Today, the constant increase in the pace of our lives, advances in technology, and our increasing demand for knowledge make it more and more difficult to find time for ourselves. As a result, we have to try harder to find time for physical exercise and mental wellness, and at the same time try to improve the quality of our lives.
We’re increasingly trying to use our weekends and even holidays for this purpose and to find a temporary oasis to regain balance in our lives and restore our health.
One unstoppable trend we’re consistently witnessing on the news, in publications and social networks is people spending more and more money on products and services related to personal health and wellbeing.
According to a report from the Global Wellness Institute, the wellness industry generated approximately 3.7 trillion dollars in 2015 and experienced growth of over 10% in the last three years.
Within this sector, Wellness Tourism accounted for $563 billion, well below Beauty & Anti-Ageing with $999 billion, but above the Spa Industry, which accounted for $99.8 billion of the global wellness economy.
This data gives us an understanding of the enormous amount of money spent on health within our leisure activities.
Trends within the same category are now progressing, and the evolution of wellness consumption means we have moved from the primary focus of fitness and are far more concerned about developing and improving our mental health, through dynamics and treatments that offer inner peace and spiritual essence. More and more travellers are looking to invest their time in developments and treatments that help them to reduce stress, find inner peace, and increase emotional resiliency.
According to The Global Wellness Summit, one of the leading trends for destinations specialising in wellness programs with spas is a focus on improving mental wellness through physical workouts. As a result, psychotherapy will be a huge future trend, and guided meditation sessions will become seriously mainstream.
It also highlights drivers such as the increasing perception of beauty, as people change how they perceive true beauty, and, therefore, delve deeper into their mental and spiritual health as an engine for beauty.
Similarly, studies, such as the one from Skift on the “International Luxury Tourism Market in 2017” show that 75% of those interviewed showed an increasing interest in tourism activities and experiences linked to wellness and mental health.
In keeping with this trend, leading hotel chains and tour operators are now offering specialised wellness programs that not only aim/gear their spa services and activities to our bodies but also focus on mental development and balance through different disciplines that deal with both areas. One clear example of this is the Blue Diamond Retreat, an intensive holiday program at the Blue Diamond Luxury Boutique Hotel in the Riviera Maya surrounded by unspoilt nature that combines HIIT and Pilates, other experiences geared towards mental development like yoga, and more spiritual and rebalance with meditation and the Temazcal Ceremony.
In this case, BlueBay Hotels has harnessed the experience of trainers Nicole Sweet and Marisa Thrasher, with a proven track record in different disciplines like Pilates, Yoga and Fitness, who are also the co-founders of Fitness+ Foolishness, a company specialising in retreats and physical and personal development.
The trend has just started, and growing demands will probably lead to new offers that will boost the wellness sector, boost figures, and undoubtedly increase the amount of profit for those in the sector in the coming years.
