COMMENT IN MY OPINION


It’s that time of the year when meetings take place and chief executives,


company directors and marketing managers talk about what will be the next big thing in their market sector. The boardroom and marketing department debates will centre around the usual questions. In what direction will the consumer move next? What market conditions will influence the choice of product or service they buy? What should we focus on in terms of product development? And what niche market is set to become mainstream? I have been to several such meetings with clients and agencies over the past few days. There have been several strong contenders for ‘the next big thing in travel’. I’ve been introduced to phrases such as “high lux”, while adventure, ecotourism and authentic travel have all been mooted to me as the next niche set to go mainstream.


A £500bn sector But one area has stood head and shoulders above the others in the meetings and presentations: wellbeing. It is a subject that is being widely


discussed in the travel sector and has been for a year or so. Not a trade conference goes by without a panel or headline speaker espousing the need for wellbeing to be incorporated into a business offering by travel companies. And the facts support the claim


that it is switching from niche to mainstream. Wellbeing has become a £500 billion global industry and is set to grow to £632 billion by 2021, according to Euromonitor International.


Wellbeing is well on track to go mainstream


Travel sector is in prime position to ride the wave of the next big thing


STEVE DUNNE


CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DIGITAL DRUMS


Closer to home, the phrase is being


used everywhere from schools to the workplace, and from government ministers to media commentators. Consumers, it is said, are placing a heightened value on wellbeing over material things. Looking good, feeling great and sleeping well are the new must-haves to be flaunted in social circles and on social media.


The holistic grail The problem for many travel brands has been how to define wellbeing and how to create a travel product or service around it. Is wellbeing just about being physically healthy? Is it about a series of spa products? Is it about yoga retreats? If so, many mainstream travel brands will struggle to see how they can ride its wave. A while back I was invited to speak at


a wellbeing conference in Madeira. I was involved in a four-day programme which opened my eyes to the potential it holds for every travel business. Predictably, as


part of the programme, I went to yoga classes and had spa treatments; I was wrapped in seaweed and had hot stone sessions. However, I also went whale watching, abseiling, caving and hiking – all vital components to providing a balanced physical, mental and emotional state of wellbeing. Healthy eating was incorporated into cookery sessions showcasing the island’s culture while remaining within the theme. Travel brands are much closer to the phenomena than other market sectors, with many destinations and resorts already having the key components in place. And travel agents have a market that is increasingly wanting a more holistic state of being. So as we head into 2019, the travel


industry is in prime position to ride the wave as wellbeing becomes mainstream.


READ MORE COLUMNS BY STEVE DUNNE: GO.TRAVELWEEKLY.CO.UK/COMMENT


32travelweekly.co.uk3 January 2019


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