Top wellness travel trends for 2021

Expert lists wellness trends that will shape the industry in this new year

Holistic well-being, focused on nutrition and rejuvenation is being talked about more than ever. The global hospitality industry has seen a renewed interest in wellness tourism. Travellers are seeking out health and wellness retreats to build their immunity. According to a report by the Global Wellness Institute, wellness tourism is slated to grow at an average annual rate of 7.5 per cent by 2022.

This is higher than the projected 6.4 per cent rate for the annual growth of overall global tourism. As things gradually get back to normalcy, it is predicted that wellness is going to be a priority for everyone and people will plan their vacations around it. In the months to come, we may well see wellness tourism taking center-stage.

People will travel to places that offer health and wellness enhancing opportunities and tourism will shift from simple spa and leisure travel to health and wellness-focused travel. The anxiety and stress due to COVID-19 can be resolved with holidays in wellness-focused places that offer the essence of these holistic therapies and spirituality and well-being. Preventive healthcare is a good way to combat diseases.

More people are favoring a wellness staycation, there are new demands for immunity boosting retreats, socially distanced wellness trips, private jet wellness journeys and working remotely on holiday; personal health and fitness are now top priority for travel.

As a major hospitality group in the region, CG Hospitality is expected to strengthen the positioning and business of The Farm, both in the Philippines as well as in markets such as Europe, USA, India, Nepal, and the Middle East, by bringing a range of talents and industry experts.

Rahul Chaudhary, MD & CEO, CG Corp Global & CG Hospitality Global, told IANSlife: "The Farm at San Benito in its stride, is evolving to take over the world through its intrinsic philosophy promoting overall health and holistic well-being. It is the perfect confluence of healing ambience and atmosphere that instantly reinvigorates the senses. The constant urge to offer enhanced services and wholesome healing experience to its customers, imprints their hearts thus, leaving an urge to return. The Farm needs to be replicated across key global destinations to deliver on the ever-increasing predictions and trends around wellness. Making time to unplug is a higher priority than ever before and destinations that help achieve this balance like The Farm will be highly sought after."

He further added, "Despite the pandemic borne obstacles, The Farm at San Benito was the first medical wellness resort in the country, if not in the world, to reopen last May 16, 2020 with necessary permits and continue its operations as a medical wellness facility. In spite of many challenges such as Taal Volcano Eruption, Covid-19 pandemic, and major typhoons, The Farm recover business through positive flow through - by reducing cost; increasing revenue for healthy profit margins."

According to The Farm's medical director, Dr. Homer Lim, a certain population of people who developed Covid-19 infections will eventually have what's now called the "Post-Covid Syndrome" or long haulers. They usually will have persistent symptoms even at 2 months from recovery. The most common symptoms are loss of taste and smell, fatigue, difficulty breathing, muscle, and joint pains as well as digestive issues. With The Farm's Covid-free healing environment, medically-supervised and science-based treatments, healthy vegan and nutritious meals, and mindful movement activities -- The Farm provides a holistic approach to help Covid-19 survivors fully recover and achieve their optimum health.

The expert lists some wellness trends that are sure to shape the industry in this new year.

Staycation Wellness Boom

2021 is going to see an unprecedented rise in the number of travellers looking for domestic wellness breaks. People are searching for holidays to improve their health and fitness without always having to go overseas. Whether it's a healthy break to de-stress or an active holiday to boost physical well-being; wellness staycations are proving to be the perfect opportunity to kick start, or maintain a healthy lifestyle and boost our immunity, all from the comfort of our own country.

Immunity Booster Retreats

Covid-19 will make immunity building and enhancement major wellness trend in 2021. There's going to be an increased focus on strengthening and supporting immunity. This will lead to an increased focus on gut health and microbiome because of its relation to our immunity and brain function.

Working Remotely on Holiday to Stay Healthy

With the rise of remote work and the ongoing restrictions of Covid-19, many are leaving their home offices for the chance of working from a picturesque wellness holiday destination. Technology has facilitated many workers to perform their job effectively from anywhere there is a phone signal and a strong Wi-Fi connection. Instead of working remotely from home, we are starting to discover that working from holiday has remarkable benefits.

Self-Care Now an Essential Part of Travel

Healthy holidays with the purpose of fostering personal betterment are going to grow in relevancy through 2021, and long into the next decade. After all, it is unlikely that being unhealthy is going to become popular any time soon.

Social Distance Wellness Trips to Far Flung Destinations

A greater number of holiday makers are choosing socially distance wellness trips to destinations further afield than previous years. The greater the health risk of travel and the greater the effort, means people are more inclined to book one big holiday. Holiday goers are favoring longer healthy getaways that are further away but less risky and more secluded. Social distance holidays are popular with families, couples and solo travellers, as they provide quiet time away to strengthen relationships and focus on personal well-being. Social distance is well accommodated by many luxury hotels, providing they are in low risk Covid-19 spots. Private villa resorts at these locations provide healthy retreats that are ideal for two weeks or more of self-isolating in a beautiful, remote location.

Mindful and Sustainable Travel

2021 will see a huge rise in the relevance that sustainability takes in the travel plans of consumers as they become more mindful than ever. Consumers saw the dramatic effect emissions were having on the planet and resolved to be more mindful about the environmental impact of their actions. Staycations or holidays at resorts with a greater commitment to eco-friendly practices are going to be more popular. Wellness resorts are embracing a holistic approach to holidaying that reduces the environmental effects of a guest's stay. Likewise, consumers are now more inclined to fly less frequently, preferring one long-haul holiday a year rather than multiple short hauls.

Big Bucket List Wellness Trip

For many travellers, eager to rid themselves of the unhealthy habits picked up during lockdown, 2021 is going to be the year for a once in a lifetime bucket list wellness trip. Many seasoned travellers are keen on adventurous wellness getaways and weeks of lavish splendor. With many people feeling their health suffered from the confines of lockdown, health conscious and ambitious traveller are seeing 2021 as an opportunity to return to that pre-lockdown level with a once in a lifetime wellness trip.

Wellness Real Estate Gains Momentum

In 2018, GWI researchers forecasted that the wellness real estate and communities market would be the fastest-growing wellness segment over the next few years: expanding from a $134 billion market in 2017 to $198 billion by 2022 (or 8 per cent annually). Those numbers may be surpassed given the Covid-19 crisis, which has rapidly accelerated people's desire to bring far more wellness into their homes and to live in intentionally wellness-focused communities. GWI's Build Well to Live Well research reported that there were roughly 750 global wellness real estate/communities projects built or in the development pipeline in 2018; GWI researchers expect that number to grow significantly.

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