The tourism industry is thriving. Therefore, it seems there has never been a more exciting time to enter this market for a rewarding career in this industry. The hospitality sector is expanding and with it the list of vocations is growing too. Training in this area can cover a huge range of fields, as evidenced by the variety of courses offered by the Alpine Center. There is much more expansion on just the standard ‘travel & tourism’ courses.
How is the industry shifting?
Despite the recent stretch on the economy, it seems the hospitality and tourism industry is still booming. This could be because the industry is meeting the needs of the evolving consumer demands. With the recent fascination and drive on healthy living, it seems that there has been a development in something now widely known as ‘wellness tourism.’ According to statistics produced by the Global Wellness Tourism Economy report this trend is now worth $US438.6 billion dollars and is set to continue growing.
What is Wellness Tourism?
Wellness tourism is any trip or holiday that results in taking direct action to be beneficial to the health and well-being of the traveller. This includes yoga retreats in Turkey, and fasting at an ashram in India. It could also be anything from a fitness boot camp in Ibiza, to a juice fasting cleanse in Nicaragua. There are so many niche markets cropping up, in order to cater to everyone’s needs. This is a new breed of travel, and it is big business. It is no longer just about boozy week-long holidays where the person returns with burnt skin and a damaged liver. Wellness tourism is about enhancing someone’s life whilst on holiday, so they return feeling refreshed and revitalised.
The Global Wellness Tourism Report indicates that some of the associations with Wellness Travel are authentic experiences, disease prevention and management, relaxation and healthy living. This is the opposite end of the spectrum to a typical lads’ holiday, which constitutes ‘unwell travel’ and includes some of the factors, such as excessive drinking, travel stress, unhealthy eating and lack of sleep.
How the Tourist Industry Can Support the Increase in Wellness Tourism
It is important for businesses in this industry to understand that there is a shift in this area, and that wellness tourism is a growing sector. It helps businesses to be flexible. It doesn’t matter if your business is not a yoga retreat, or a health spa. It is about tailoring your trip to meet all customers’ needs, and recognising that catering for wellness tourism could increase your customer base. It is helpful to see what kinds of services your business can offer in addition to what you already cover. Could your business focus on health cuisine? Maybe you are a ski lodge; could you extend your customer base and products by adding a spa? Could you continue developing your menu to a high standard to attract different clientele? Could you personalise your customer experience a little more, by offering tips about the holiday, sent by email beforehand, or offer an online resource such as Iglu Ski’s dedicated "first ski trip checklist" . This gives your guests a little added service to show them you care, even before they arrive. You have the opportunity to tempt them with your nutritious menu and pampering services.
How Businesses can Meet these Demands
A study from the Global Wellness Tourism report showed that lodgings alone amounted to $93.4 billion dollars of the global market, with food and beverages contributing to about $71.9 billion. The report suggested that people interested in wellness tourism were typically middle aged, wealthy, educated and from western backgrounds.
People are becoming more refined in their choices, they want to eat at quality restaurants, they wish to visit spas and health resorts, and they want to incorporate sports and activities such as yoga and skiing into their vacations. That is why it is essential to have high class professionally trained staff working at your business. The experience begins the moment the customer steps from their front door to begin their journey to their travel destination.
Therefore, it isn’t all about changing the entire structure of the business, simply building on what is already there. In most cases, the trend can be accommodated by the business, which enhances the customer stay and adds value to the business.
by Melissa Moram
exclusively for Alpine Center
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