WHY WELLNESS TOURISM INDUSTRY IS GROWING FASTER?

Wellness tourism is considered a trend in 2022 when many people are willing to spend money to travel to improve the feeling of stress and fatigue due to the pandemic.  This is a form of wellness and relaxation where each participant will experience health care activities or services.

Why wellness tourism industry is growing faster? / ph: pexels 

It is forecasted that the world health tourism market will grow rapidly and strongly after the global tourism industry recovers from the pandemic. Particularly, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), by 2030, tourists will travel for the following purposes: sightseeing, wellness and entertainment will account for 54% of the total number of international tourists;  visitation, health and religion travel account for about 31%;  job and profession accounted for 15%.

On the other hand, UNWTO believes that, with the trend of population aging, the demand for life quality, tourism, rest, medical treatment and health care is increasingly focused and demanded to be met more in terms of quality as well as quantity, gradually become more popular and there is market segmentation to meet those needs.

According to a forecast by data analytics organization GWI, the average annual growth rate of wellness tourism at 20.9% (from 2020 to 2025) is higher than health-related fields as beauty, spa businesses,.. This prospect deserves attention because of the epidemic, the hotel industry is increasingly concerned about the health of its guests. Wellness travelers also spend more money than regular travelers, averaging $1,601 per trip.

The GWI report also adds that wellness tourists are often richer, more educated and travel more.  They are willing to spend more money on travel experiences, services and amenities that support their health and well-being.

According to a survey by American Express, 70% of respondents said that they are working on more health-related goals than in pre-pandemic years.  76% said that they want to spend more on travel to improve their health.  55% said that they are willing to pay more for wellness activities during future vacations.

It is worth mentioning that in the past 5 years, Asia has led both in the number of visitors and in revenue from wellness tourism.  If this tourism type maintains an average growth rate of 7.5%/year, it will contribute 18% to the global tourism industry.  In some countries as India, Japan, Korea, Singapore, China, Thailand, Indonesia, wellness tourism has become a popular and developed tourism form.