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The U.S. accounts for more than one-third of all global wellness tourism revenues, and it is by far the largest national market.”
In this article you'll discover some significant stats about the wellness tourism industry, learn two very important facts about working with wellness retreat leaders, and find out five easy tips for attracting more wellness retreats to your hotel or retreat center.
So why should you be interested in wellness tourism, anyway?
“...it’s the fastest growing travel sector. The Global Wellness Institute predicts an impressive 21% annual growth rate, expanding the sector to an over $1 trillion market by 2024.”
Wellness Tourism Is High-Yield Tourism
Wellness travelers spend more per trip than the average tourist, and this holds true for both domestic and international travelers.
International wellness tourists on average spent $1,528 per trip, 53% more than the typical international tourist and this is an outdated stat from 2017.
The premium for domestic wellness tourists is even higher. At $609 per trip, they spend 178% more than the typical domestic tourist. - Source Global Wellness Institute
If you want to successfully attract wellness retreats, there are 2 important pieces of information you must first know about working with those that facilitate wellness retreats...the retreat leaders.
#1 Their Pain Points - A wellness retreat leader's biggest pain point is filling their retreat.
Once you understand what challenges a wellness retreat leader faces, you can anticipate their needs and find ways to support the success of their wellness retreat making it a win/win.
#2 Their Goals - A wellness retreat leader's biggest goal is profiting from their retreat.
The majority of retreat leaders break even or lose money on retreats they facilitate. Top reasons for this include lack of marketing and choosing the wrong property for their retreat needs.
Now that you better understand the pain points and goals of a wellness retreat leader, the following 5 tips will give you an advantage in attracting and selling them.
Tip #1 Visuals
Use images and video in your marketing and on your website of your wellbeing services.
Create a visual journey of what a multi-day retreat could look like at your property.
Tip #2 Great Copy
Channel your inner wellness travel writer.
Great copy should beautifully highlight all the amenities and features that would appeal to a wellness retreat leader. Environment, food, wellness, activities, accommodations...
Tip #3 Ease
Make the visuals and copy easily available on your website so the retreat leader can swipe and paste them into their own marketing materials to promote and fill their retreat.
This is of huge value to a retreat leader.
Tip #4 Showcase
Post testimonials from retreat leaders on your website. Retreat leaders follow and trust other retreat leaders.
If you want to speed up your wellness retreat bookings, land a recognizable yoga retreat leader or wellness guru to have a retreat at your property and leverage their testimonial.
Tip #5 Be Findable
What does a wellness retreat leader read?
Who do they trust?
Get featured in travel and wellness magazines and sites so retreat leaders can easily find you.
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Use these five tips as a checklist. The better you understand the needs of these particular types of travelers, the sooner you'll start booking more wellness retreats.
Need help boosting bookings from wellness traveler enthusiasts? We’ve been helping hotels, destinations and wellness retreat companies successfully do this since 2013. Contact us today.
Here’s a recent review from a client that is an international yoga retreat company:
“We’ve Grown Steadily To Offering 4x Our Original Business Plan.”
