The Wellness Tourism Association’s (WTA) recent survey results reveal that time in nature and improving mental health will be two of the biggest drivers for future wellness tourism.

Drawing 3,931 responses from 48 countries and territories, the survey was set up to gain a clear understanding of consumer motivations for planning and booking a wellness vacation as the industry begins to recover.

When asked the open-ended question: As a result of COVID-19 affecting your life, what are some new motivations for going on a wellness vacation?, respondents’ most common answer themes were: the desire to be in nature, to improve mental health, social connection and the desire to be with like-minded people and to learn to be proactive about their own health, wellness and wellbeing.

Anne Dimon, WTA president and CEO, pointed out: “When compared to the 2018 survey, with 2,500 plus respondents, the 2020 survey reinforces the importance of nature and the outdoors as a key pillar of wellness vacations.”

As lockdown has eased, numerous spas and wellness facilities around the world have already begun to roll out more outdoor treatments and wellness experiences as scientific evidence points to reduced rates of virus transmission in open outdoor spaces.

Overall, the survey included 77 questions relating to wellness vacation motivations, quality of life, subjective wellbeing and basic demographics – one of the key questions asked was: When it comes time to book a wellness vacation what would be your main motivations?

In order to answer, the WTA asked people to rate a series of 28 statements on a scale of 1 to 7 (1 representing not important and 7 representing most important).

38 per cent of respondents agreed they were motivated because of a desire to return to everyday life feeling rejuvenated, 26 per cent agreed it was to escape the demands of everyday life and 25 per cent confirmed motivation was driven by a want to experience activities outdoors.

Participants also agreed that their wellness holidays would be motivated by wanting to look and feel better (24 per cent), to connect with nature (24 per cent), to find peace and quiet (21 per cent), to sleep better 17 per cent) and to learn general ways to improve their health (17 per cent).

In addition, over 20 per cent of respondents indicated they would be ‘Extremely Likely’ to book a wellness vacation within the next two years, while 24 per cent indicated that wellness “could” or “will” be the focus of their next trip.

Dimon commented: “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.”

This survey was administered in collaboration with WTA Member, Professor Danny Kessler PhD from Youngsan University in South Korea, and the WTA will release a full and complete analysis later this year.