Wellness Travel Taking Off
Everywhere we look, wellness is in the news and only getting bigger. Encompassing everything from healthy eating to fitness, spas and travel, wellness has truly asserted itself as a dominant force in everyday life, shaping consumer behavior and inspiring a wellspring of related industries to emerge.
Of these industries, wellness travel is uniquely poised to make a significant impact across Asia Pacific. Globally, travelers worldwide took 830 million wellness trips in 2017 –139 million more than in 2015 - cementing wellness travel as one of the fastest-growing travel trends. Currently constituting 17% of total tourism expenditures, there is plenty of room for the industry to grow.
As a major hub connecting Asia and the world, Hong Kong is well-positioned to be at the epicentre of this burgeoning craze. Last week at The Upper House Hong Kong, Compare Retreats hosted a panel discussion on ‘The Future of Wellness Travel’ with leading travel experts, moderated by Compare Retreats founder and editor-in-chief Dervla Louli Musgrave. Here is a snippet of some of our key takeaways from the session below:
- Leisure travel has become less about material ownership and more about experiences
- Authenticity and meaningful connections are essential for brands; in a saturated market, it is important for brands to offer value to people and be willing to discuss real issues
- The wellness industry is bridging the gap where governments and other institutions may be falling short - for example, meditation is something anyone can do and is free for all
- The Future is Female as women are heavily involved in driving wellness industries both as entrepreneurs and consumers
- As brands increasingly focus on millennial travellers, it feels like the baby boomer 50+ market is being ignored - this is an oversight considering baby boomers are wealthier and only growing in number
- Reflecting this baby boomer trend is the fact that by 2050, 1/3 of China's population will be 60+ years old
- Nature is something more and more Hong Kongers are actively seeking out
- 90% of people Compare Retreats surveyed claimed that a resort’s eco-friendliness - namely whether or not it is plastic-free - would impact their decision to stay there