Wellness experience Regional hotspots and competitive positioning


Wellness tourism is global, but demand varies by region ■ Turkey is the world’s leading destination for medical tourism, combining 


■ Thailand is a magnet for wellness travellers, blending traditional therapies 


■ The US dominates in inbound spending, particularly through resort spas 


■ Italy 


Source: ‘Key Trends in Health and Wellness Tourism (2025)’


■ Nutrition and F&B: menus tailored to dietary needs, organic sourcing, detox programmes.


■ Sustainability as wellness: eco-conscious environments, carbon-neutral stays, biophilic design.


Crucially, wellness is increasingly being woven


through the entire guest journey. Room design now prioritises circadian lighting and ergonomic bedding. Restaurants integrate local superfoods and plant-based menus. Even business travel is adapting, with meetings and incentive packages offering mindfulness sessions or post-conference spa treatments.


In short, wellness is not an amenity; it is a philosophy of hospitality.


The hotel opportunity: spa scale versus medical spend GlobalData’s report draws a vital distinction between wellness tourism and medical tourism. The former revolves around holistic well-being, while the latter targets specific medical interventions – surgeries, dental treatments of fertility services, for example. Medical tourists spend significantly more per trip


($1,720 versus $87 average expenditure for wellness tourists), but they travel in far smaller numbers: 7.7 million annually compared with 383.5 million wellness-focused travellers. The implication for hotels is clear: the scale and recurring nature of wellness tourism outweigh the margins of medical travel. Hotels should see wellness as a long-term repeat


Market snapshot 2024


Total global inbound spending for spas (2024)


Total number of global inbound arrivals for spas (2024)


Average expenditure per tourist for spas (2024)


Largest online health and wellness market (2024)


business driver. A guest who travels for a spa retreat, yoga programme or digital detox is far more likely to return – or to combine wellness with leisure or business travel – than a guest who travels for a one- off medical procedure.


Luxury wellness: exclusivity becomes the new currency


A striking trend highlighted in ‘Key Trends in Health and Wellness Tourism’ is the rise of luxury wellness as a niche within the broader luxury travel market. These experiences go far beyond massages and mineral pools. Instead, they promise transformation: personalised health and fitness programmes, private sessions with wellness experts, curated dietary regimes and access to exclusive settings such as secluded beaches or Alpine resorts. This is where hotels can command significant premiums. A guest choosing a luxury wellness break is not only paying for treatments but for privacy, exclusivity and the credibility of experts. From celebrity nutritionists to world-renowned yoga instructors, the calibre of professionals delivering the service is as much a draw as the hotel’s setting. For hoteliers, the lesson is to treat wellness


programming with the same rigour applied to F&B or design. Quality, expertise and differentiation matter – and they can justify higher ADRs and stronger loyalty.


Generational demand: wellness as lifestyle One of the most telling shifts is demographic. GlobalData’s consumer survey shows 20% of travellers worldwide took a medical or wellness holiday in 2024, with millennials and Gen Z leading the trend. Each group accounts for 23% of respondents who say they prefer wellness-focused trips, while Gen X comes in at 18%. Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation trail far behind, at 13% and 9%, respectively. This is a generational reset. Younger travellers


are growing up with wellness embedded in their lifestyles – from digital fitness apps to plant-based


$33.6m


383.51 million Source: ‘Key Trends in Health and Wellness Tourism (2025)’ 14


$87.61


US – $5.8m


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