Virtuoso, an international luxury travel network, is honing in on a growing niche dubbed wellness travel which encompasses “physical, mental and social well-being, as well as spiritual health,” said Albert Herrera, SVOP of global product partnerships, Virtuoso.
The company plans to bring together advisors who serve a health-conscious clientele with hand-picked partners including hotels, cruise lines, tourism boards, etc to build a community based around the segment — predicted by the company to reach $680 billion by 2017. The new community will launch August 7 during the Virtuoso Wellness Zone at Virtuoso’s Travel Week in Las Vegas.
Looking at the numbers, travelers take 586 million wellness trips each year, according to the Global Wellness Summit. The niche encompasses 15 percent of global tourism as a whole, second only to cultural tourism in revenues. The Summit also asserted wellness travelers spend 130 percent more than the average traveler.
“There’s no doubt that this trend will only continue to flourish. Through our Virtuoso Wellness community, we can connect like-minded individuals and develop a true community that, through regular interactions and peer-to-peer collaboration, can share knowledge, develop expertise and ultimately work together to better serve consumers seeking healthy travel experiences,” continued Herrera.
With more active lifestyle brands expanding events, series and destination competitions, this may be an opportunity for outdoor and fitness companies to meld with travel-based groups. Even retailers can benefit from a heightened support for wellness travel. The only hurdle is getting on the map by being recommended by the travel businesses as part of the package.
