Trends: How Wellness is Shaping Travel Around the World

The golden age of wellness tourism has arrived, and FINN Partners is assessing the gleam on the epoch with The Future of Wellness Tourism 2025, a new report compiled by the agency’s Global Travel Practice that was released today at the Global Wellness Summit in St. Andrews, Scotland. Available for download on FINN Partners global website, The Future of Wellness Tourism 2025 provides a deep dive into trends that will define wellness tourism around the world in the years ahead.

The 42-page report is loaded with data, expert insights, and on-the-ground examples of innovations conceived to satisfy the growing desire of travelers to experience wellness. Those include new generational cohorts that are changing how wellness products will be made and marketed; wellness technology that is radically reshaping guest experiences at hotels and destinations; and emerging hot spots where wellness is taking center stage in placemaking strategies for providers of hospitality.

“There was a time was when all a hotel needed was a massage table, steam and sauna to tempt guests with spa services. Now, the influence of wellness is everywhere in travel and hospitality, as travelers seek inventive ways to enhance their personal wellbeing,” noted Cathy Feliciano-Chon, Managing Partner of the Global Travel Practice of FINN Partners.

With the Global Wellness Institute estimating wellness tourism to reach $1.4 trillion by 2027, it is one of the fastest growing sectors in the wellness economy. Among key trends cited in the report:

• Age Benders: Blurring Generational Cohorts – At a time when chronological age matters less than biological age, 60-year-olds have the vitality of people half their age, and younger generations are adopting healthier lifestyles much earlier than the generations before them, generational demographics no longer apply.

• Nomadism: A New Segment for Wellness Tourism and Real Estate – A rising tide of new nomads is presenting plum opportunities for wellness resorts to rethink programming to encourage longer stays and residences.

• Women’s Health: A Mainstay of Wellness Programs – Women are going to extraordinary lengths to address issues from sexual wellbeing to fertility to menopause, opening the door for travel providers to offer wellness programming to meet their needs.

• Sky-High Wellness: Flying Will Enhance Your Wellbeing – By developing more human-centric experiences, the aviation industry is investing in cutting-edge technologies to transform passenger experiences into journeys of wellbeing on the ground and aloft.

• Nourishing Escapes: Wellness Influences Culinary Travel – The fastest-growing segment in tourism is feeding appetites for unique experiences as wellness inspires culinary meditations, dopamine dining, neural nutrition and more.

• Thermal Springs: Heat Up Future Wellness Destinations – Governments and developers are investing in thermal springs to satisfy a growing interest in nature-based experiences and combat overtourism by directing travelers to less-visited areas.

The Future of Wellness Tourism 2025 also identifies five countries rising to the forefront of global wellness tourism because of the scale of infrastructure investments and their hotel development pipelines, as well as their unique blend of natural resources, cultural richness, and innovative practices.

Read about how Japan has flipped the script on its hustle culture to become a global role model for longevity and mindful living; how Saudi Arabia is leapfrogging ahead as a global leader in wellness tourism; how Iceland is tapping its abundant geothermal resources to fuel a thriving wellness industry; and more.

With a diverse and passionate team working out of offices around the world, the Global Travel Practice of FINN Partners leverages a worldwide network of media relationships and industry contacts to tell creative stories about travel brands engaged in every angle of travel.

For more information on The Future of Wellness Tourism 2025 or FINN Partners Global Travel Practice, please contact Cathy Feliciano-Chon at cathy.chon@finnpartners.com.