The latest series of White Lotus, which focuses on a luxurious Koh Samui, Thailand, resort popular with travellers craving massages, meditation and mindfulness, is a reminder that Asia has always been out in front when it comes to wellness.
Data website Statista has found that the global wellness tourism industry will be worth around $1.35 trillion by 2028, showing that this trend is set to be relevant for travellers for years to come.
Results matter
Listening to clients’ requirements has never been more important as they’re more ”clued up” than ever before. At Layan Life by Anantara, a wellbeing retreat in Phuket, the most popular treatments now include ones relating to pain management and physiotherapy.
There’s a growing desire for knowledge – it’s no longer about quick fixes, but approaches which allow clients to understand why they might be experiencing pain and how to reduce discomfort by improving their posture or reducing stress levels.
More resorts are offering wellbeing therapies focusing on nutrition (a key focus at Phuket’s Amanpuri resort) alongside retreats which teach the basics of biohacking (such as the one offered by Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary & Holistic Spa). There’s also a bigger focus on value for money.
“There’s recently been an increase in the number of people booking Vietnam and Bali holidays at hotels which include spa treatments and activities in their rates as standard,” says Erica Moore, Inspiring Travel’s Asia Product Manager. “Examples include Vietnam’s Fusion Resort Cam Ranh and Bali’s COMO Shambhala Estate.”
Travellers are getting more bang for their buck by opting for educational wellness breaks which provide them with the tools required to continue their health journey at home.
“Stays at Koh Samui’s Kamalaya resort include a wellness consultation and a body Bio-Impedance analysis, and wellness programmes include full board, treatments, classes and activities which can be prebooked,” says Moore. “The resort also offers sleep enhancement, detox, immunity and emotional harmony programmes.”
Back to basics
At the same time, more travellers are opting to work on their wellness by going back to basics, with trips which improve health in more traditional ways.
“Wellness through active travel is on the rise,” says Joanna Reeve, Head of Partnerships at Intrepid Travel.
“At Intrepid we’ve seen a 70% increase in those booking experiences which combine physical activity with exploration. One example is Intrepid’s India: Trekking in Ladakh trip, during which travellers trek approximately 52 hours across several days.”
Reeve is a firm believer that this type of adventure has huge benefits for both mental and physical wellness. “It gives travellers a sense of achievement, lifting their spirits by getting them out in nature, experiencing new cultures and doing something good for both mind and body.”
G Adventures is seeing an increased interest in fitness-focused holidays, too.
“Demand for our active breaks category grew by over 16% in 2024, showing that travellers are increasingly seeking these,” says Brian Young, EMEA Managing Director at G Adventures.
“Travellers want to switch off and connect with the world on a more physical level, which is why we’ve added 25 new active trips for 2025.”
His top tip for clients keen to combine wellness with wanderlust? “Urge them to consider hiking in Morocco’s lesser-known Rif Mountains, sandboarding down dunes just outside of Cape Town or snorkelling in Okinawa in the southern islands of Japan.”
Middle East emergence
While Asia will continue to lead the charge, other regions are coming to the fore. One of these is the Middle East.
Qatar’s Zulal Wellness Resort by Chiva-Som, is one of the first wellness retreats to focus on traditional Arabic and Islamic medicine, while Dubai’s Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab resort, opened in March 2025, will have a three-storey 3,500 square-metre spa where guests can opt for everything from mindfulness rituals to therapies designed for women experiencing perimenopause and menopause symptoms, and men navigating the male equivalent, known as andropause.
Clients wishing to stay closer to home are in luck, too. A growing number of country estates are being transformed into wellbeing sanctuaries.
Take Yorkshire’s Broughton Sanctuary, where therapies on offer range from cold water immersion to forest bathing.
Highlights include the Avalon Wellbeing Centre, with its low-chemical pool, Somadome and Crystal Light Bed, and the footpaths which weave across the estate, past stone circles, hermit huts and woodland saunas. The swirling shapes you’ll see throughout the estate are inspired by Fibonacci spirals, derived from mathematical sequences replicated throughout nature, including in the number of swirls on a head of Romanesco broccoli. We’re feeling calmer already.
Five fantastic therapies
The Tschuggen Grand Hotel, in Arosa, Switzerland, offers Kneipp therapy, which promotes the prevention of illness and involves barefoot walking on pebbles in cold water streams. tschuggencollection.ch/en
Opt for sand tray therapy at Thailand’s RAKxa Integrative Wellness retreat, where guests will create visual representations of emotions and subconscious thoughts by arranging objects in a sand-filled tray. rakxawellness.com
At Japan’s Patina Osaka, opening April 2025, guests can book a cryotherapy chamber session, which exposes the body to extremely cold temperatures for therapeutic benefits, including boosted immunity. patinahotels.com/osaka
Connect with the universe through a visit to a dark sky preserve. Every October, the Jasper Dark Sky Festival invites visitors to take part in meditative stargazing. jasper.travel
For fitness-first breaks, Explore! has a range of cycling holidays across numerous global destinations. Leisurely, moderate and challenging levels are available. explore.co.uk
Book it
Inspiring Travel’s seven-night holiday at Anantara Layan Phuket Resort, including return flights from the UK, plus private transfers, on a B&B basis, is priced from £1,487pp. inspiringtravel.co.uk
The rise of animal-assisted healing
One of the most interesting and perhaps surprising developments in the world of wellbeing is the incorporation of animals into wellness product.
Most people will have heard of puppy yoga, but this concept is expanding into new therapies.
Sam Clark, Co-founder of Experience Travel Group, believes animals will play a larger role in wellbeing over the next few years.
“The rise of animal-assisted healing reflects an increasing preference for interactive and emotionally grounding experiences,” says Clark.
“Luxury hotels and retreats are expanding their wellness offerings to include experiential and therapeutic activities.
One example is Indonesia’s luxurious NIHI Sumba. It is the first hotel in the world to have several horses permanently on-site for guests embracing equine reiki, meditation and herd connection therapy.”
(main image by Simon Jauncey)
