Wellness tourism in Australia is seeing a surge in interest as Australians look to prioritise their well-being and mental health. According to new data, some local experiences are seeing more than 200 per cent growth.
Australia’s largest experience network, Big Red Group, reports a 228.4 per cent rise in bookings in the wellness category this year compared to 2023.
Spa experiences are up 19 per cent year on year as hot springs and wellness centres take market share from traditional massages and facial packages.
Big Red Group found Peninsula Hot Springs in Fingal (up 132%), Wellness Studio in Belmont (up 400%) and Polynesian Spa in Brisbane (up 855%) all had higher bookings this year.
Virtuoso and Luxury Escapes also noted that Australians and New Zealanders are prioritising relaxation, disconnection from the outside world and eco-tourism during leisure travel.
Luxury Escapes found that 36 per cent of Australians were keen to try wellness tourism experiences in 2024.
What’s trending in global wellness?
It comes as the Global Wellness Institute (GWI) valued the worldwide wellness travel market at healthy AUD$950 billion, now accounting for a significant slice of the tourism industry with even airlines getting in on the action.
GWI also noted nine top wellness tourism trends for 2024, focusing on different areas of wellbeing and travel styles.
These include wellness holidays with kids, inclusive of immersive educational and conservation experiences; an emphasis on ‘burnout’ instead of sport at recovery retreats using new technology; prioritising mental health through calming or traditional cultural therapies at wellness resorts, sleep programs and workshops and art-led activities.
GWI also points to individual needs, such as women-only retreats catering to menopause or holistic executive health checks for men and a rise in diagnostic assessment as part of the wellness experience.
Other emerging wellness tourism trends include pilgrimage travel and walking holidays, climate-adaptive hotels and facilities and ‘sportscursions’ or travel for indulging in sporting pastimes like golf, attending elite training retreats and competitions such as marathons or elite events.
Want to know more? Read about Karryon’s Open Mindset events discussing mental wellbeing in the travel industry
