobs such as masseuses and surgeons. Many sub-categories of health and wellness tourism are based around sustainability. Health and wellness holidays can often involve: hiking, biking, walking, volunteering, connecting to arts and culinary experiences. These activities are much more environmentally and socially responsible than usual touristic activities, which can involve negatively contributing to the pollution of city areas and staying in cut-off resort districts, which can create social divisions between tourists and the host population.

The future of wellness tourism is moving towards authenticity and personalized, bespoke facilities and services. The 17.7% CAGR forecast of health and wellness visitation in China between 2018 and 2022 is reinforced by this tourist type wanting an authentic experience. More personalized services and facilities will begin to increase in health and wellness tourism as demand from the millennial age range begins to dominate the market. Successful customization strategies will make the consumer a co-producer of value alongside the company. Successful personalization techniques will illustrate what kind of service the millennial market wants and how they want to be facilitated. This type of personalized service is why sleep retreats are growing in popularity as many elements within the retreat are bespoke.

Select Findings

• The number of countries actively marketing their wellness offerings at a national level jumped from 65 in 2013 to over 100 in 2018.
  
• Health and wellness tourism is highly beneficial to a host destination as this tourism type assists in strengthening a nation's GDP, through providing an increase in services and products by diversifying a destination's tourism product. It gives primary health and wellness tourists a reason to go to a destination and secondary tourists who are loosely interested in health and wellness a reason to return to a destination.
  
• The future of wellness tourism is moving towards authenticity and personalized, bespoke facilities and services.
  
• The USA is a long-standing, key inbound market for health and wellness tourism. In 2018, 39.1 million health and wellness tourists stayed in the US.
  

Reasons to Buy

• Gain an insight into the health and wellness tourism segment
  
• Understand the key traveler types health and wellness facilities and hotel companies can look to attract
  
• Look at the key destinations and why they appeal
  
• Gain a detailed understanding of the key trends, issues and challenges facing operators in the health and wellness space