Nearly 4,000 consumers from 48 countries and territories responded to the Wellness Tourism Association’s (WTA) second consumer survey, revealing their motivations for taking a wellness vacation as the industry begins to recover.
The 3-month (April, May, June 2020) online consumer survey was administered in collaboration with WTA member, Professor Danny Kessler Ph.D. from Youngsan University, Busan, South Korea. Respondents were 54 percent female with 73 percent between the ages 26 to 74 (Millennials and Baby Boomers), and with close to 78 percent indicating they already include wellness activities when they travel.
“As the industry begins to recover, we know the results of this survey will provide both suppliers and travel advisors with crucial consumer data on motivations for Wellness Vacations post-pandemic,” said Anne Dimon, president & CEO of the Wellness Tourism Association.
In order to get a clear understanding of consumer motivations for planning and booking a wellness vacation, WTA asked two main questions:
- When it comes time to book a Wellness Vacation/Holiday what would be your main motivations? We asked them to rate a series of 28 statements on a scale of 1 to 7 (1 representing Not Important and 7 representing Most Important).
- As a result of Covid19 affecting your life, what are some new motivations for going on a Wellness Vacation not mentioned in previous questions. (This was an open-ended question that generated over 17,000 plus words from 2,435 individual respondents.)
From question #1, here’s what respondents revealed to be the 8 most important motivations for booking a wellness Vacation:
- To return to everyday life feeling rejuvenated—38 percent
- To escape the demands of everyday life—26 percent
- To experience activities outdoors—25 percent
- To look and feel better—24 percent
- To connect with nature—24 percent
- To find peace and quiet—21 percent
- To get a better night’s sleep—17 percent
- To learn general ways to improve my health—17 percent
From the open-ended question, which allowed respondents to describe any other personal motivations for taking a wellness vacation in the wake of the pandemic, the top themes were: Social connection and the desire to be with like-minded people; the desire to be in nature; to improve mental health; and to learn to be proactive about their own health, wellness and well-being (wellness relating to health, well-being relating to happiness)
Two additional and notable results of the survey: Over 20 percent indicated they would be “extremely likely” to book a wellness vacation within the next two years; and over 24 percent indicated that wellness “could” or “will” be the focus of their next trip.
Dimon pointed out that “when compared to the 2018 survey with 2,500 plus respondents, the 2020 survey reinforces the importance of nature/the outdoors as a key pillar of wellness vacations.”
For more information on WTA, visit wellnesstourismassociation.org.
Join Us for a Wellness Webinar—Tomorrow (July 23)
Interested in learning more about wellness vacations, join Recommend’s editor and a panel of wellness travel experts, including Anne Dimon, for a live webinar tomorrow—click here for more information.
