The Health and wellness tourism has been identified as one of the fastest growing travel segments and the most lucrative making local hotels compete to capture market share.
According to 2018 Global Wellness Tourism Economy report, International wellness tourists on average spent USD 1,528 per trip, 53 percent more than the typical international tourist, while domestic wellness tourists spends USD 609 per trip, 178 percent more than average domestic tourist.
Growing need for stress-relief is attributed to the high demand for local tourism and hospitality industry players now capitalize heavily on wellness tourism.
According to Hasnain Noorani, Managing Director (MD) for PrideInn Group of Hotels, the local and global wellness tourism market in the region has risen due to disposable incomes, attributed to rapid growth of economies and higher income levels which have shifted the trend toward increased discretionary spending, particularly on wellness goods and services.
“The influence of wellness has become a new reality due to long or extraordinary working hours and the upward trend of unusual work schedules like in the evenings at night or weekend. This is a perfect recipe for a considerably strained workforce and their families,” he said.
In a press statement on Monday the Managing Director said traveling for wellness has become its own notable within the tourism industry, accounting for about 6 percent.
He announced that PrideInn has invested in a multimillion wellness facility christened ‘Bamboo SPA’ at PrideInn Paradise Beach resort to tap into local and international wellness tourists especially those visiting for business meetings and conferences.
Wellness travel is one of the fastest growing forms of tourism, where individuals who are driven by an intense interest in quality of life use the wellness vacations to gain peace of mind, reclaim work and life balance to jump start a healthier, happier and more fulfilling way of living.
The 2016 Virtuoso Luxe Report identified massages and other treatments, healthy cuisine, fitness classes, environmental beauty and sports activities as some most sought after wellness aspects.
By Bernadette Khaduli
