In 2018, international tourist arrivals reached 2020 projections two years ahead of schedule, with growth predicted being driven by global trends such as wellness tourism. As travellers enter 2019 with new year’s resolutions in tow, the now $639 billion global movement of wellness travel might be calling. Many Airbnb guests already concur, as bookings for wellness related Experiences have spiked more than 500 percent from 2017 to 2018, with notably strong growth among seniors (ages 60+) and Gen Z and millennials (ages 18-24) with more than 800 percent growth in both age groups.
While there are wellness Experiences for nearly every type of self-care regimen, Airbnb has found a few trends are rising above the rest:
Bookings for wellness-related Experiences are up over 500 percent from 2017 to 2018, with Mexico leading the way
Globally, bookings for wellness experiences shot up 572 percent from 2017 to 2018. Meanwhile, the country experiencing the most significant growth in wellness Experiences is Mexico with more than 2,100 percent growth over the past year, and Bali tops the list for cities prospering with wellness Experience supply with more than 7,400 percent year-over-year growth*.
Wellness Experiences grew among all age groups, but grew the most with seniors
In the past year, it has become more clear that wellness travel is resonating with more than just the millennial demographic, and is a movement spanning all age groups and regions. In fact, seniors (ages 60+) are the largest growing consumer base of wellness Experiences, with bookings increasing by 887 percent from 2017**.
Guests from France are booking the most wellness Experiences
In addition to trending markets, we’re also seeing spikes in wellness travel interest based on heightened guest demand from countries like France, Canada and Germany over the past year***.
Mysticism is in with females across the board
In 2019, wellness travel is not just founded upon fitness and diet, but on the mind and and spirit, as we discovered with our female travellers. Experiences like Meditate with a Shaman cracked the top 15 most-booked wellness Experiences among women, with the Bali Healer and Holy Bathing Tour also ranking highly with women from nearly all regions. For male guests, biking is the wellness activity of choice, with the Exclusive Quality 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.
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