Health & Wellness Tourism Defined

A broad range of destination services can be included in the definition of health and wellness tourism. This requires offering tourists the means to improve their health and their lives through physical, emotional, and spiritual experiences at the host destination and within the host culture. The following areas all apply to this concept:

Western medicine
Integrative healthcare
Eastern healing arts
Host culture
Spas, retreats, B&B's
Sports and fitness
Ecotourism
Edutourism
Agritourism and cuisine

Health and wellness tourism is in an early phase of growth. Destinations are just beginning to recognize the demand for health and wellness tourism, and are gearing up for the future. It is clear that more and more consumers are traveling for the purpose of improving their general health and wellness. Growth in this market can be attributed to a number of global consumer trends:

Aging populations in key demographic sectors such as U.S. Baby Boomers
A growing interest in wellness services and the desire for illness prevention
A developing interest in alternative and complementary forms of medicine
A renewed emphasis on learning to establish individual balance and the integration of mind, body, and spirit

The most visible manifestation of expansion in health and wellness tourism has been the staggering growth of the spa sector, and specifically, destination spas within resort hotels. By 2001 (the most recent year for which data are available) revenues at U.S.-based spas reached $10 billion according to the International Spa Association. Beyond spas, the industry is highly diffused, making it difficult to gauge the exact size of the industry.