As emotional and mental health concerns surged during the pandemic, so has research pointing to the healing effects of outdoor/nature experiences and active lifestyles – activities and lifestyles that align closely with the leisure travel experience.
According to mounting research published by the American Psychological Association, nature experiences benefit both physical and psychological human wellbeing. Further, findings from the Danish Twin Study, reveal that lifestyle and environmental factors are the primary drivers of longevity (80%), having four times the influence on one’s longevity than an individual’s genetic makeup (20%).
With increased attention paid to the health benefits of a range of leisure travel activities, Health and Wellness travel has also expanded to encompass a broader range of travel experiences beyond the traditional spa/health club visit.
Historically the sole domain of spas and health retreats, travellers seeking to bolster their Health and Wellness are now motivated to travel by a wider range of desires, including Outdoor experiences (27%), Rejuvenation (19%), Entertainment (13%), Family-friendly experiences (13%) and Exploration (11%), according to the research group Omnitrak.
Driven by a desire for outdoor experiences, rejuvenation and entertainment scenes, Health and Wellness traveller motivations manifest themselves in top travel activities ranging from Shopping (28%) to Historic Sites (22%), Hiking/Backpacking (19%) and Rural sightseeing (16%).
Despite being more likely to take day trips than overall domestic leisure travellers, Health and Wellness travellers spend significantly more money on their trips (i.e., spending nearly US$1,000 per party per trip, +21% more than overall North American travellers). Health and Wellness travellers’ propensity for active engagement in a broad spectrum of activities drives these higher spending levels.
Why this matters
With many people dealing with heightened stress/anxiety post-pandemic, health and wellness has been redefined to extend beyond physical wellbeing, to emotional, social, and mental wellbeing. With this shift, Health and Wellness travelers are now driven by a desire to for the outdoors, entertainment, history, local culture – motivations not traditionally associated with this segment. At a high level, destinations already integrate these activities into marketing messages, but now they have the opportunity to market these activities through the lens of health and wellness.
“As Health and Wellness travel motivations have broadened so have the number of destinations in travellers’ consideration sets, and this opens up marketing opportunities for destinations that have not traditionally positioned themselves in the minds of such travellers,” says Chris Kam, Omnitrak President and COO.
“Post covid, more travellers, including representative numbers of millennials, Gen X and Gen Z, are motivated to hit the refresh button by travelling away from over-booked lives and responsibilities,” adds Omnitrak Founder & CEO Pat Loui said. “They are neither escapists nor spiritualists; they are urban dwellers stimulating brain cells in nature, consumers pursuing passions in history, adventure or sports, or parents wanting their own outdoor or self- exploration time through travel. They are in daily peak energy mode at work and at home during stressful global times.”
“This segment is re-defining get-aways as Refresh Travel. When targeting these travellers, (travel sellers and) marketers now have an opportunity to present local sights, sounds and flavours in terms of purposeful re-charging to enhance travellers’ lifestyles,” Loui adds. “Today, destinations and the travel industry have two missions: preserving nature and community sustainability and pleasing these travellers. It used to be the opposite.”