Wellness tourism blossoms in Asia as resorts offer integrated health experiences and lifestyle coaching

The concept of healthy holidaysis nothing new. Health farms, weight-loss retreats, spa sanctuaries and fitness boot camps have been around for decades, yet in recent years a newly flourishing segment within the travel industry known as "wellness tourism" has taken centre stage.

Loosely defined as "travel associated with the goal of maintaining or enhancing one's personal well-being", this health-focused niche includes the pursuit of physical, mental, spiritual or environmental "wellness" while travelling for leisure or business, and has evolved from passing fad to lasting trend.

"Welltality" is the new hospitality. Going well beyond the bygone era of superficial pampering and lip-service spa services, today's wellness retreats are more sophisticated than ever.

"Until recently, wellness was viewed through the lens of pampering spa resorts. Now, wellness travel is understood to be so much more - it is an investment in time well spent," says Camille Hoheb, founder and managing director of US-based consulting company Wellness Tourism Worldwide.

In fact, the global wellness economy is worth over US$3.4 trillion, according to the research authority Global Wellness Institute (GWI). Furthermore, wellness travel has become one of the strongest growing sectors of the travel industry, and according to research firm SRI International, wellness tourism is worth a staggering US$494 billion - a figure that is set to rise in coming years.

With travellers embracing overall healthier lifestyles at home, we are now seeing those behaviours translate and be integrated into their travel and vacation habits," says Susie Ellis, chairman and CEO of GWI and president of Spafinder Wellness. "We are seeing many people commit their vacation time and dollars to wellness travel." This is particularly true in Asia, which is an epicentre of all things wellness. In fact, in 2015, the Spafinder Wellness "State of Wellness Travel Report" ranked Asia as the fastest-growing global destination (wellness travel region) for the first time in the survey's eight-year history. Until then, it has never ranked above third.

Fuelled by a widespread consumer desire for more meaningful travel experiences and hunger for sustainable wellness solutions, health-oriented holidays appeal to those who value restoration and replenishment over hedonism and blatant overindulgence. "More travellers are realising that 'wellness' does not mean 'deprivation'," says Samantha Foster, president of the non-profit association International Health and Wellness Alliance (IHWA) and director of Destination Spa Management. "The days of lettuce leaves, austere environments and grueling regimens are over; today's wellness resorts are a lot more creative and sophisticated. Travellers can enjoy all of the elements of a traditional holiday - relaxation, amazing food, fun and activities - and still look, feel and function better at the end of it."

Time is the new luxury, and wellness travellers want to use their precious vacation time in an enriching way by returning home with their lives enhanced. "Workplaces still demand far too much of our time and energy, and in which the pursuit of material possessions continues to give only passing satisfaction, resulting in an increasing number of people who feel highly stressed and disconnected from themselves," says Caroline Sylger Jones, founder of the healthy travel website Queen of Retreats. "So on holidays they want to switch off, to feel better from the inside out, to have real, sustainable energy, and to live more meaningful, authentic lives."