Wellness Tourism Initiative
2025 Trends
TREND 1: New Green and Blue Government Led Wellness Development
Governments are leading the charge on developing major infrastructure and attractions with local and visitor well-being at the top of their minds. Examples include the Singapore Tourism Board, whose new Marina South Coastal development site will celebrate well-being via therapeutic art, flotation, or light therapy-type experiences. The country is also proudly championing mental health tourism, opening 16 therapeutic gardens to soothe visitors with autism, dementia, anxiety, and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In Hawaii, regenerative tourism frameworks are now in State Planning Acts to support nature and culture-based wellbeing experiences, including voluntourism for travelers to give back during their stay. On a much larger scale, government-supported developments like Dubai’s ‘Therme Dubai’ wellbeing resort and park opening in 2028 will integrate relaxation, leisure, and healthcare for the community and visitors, including the world’s largest indoor botanical garden.
www.meethawaii.com/csr
https://www.visitredsea.com/en/destinations/amaala
TREND 2: Through Hardship Wellness Blooms
Natural disasters such as bushfires and floods have a devastating effect on tourist destinations and their local communities. But through this hardship, wellness experiences can bloom. Simple yet impactful infrastructure and attractions emerge to support local community healing while also attracting new travellers. Places like Adelaide Hills in South Australia developed an entire wellness tourism destination strategy and attracted new wellness investment after a devasting 2019 bushfire. Elsewhere in Australia, the Forestry Corporation of New South Wales has created immersive wellness walks in forests with interactive elements, such as listening pods, to encourage a return to places of green tranquillity after fires. In the USA, Sonoma County implemented initiatives like the Sonoma Wildfire Mental Health Collaborative, offering free resources like trauma-informed yoga and counseling to support long-term healing and resilience after their wildfires.
TREND 3: Optimizing our Brain Health
In 2025, there is a growing recognition of the brain’s integral role in overall well-being and how our brain ages. This preventative trend emphasizes the importance of mental fitness, stress management, and overall brain health to enhance cognitive functions and prevent or delay neurodegenerative diseases. Leading healthcare experts have responded to this growing demand, including Clinique La Prairie’s Brain Potential Program – a comprehensive seven-day retreat designed to optimize brain health and performance. Developed in collaboration with neuroscientists from the University of Lausanne, the program focuses on neuroprotection and enhancement, aiming to slow cognitive decline, enhance brain function, manage stress, and build resilience. SHA Wellness Clinic’s Cognitive Boost program is designed to enhance mental performance and prevent cognitive decline by combining advanced scientific knowledge with state-of-the-art technology. Similarly, Banyan Tree’s Wellbeing Sanctuary at Bintan collaborates with Intellect, Asia’s largest mental health company, to provide a personalized mental well-being experience through a dedicated app, integrating technology with traditional wellness practices.
TREND 4: Specialized Sports Rehabilitation Retreats
Sports rehabilitation retreats are emerging as a niche within the wellness tourism sector, catering to retired, injured, and high-performing athletes seeking credible expert-led recovery programs. These retreats offer structured, week-long programs that focus on physical rehabilitation and mental wellbeing, with an aim to facilitate a return to optimal performance levels while addressing the psychological aspects of recovery. Citius Retreats offers doctor-led sports medicine and wellness retreats that integrate innovative, research-driven practices in partnership with Arthrosamid, a pharmaceutical company that provides injections for knee osteoporosis. Citius Retreats is set to launch a series of high-end retreats at Six Senses Ibiza, marking its debut in Europe. In funding stages, Eternal will utilize bloodwork, DEXA scans, and in-house performance testing by a team of specialists creating high-performance care plans for pro and lifestyle athletes, adaptable for injury, hormonal shifts, and chronic conditions. Lanserhof Lans, Austria, is renowned for its medical wellness approach, offering post-operative rehabilitation programs that blend medical treatments with wellness therapies and stress management techniques.
Citius Retreats
https://medium.com/@courtsidevc/why-we-invested-eternal-2ef438464b11
TREND 5: Integrative Mental Health Retreats Rise Up
As mental health crises rise globally, wellness travel is shifting towards dedicated, bespoke retreats and experiences that combine clinical psychology with holistic therapies. This emerging trend addresses mental wellbeing through evidence-based treatments like psychotherapy, complemented by practices such as meditation, yoga, and breathwork to support emotional resilience and nervous system recovery. Leading examples like The Dawn Wellness Resort in Thailand and Quantum Prana in Bali provide immersive programs designed for deep healing, blending professional psychological care with nurturing, off-grid environments. This integrative approach offers both scientific credibility and holistic restoration for visitors who need genuine attention for depression, anxiety, PTSD, and trauma.
https://thequantumprana.com/
https://thedawnwellnesscentre.com
TREND 6: Wellness and Medical Care Partnerships Grow
While the wellness industry has historically focused on general health optimization, there is a growing recognition of the need to accommodate individual post-surgery recovery programs, including post-operative care, cancer care, and palliative care in serene, nature-filled environments. These programs integrate medical care with wellness therapies, helping individuals heal physically and emotionally. The Philippines is emerging as a premier destination for medical tourism and post-recovery wellness, and The Farm at San Benito is responding by offering programs that combine evidence-based medicine, traditional healing, and holistic wellness, setting new standards for post-procedure recovery in a healing, nature-immersed environment. SHA Wellness Clinic has introduced programs that include supportive therapies for individuals recovering from cancer treatments. Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary offers tailor-made wellness programs that can be adapted for individuals seeking supportive care during serious illness. Their approach includes therapies for emotional balance, pain management, and spiritual wellbeing.
TREND 7: Accessible Wellness Tourism
Providing inclusive access to wellness experiences for those with special needs to support their mental, physical, and social wellbeing continues to be demanded and delivered. Accessibility in spa and wellness resorts has shifted from a “nice-to-have” to an essential expectation. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has been at the forefront of championing accessible offerings and growing the accessible tourism market. Today’s travelers expect resorts and destinations to prioritize seamless movement throughout their visit with wheelchair-accessible design, adaptive equipment, and universally designed spaces. Red Sea Global is a developer in Saudi Arabia that is championing the creation of an accessible travel destination for all. In the European Union, ONAT4All is a co-funded project to boost the EU tourism value chain by providing SMEs with the necessary skills, competencies, and knowledge to deal with accessibility requirements.
https://www.redseaglobal.com/en/-/media-center/red-sea-global-commits-to-accessible-tourism-for-all/
