This chapter synthesizes the emergence of the growing wellness tourism segment in an era of post-COVID-19 travel when consumer mentality has been radically changed and shifted towards different needs. This includes any activity that allows tourists to work on themselves mentally or physically and present several considerations and recommendations for the wellness industry to take full advantage of tourism opportunities moving forward. It aims to help understand consumer behaviour and preferences by predicting wellness tourism trends and developments, acknowledging the gaps in the research available for understanding wellness tourism post covid and reflecting the experience economy perspective in the sector. A research method was developed, including a literature review and survey application to potential wellness tourists. Discussion of results is provided, along with main conclusions, allowing the identification of trends and development measures to help improve wellness tourism in a post-COVID era.
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In affluent societies, more and more attention has been paid to healthier and more conscious lifestyles (Koskinen & Wilska, 2019), rejuvenation and self-discovery (Mintel, 2007). There is an undeniable rise in the global popularity of complementary and alternative therapies (House of Lords UK, 2000), such as yoga, meditation, and interest in health and fitness. The tourism industry is swiftly moulding itself to cater to this new consumer demand (Sheldon & Bushell, 2009), which changed significantly, mainly in wellness tourism (Koskinen & Wilska, 2019). Research conducted by Luo et al. (2018) showed that wellness tourism activities can have very positive impacts on an individual’s quality of life “and can result in improvements in dealing with problems at work, promoting family harmony, and engaging in social life” (Luo et al., 2018, p. 420). This assumption emphasises the importance of wellness tourism in the current society.
According to the Global Wellness Institute, wellness tourism has recently experienced significant rates of growth, with projections for continued development (GWI, 2018). Estimated at $639.4 billion in 2017, wellness tourism is a fast-growing tourism segment that has been growing by 6.5% annually from 2015-2017 (more than twice the growth rate for general tourism). An expanding global middle class has driven growth, growing consumer desire to adopt a wellness lifestyle, rising interest in experiential travel, and increasing affordability of flights and travel options. Across regions, Europe remains the destination for the largest number of wellness trips, while North America leads in wellness tourism expenditures. However, Asia has made the most gains in the number of wellness trips and wellness tourism expenditures (GWI, 2018).
In this context, the importance of this niche becomes clear, especially in the current era of COVID-19. The pandemic provoked a health crisis that fast turned into a financial decline due to the circulation restraints demanded to control its spreading (IMF, 2020). The lockdown government policies limited individual mobility to the home environment, provoking significant lifestyle changes (Holden, 2020). These limitations and changes affected the tourism business particularly, regarding the fact it results of a lack of the combination among infrastructures, industries, services, and people (Peretta, 2020), with consequences that in certain market areas are not easy to evaluate. The unexpected coronavirus pandemic has had a significant negative impact on many economic sectors worldwide, including tourism. As stated by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (2021), the tourism sector suffered the most when compared to other economic sectors. Because of the pandemic crisis, the number of international tourist arrivals has decreased by 87% in January 2021, following a drop of 85% at the end of 2020 (UNWTO, 2021).