Travel to heal

Once the preserve of yoga mats and spa robes, wellness travel has entered the fast lane. Detox retreats, ice baths, infrared saunas, and cacao ceremonies are no longer fringe indulgences; they’re transforming the way the world travels.

Wellness tourism, defined by the Global Wellness Institute as “travel associated with the pursuit of maintaining or enhancing one’s personal well-being”, is booming as travellers seek balance, rejuvenation, and a deeper connection to themselves. Grand View Research predicts that the global wellness tourism market, valued at $814.6 billion in 2022, is projected to reach $2.1 trillion by 2030.

Holidays once meant sightseeing or sunbathing, but travellers now crave spaces to rest, reset, and renew. “Digital fatigue, burnout, and post-pandemic reflection have fuelled the rise of destination wellness — journeys designed around physical and emotional recovery,” says clinical psychologist Shreya Tripathi.

From ayurvedic sanctuaries in Kerala and yoga retreats in Rishikesh to holistic eco-resorts in Bali and mindfulness havens in Europe, wellness has become the new language of luxury. No longer an add-on, it’s often the reason for the trip. Hotels and tourism boards are repositioning well-being as the ultimate indulgence.

“Guests no longer come just for relaxation,” says a senior spa therapist at Anantara New York Palace Budapest, a Belle Époque landmark reborn as a modern sanctuary. “They want to understand how stress affects their body, how to breathe better, how to take home calm.” Its marketing manager, Gábor Földes, calls Budapest, which has more than a hundred geothermal springs located under its surface, the capital of baths. “Our cave-like spa blends healing philosophies of Anantara’s Thai roots with elements of Budapest’s thermal bath heritage,” says Földes.

In 2022, travellers took nearly 819 million wellness-focused trips — just 7.8 per cent of all travel, yet accounting for 18.7 per cent of global tourism spending.

In Copenhagen, CopenHot, an outdoor spa with hot tubs and sauna, has turned wellness into an elemental ritual. On the harbourfront, guests soak in wood-fired hot tubs before plunging into icy waters — a new Nordic take on balance where wilderness meets urbanity. Alternating between heat and cold, studies show, boosts blood circulation, immunity, and mental clarity. Zurich has transformed hydrotherapy into an art form. At Thermalbad & Spa Zurich, guests bathe in thermal waters drawn from ancient Roman springs flowing under the city. The ritual culminates with a soak in a rooftop infinity pool that overlooks the Alps. Herbal steam rooms, stone vaults, deep-tissue massages, infrared therapy and contrast baths make wellness an everyday ritual.

The trend continues across Asia where wellness blends spirituality and science. At Amankora in Bhutan, mornings mean yoga in the mountains, followed by a hot-stone bath and a fire blessing ceremony. Guests take part in spiritual cleansing rituals led by monks. “Wellness here is not about luxury; it’s about presence,” says a resident therapist.

Further south, Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas channels energy through movement rather than meditation. Guests learn Muay Thai on the beach, using physical discipline to release tension and cultivate inner strength. “I never thought throwing punches on the beach could be so calming. It cleared my head completely,” says Jenny Wood, who travelled to Phuket from Southampton, UK.

India, long known for its healing traditions, remains a cornerstone of this global movement. Resorts in Kerala and Karnataka reinterpret ayurveda, yoga, and meditation therapies while Himalayan retreats in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh blend ancient practices with mountain serenity. Luxury spa resorts in Rajasthan and Goa are reimagining heritage palaces as wellness sanctuaries. Many hotels now offer sound-healing sessions, circadian-lighting suites, etc.

For frequent traveller Maya Deshmukh, wellness travel is an annual ritual. “I used to think of holidays as an escape from work,” she says. “Now, I see them as a return to myself. Whether it’s a yoga retreat in Goa or a spa in Budapest, I come home feeling better — physically, mentally, and emotionally.”

A new frontier within wellness tourism is longevity travel, experiences designed to support longer, healthier lives. Research backs the link: a 2021 BMC Public Health study revealed that older adults who travelled outside their local area at least once every two years had a 27 per cent lower risk of all-cause mortality compared to non-travellers. Longevity vacations feature genetic testing, IV infusions, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and personalised nutrition plans.

Across Europe and Asia, retreats are being designed around biohacking and precision wellness.

The boom in wellness tourism prompts the question whether it is about real transformation or just curated escape? Critics say commercialisation can turn healing into a sales pitch. Yet the rise of the “secondary wellness traveller”, who mixes leisure with well-being, blurs that line. In the end, whether it’s a sound bath in the Himalayas, a thermal soak in Budapest, or a Muay Thai session at dawn, the essence of wellness travel lies not in escape, but in equilibrium.

Where the world escapes for well-being

• Phuket, Thailand: Detox, sound healing, Thai massage and Muay Thai fitness
• Bali, Indonesia: Yoga, Balinese massage and chakra healing in

  Ubud’s rice terraces

• Budapest, Hungary: Thermal baths and massages
• Zurich, Switzerland: Roman springs, steam, rooftop pools with mountain views
• Kerala: Personalised detox, yoga and herbal therapies in coastal sanctuaries
• Algarve, Portugal: Minimalist retreats and sea-mineral treatments
• Tangalle, Sri Lanka: Ayurvedic therapies, ocean meditations and massages

— The writer is a freelance contributor