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While the popularity of wellness travel is most definitely on the rise, a recent survey of travel agents by Spafinder Wellness 365™ has discovered that wellness options are more important with younger travellers than they are with an older demographic.

“As Millennials and Gen X become the core wellness tourism demographic, trends are emerging,” said Spafinder Wellness, Inc. COO John Bevan. “Not only do younger travelers demand more wellness offerings in general, they seek more intensive, out-in-nature adventure and fitness. And a property’s ‘values,’ such as respect for the environment and whether it gives back to the local community, aren’t niche considerations—they’re more important than traditional sports like golf or tennis.”

The eighth-annual State of Wellness Travel Report, conducted by Spafinder Wellness 365 surveyed travel agents in North America and Europe, to gain insight into wellness travel trends. In particular, the study took a deeper look at how age effects travelers’ preferences.

Across the board, every single wellness element, from healthy food to fitness classes to spiritual healing was deemed to be more important by Millennials and Gen X (49 and under) than for Baby Boomers (50 and older).

“The survey shines light on what’s ascending for the next generation in wellness travel, but also shows that Boomers still rank traditional spa resorts first. The landscape is expanding, more complex, and less one-size-fits-all than ever,” said Bevan.

In particular, outdoor adventure like surfing or hiking, environmentally friendly properties, voluntourism programs and fitness and yoga classes were significantly more important to younger travelers. Baby Boomers tended to lean toward luxury spa resorts, while Millennials and Gen X tend to prefer eco/adventure resorts.

Key Findings

The survey asked agents to determine how important 16 different wellness components are with respect to their clients. While most wellness components are more popular with younger travellers, every component scored at least a 5.9 out of 10 (important) for every age demographic.

“Importance Gaps”

The top five items that are significantly more important for younger travellers, or “importance gaps” are: 1. outdoor adventure programs, such as hiking and surfing; 2. environmentally friendly properties; 3. properties that actively “do good” for local community or have voluntourism programs; 4. fitness/yoga classes and facilities; and 5. beach access.

Luxury Spa Resort for Boomers, Eco-Resorts for Millennials

For the 50-plus crowd, luxury spa resorts ranked the highest Baby Boomers’ top priorities are 1. luxury spa resorts; 2. beach focused (sand-and-sea destinations) resorts; 3. eco resorts in wild nature, with a focus on hiking, adventure, biodiversity/wildlife; and 4. healthy cruises with spas, fitness classes, etc.

For millennials and Gen X, on the other hand, the top priorities are: 1. Beach-focused (sand-and-sea destinations) properties; 2. eco resorts in wild nature, with a focus on hiking, adventure, biodiversity/wildlife, etc.; and 3. authentic yoga retreats.

Gen X is Top Demo for Wellness Travel

In the survey, agents noted that as Baby Boomers get older, Gen X is the top group to book well ness travel. From highest to lowest, the biggest groups to book wellness travel are: 1. older Gen X and the very youngest boomers (46-55); 2. Gen X (36-45); 3. heart of the boomers (56-65); 4. millennials and the youngest Gen X (26-35); and 5. The oldest Boomers (over 65.)

Wellness elements, ranked from 1 (not important at all) to 10 “extremely important,” by 50 and older vs. 49 and under:

Beach access: 8.2 vs. 8.8
Pools & swimming: 8.3 vs. 8.6
Outdoor adventure programs: 7.3 vs. 8.5
Access to nature/scenic outdoors: 7.9 vs. 8.4
Fitness/yoga facilities & classes: 7.7 vs. 8.4
Healthy cuisine/specialty diets: 8 vs. 8.3
Environmentally friendly property: 6.9 vs. 7.7
‘Do good’ for community/voluntourism: 6.6 vs. 7.4
Traditional sports such as golf or tennis: 7.2 vs. 7.3
Hot or mineral springs: 6.6 vs. 6.9
Weight loss programs: 6.6 vs. 6.8
Spiritual healing: 6.4 vs. 6.6
Alternative medical services: 6.3 vs. 6.6
Detox programs: 6.2 vs. 6.6
Healthy sleep programs: 6 vs. 6.2
Traditional medical services: 5.9 vs. 6

For more information, visit www.spafinder.ca. 

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