BANGKOK, 6 March, 2019: Wellness travel is worth an estimated USD639 billion globally and Airbnb has seen wellness related experiences spike more than 500% from 2017 to 2018, the home-sharing supplier reported this week.
AirBnb says globally the strong growth is among seniors (ages 60+) and Gen Z and millennials (ages 18-24) with more than 800% growth in both age groups.
In Asia, cities experiencing the most significant growth in wellness experiences are Bali, Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Bali tops the list for cities prospering with wellness experience supply demonstrating a 7,400% year-over-year growth*
Following closely after Bali, Thailand is one of the top 20 global destinations that offer wellness content for holidays.
As visitors to Thailand look for more authentic experiences and a healthier way of travel away from areas of crowded with tourists, the popularity of wellness tourism is growing, evidenced by the growth of Thai massage and wellness experiences on Airbnb, especially in urban centres such as Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
Airbnb experiences also provide an opportunity for wellness entrepreneurs to find innovative ways to be part of the tourism economy, and sharing their knowledge of the cultural traditions with guests from around the world.
Airbnb has found some trends that are rising above the rest in the wellness holiday space.
Wellness experiences grew among all age groups, but grew the most with seniors.
Seniors (ages 60+) are the largest growing consumer base of wellness experiences with bookings increasing by 887% from 2017**.
Guests from France are booking the most wellness experiences.
In addition to trending markets, there are spikes in wellness travel interest based on heightened guest demand from countries like France, Canada and Germany over the past year***.
Mysticism is trending for women travellers
In 2019, wellness travel is not just founded upon fitness and diet, but on the mind and spirit.
Experiences such as meditate with a shaman cracked the top 15 most-booked for women, along with Bali healer and a holy bathing tour also ranking highly.
For male guests, biking is the wellness activity of choice, with Bali’s sunset bike ride making the top 15 most-booked list with men from all regions.****
*Based on internal Airbnb data for year-over-year growth for bookings made for wellness Experiences from 2017 to 2018.
**Based on internal Airbnb data for year-over-year growth by age group of guests booking wellness Experiences from 2017 to 2018.
***Based on Airbnb internal data for guests from which country have seen the most year-over-year growth in booking wellness Experiences from 2017 to 2018.
****Based on Airbnb internal data for top 15 wellness Experiences booked by female and male guests, by region of origin.
