A study by global travel network Virtuoso found that reducing stress and anxiety are paramount with travellers in the new year.
Similar findings were seen in ABTA's ?Travel Trends Report? of 2019, which found that ?travel companies are increasingly catering to the demand for wellness holidays, with companies such as G Adventures, Intrepid?s 18-29 brand and Uniworld offering new programmes which seek to alleviate stress and boost wellbeing.?
Virtuoso found that travellers resolving to improve themselves in 2020 are focusing on wellness of the mind and spirit ? even more than the physical. They named meditation and mindfulness as the top wellness travel activity and cited spiritual and mental wellness as significant emerging trends.
The survey revealed that the typical wellness traveller is a Generation-X woman who most frequently goes on trips with a small group of friends or solo. With today?s increasingly hectic lifestyles, due to work, family and other obligations, travellers are looking to wellness trips to provide a relaxing escape that restores balance and transforms mind, spirit and body. They are seeking to gain skills while away to help maintain that calm and support their mental, spiritual and physical health once they return home.
Asian destinations emerged strongly as favourite wellness settings. Although the U.S. tops the list of wellness travel destinations, Bali and Thailand follow close behind. Two other Asian locales, Bhutan and Vietnam, appear high on the roster of wellness destinations on the rise. The prevalence of meditation, yoga, spirituality, fresh cuisine, spa treatments and outdoor activities makes Asia compelling for travellers focusing on wellbeing.
This is a travel trend that is not expecting to slow down anytime soon, as Virtuoso specialists report that wellness tourism will continue to build.
