In today’s fast-paced and stressful life, travel is no longer just about exploring new lands; it has become an effective way to recharge and restore mental and physical health. The trend of Wellness & Healing Travel is increasingly popular, ushering in a new era for the tourism industry where relaxation and healthcare experiences are prioritized. This unique form of tourism not only offers leisurely vacations but also focuses on improving overall health, helping travelers find balance and peace of mind.
According to a recent study by Booking.com, conducted on over 27,000 travelers from 33 countries and territories, the wellness and healing travel trend is predicted to continue to boom in 2024 and beyond. This report indicates that amidst busy work schedules and daily worries, people increasingly crave trips that help them “disconnect” from the outside world, reconnect with their inner selves, and take care of themselves in the most complete way. Wellness & Healing Travel is not just a temporary fad but has become an essential need, a “spiritual medicine” to soothe the stresses and fatigue of modern life.
Sound Sleep – A Key Element in Wellness & Healing Travel
Booking.com’s 2024 Travel Predictions report highlighted a notable statistic: nearly two-thirds (66%) of travelers from the Asia-Pacific region desire quality, uninterrupted sleep during their travels. This trend is particularly prevalent in China, Hong Kong, and Thailand, with the proportion of travelers seeking sleep-focused vacations being 83%, 76%, and 75%, respectively. Vietnam also ranks in the top tier, sharing 6th place with Singapore at 67%.
Travelers disconnecting from busy and stressful work to reconnect with themselves.
Online travel platform Booking.com notes that, in the context of increasing stress and the growing prevalence of sleep disorders, “sleep tourism” is emerging as a core element of Wellness & Healing Travel. This type of tourism combines the appeal of exploratory trips with the essential need to improve sleep quality. Mr. Varun Grover, Country Director of Booking.com in Vietnam, shared: “As society becomes increasingly fast-paced, sleep is gradually becoming a precious resource, and sleep tourism is predicted to be a popular wellness trend.”
In fact, many world-renowned hotel chains have quickly grasped this trend and expanded sleep care services for their guests. Resorts located in secluded areas, harmonizing with nature such as forests, seas, or rivers, often bring miraculous effects in improving sleep. According to Mr. Sindhu Gangola, owner and operator of the Grand Oak Manor resort in Uttarakhand, India, peaceful and nature-connected spaces have the ability to soothe the mind, helping guests easily fall into a deep sleep and wake up feeling refreshed.
Besides enjoying a relaxing space, some travelers seek more in-depth interventions to improve their sleep. Sleep care packages lasting several days, involving experts, special diets, spa therapy programs, or even using sleep-aiding devices like “cocoon rocking chairs,” are increasingly popular. For example, the Four Seasons Bali at Sayan resort offers the “Sacred Nap” experience, combining soft hammocks to lull guests into a peaceful sleep amidst the soothing sounds of nature. The Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore also provides the “Better Sleep” program with a combination of spa therapies, health-enhancing baths, and special nutritional menus, aiming to comprehensively improve sleep quality for guests.
Diverse Wellness & Healing Travel Experiences
A report by HTF Market Intelligence, a market research organization based in India, emphasizes that sleep services are becoming an indispensable part of the Wellness & Healing Travel category. This market segment is projected to achieve an impressive growth rate of 8% per year and reach a value of $400 billion by 2028. The report also points out that, “The problem many people are facing globally is insufficient sleep, and the inability to relax the mind is considered a serious impact on public health.”
Sleep tourism is becoming an essential part of wellness and mental health travel.
In addition to “sleep tourism,” the Wellness & Healing Travel trend also includes many other diverse forms, meeting the varied needs of travelers. Romantic getaways for singles are a prime example. According to surveys, 62% of single Vietnamese travelers share that they will spend time during their vacation looking for romance or a new partner. On the other hand, 38% of single travelers want to use travel time to heal from breakups.
Furthermore, private vacations for parents are also categorized as Wellness & Healing Travel. As many as 66% of parents in the Asia-Pacific region express a desire for a private trip to temporarily put aside family care activities, allowing their minds to fully relax. Booking.com even observed that 46% of travelers hope to spend time experiencing a self-sufficient lifestyle and focusing more on work-life balance.
In Vietnam, the seminar “Happy Nation – The Role and Contribution of Interdisciplinary Science” in early 2024 indicated that one of the solutions to improve the happiness index of Vietnamese people is to develop healing tourism tours. Basically, healing tourism in Vietnam is a type of tourism integrated into an eco-resort model, combining physical and mental health care activities such as meditation, yoga, psychological therapy, traditional medicine treatments, and enjoying nutritious cuisine.
According to Dr. Nguyen Thu Hanh, President of the Union of Science for Sustainable Tourism Development (STDe), healing tourism has many similarities with other forms of tourism such as health care tourism and wellness tourism. However, Wellness & Healing Travel focuses more on emotional care, soothing the soul, and bringing positive energy to travelers.
38% of Asia-Pacific travelers want to use travel time to heal from breakups.
Experts analyze that although the wellness and healing travel trend often focuses on small, individual groups of guests, this type is particularly attractive to international visitors and high-spending clientele. On the other hand, Wellness & Healing Travel often concentrates on the autumn-winter season; therefore, if developed methodically and in the right direction, this tourism trend will contribute to solving the seasonality issue of the tourism industry in the near future.
Conclusion
Wellness & Healing Travel is becoming an inevitable trend in the context of increasingly stressful and pressured modern life. Not just simply a form of tourism, it is also an effective solution for people to find balance, restore health, and regenerate energy. With strong growth potential and diverse experiences, Wellness & Healing Travel promises to continue to boom and reshape the tourism industry in the future, bringing more meaningful and valuable journeys to travelers worldwide.