How Wellness Travel Became a Thing in the Past Decade

As the decade comes to a close, it’s inevitable that we’d start thinking about how wellness travel has changed over the past 10 years.

With more people interested in fitness than ever before, there has been an uptick in people working out while traveling. ClassPass recently made this announcement in its 2019 Fitness Trends, finding that 18 percent of business travelers booked workouts in a city other than where they lived, compared with 14 percent in 2018. Surprisingly, Kansas City residents were the most likely to book a workout in a different city. “We have seen that no matter the reason for travel, people are building fitness into their routine on the go,” the report read.

Not only is technology making it easier to exercise while traveling, but as we’ve reported, hotels have also started to offer more wellness amenities — whether that’s yoga mats in rooms or activewear-lending — so that people can continue their wellness routines when away. Some have started to include Peloton bikes in their gyms — a smart move, despite the recent advertising flop that sent its shares nosediving.

One likely reason wellness travel is on the rise? The stressful, modern era we live in, or what Skift deemed the state of Permanxiety. “I think that was a big factor in people needing to get more out of their vacations. They now have to come back feeling better than before,” said Beth McGroarty, of the Global Wellness Institute, to Well + Good.

Some think that in 2020 almost all travel will include at least one wellness element, whether it’s a yoga class, hike, or spa treatment. We agree. And by the time the 2020s are up, we may even start calling wellness travel just plain travel.

For feedback or news tips, reach out via email at [email protected] or tweet me @lesliebarrie.

— Leslie Barrie, Wellness Editor

Travel

More People Are Working Out While Away From Home: New research from fitness booking platform ClassPass showed that more people are exercising when traveling than ever before. Why? Exercise is on the rise overall, and companies are making it easier for travelers to keep up fitness and meditation routines. We’ll presumably see this number continue to tick up in 2020. Read more here.

Could All Travel Become Wellness Travel? If you broaden the definition enough, soon all trips may be labeled as wellness travel. Not only do fitness retreats fall into the category, but so too do sightseeing trips that also include a spa visit or city bike tour. Experts believe that the reason more travelers are incorporating wellness is because we live in increasingly stressful times, and people need more out of their vacations. It’s tough to argue with that. Read more here.

Fitness

Peloton’s Stock Takes a Big Hit After Launch of Controversial Ad: It’s a classic case of “what were they thinking?” in advertising. The backlash from Peloton’s holiday ad — which many claim is sexist, not to mention bizarre — caused shares to plummet and parodies to pop up. While it’s shocking that one ad could have such an impact on the company’s market value, the brand does rely on a prestige factor to sell bikes, which was clearly impacted after this off-the-mark ad. The brand will probably recover, but not without learning a lesson. Read more here.

Beauty & Spa

How Clean Beauty Companies Stand Out in a Crowded Field: What happens when your clean beauty brand that’s been around for years suddenly feels generic among a rise in competing brands? That’s the trouble Clean Beauty Collective found itself in, with CEO Gregory Black admitting, “Our core values are no longer unique.” The company is now pouring money into brand awareness campaigns that should be effective, considering its brand name screams “clean.” Read more here.

CBD

Canada’s Canopy Growth Enters the U.S. CBD Retail Market: The Food and Drug Administration last month announced some grim news for the CBD industry: It couldn’t conclude that CBD is safe in human products. That memo hasn’t scared away Ontario-based Canopy Growth, a major cannabis producer with a new CEO. The brand is launching its first product line, First & Free, containing CBD-infused creams and oils. The potential for growth is strong with a large corporation backing the line. Read more here.

Skift Wellness Editor Leslie Barrie [[email protected]] curates the Skift Wellness newsletter. Skift emails the newsletter every Thursday.

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