Paying the price for emotional investment, purchasing the service of healing. During the just-concluded “May Day” holiday, “reverse tourism” became a new trend for many tourists. According to statistics, during this year’s “May Day” holiday, the ticket booking volume of county-level scenic spots increased by 151% compared to the same period last year. People are increasingly inclined towards less popular, niche tourist destinations, seeking to obtain mental and physical rest and relaxation through a pleasant journey.
Known as “Little Switzerland” and “Mini Maldives”, Anji, with a permanent population of less than 600,000, has become one of the current popular bases for “travel and heal” projects in the country. Different local travel-and-heal brands have introduced a variety of schemes for tourists to choose from. Visitors can choose to stay in a hot spring guesthouse and participate in a two-day and one-night deep healing journey for 1999 yuan, or experience a three-day two-night exotic travel-and-heal for 5980 yuan, purifying their body, mind, and spirit through singing bowls and vegetarian diets. There is also the two-day, one-night “Martial Arts Journey” themed travel-and-heal event for 3299 yuan, where customers can experience the charm of bodycombat training in the bamboo forest.
For those living with a high-paced rhythm of life and a great deal of work pressure, choosing to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and getting close to nature is obviously a good method to heal the body and mind. However, can travel-and-heal projects, marketed with “healing” as a selling point, truly bring tranquility to people’s souls? What kind of “new economic” model will emerge from the combination of tourism and healing in travel-and-heal?
Searching “travel-and-heal” or “healing travel-and-heal” keywords on the Xiaohongshu platform, we can find various travel-and-heal programs including hot spring healing, mindfulness healing, yoga healing, and art healing. Those who enjoy travel-and-heal can choose to meditate at the foot of the snow-capped mountains in Lijiang, or do rock climbing yoga in the wild in Yangshuo, or participate in sound therapy in the mountains of Hangzhou, or face the sea and practice yoga in Zhoushan. There is also a diverse choice of overseas retreats, from Chiang Mai, Bali to the Maldives, where tourists can enjoy island style and local activities; in European cities like Barcelona and Greece, they can also choose to participate in fitness retreat programs, generally costing around 20,000 yuan per person.
“Travel-and-heal” is a concept that combines “travel” and “cultivation.” As defined by global health research institutes, “Wellness Tourism” refers to travel activities carried out in pursuit of improving personal health. “Wellness” focuses on actively seeking activities, choices, and lifestyles that benefit overall health, emphasizing the combination of profound travel experiences with physical and mental health. Abroad, “travel-and-heal” is more often called “retreat,” originating from the Christian concept of withdrawal, referring to choosing a peaceful environment, committed to establishing harmony of body, mind, and spirit in faith. These trips often combine elements of healing, meditation, yoga, etc., allowing travelers to find inner peace and personal growth by participating in spiritual courses, healthy eating, and integrating natural environments.
Reports indicate that a retreat usually includes elements such as yoga, meditation, mindfulness practice, and mind-body-spirit healing, aiming to help participants achieve inner peace, mental clarity, and physical health. Based on different content, travel-and-heal can be divided into types like wellness retreats, fitness retreats, yoga retreats, etc. The core of all such activities is to achieve relaxation of the mind and body, personal growth, and inner healing, ultimately realizing a healthy, high-quality lifestyle.
Wellness travel, as the name implies, combines tourism with self-cultivation and wellness, and is steadily becoming a new favorite for those seeking personalized experiences and high-quality services. The product nature of wellness travel is similar to that of private or boutique group tours, focusing on providing personalized services and meticulous arrangements to allow people to relax and heal both body and mind during their journey.
Regarding expenses and market positioning, the price range of wellness travel projects is quite broad, with different grades and services depending on the consumer group. For instance, some wellness activities are very down-to-earth, such as weekend trips near the city for a thousand yuan, including round-trip transportation, accommodation, and various healing activities, perfect for those who want to temporarily escape the urban pressure over the weekend; while more high-end examples include overseas wellness tours for tens of thousands of yuan, which are more suitable for the upper-middle consumption groups, like the middle class.
Take, for example, a luxury wellness travel brand on the Xiaohongshu platform that launched a Balinese Ubud jungle retreat, pricing starts at 9,800 yuan, including carefully arranged courses, hotel accommodations, and airport shuttle services, providing tourists with high-quality luxury travel experiences. Accommodation options include five-star jungle-surrounded views or four-star Balinese twin villa, exemplifying its attractive luxury and privacy.
Apart from joining these boutique groups, some travelers prefer the freedom of independent travel. This method allows tourists to choose venues like yoga studios or meditation centers at the destination according to their personal interests and needs and to sign up for courses on their own. This choice stands out for its flexibility.
In addition, some travelers prefer down-to-earth experiences and participate in free or low-cost meditation classes and spiritual courses organized by local temples, meditation centers, or spiritual guides. As an example, an Iyengar yoga enthusiast mentioned that she regularly attends yoga retreats in Bali, spending about 500 yuan per day, which offers a better cost-performance ratio compared to high-end wellness tours.
Against the backdrop of high urban living pressures, short-term meditation activities like the “One-Day Zen” in Guangzhou and other first-tier cities are also popular for providing busy office workers with a brief respite. However, at the same time, high-priced custom tours offer a higher level of comfort and personalized services, possibly catering to a different age demographic of consumers.
As for overseas wellness travel products, their rich offerings indeed attract many consumers. The content of wellness travel is all-encompassing, ranging from physical practices like Pilates, yoga, and volcano trekking, to mental adjustments such as tree hugging, tango meditation, and singing bowl meditation, as well as the deep exploration and experience of local culture and sentiments.
For overseas travel users, wellness platforms offer customized services based on the needs of different participants. Although there are many cost-effective wellness products on the market, as shown by the KEMBALI Retreat, the high-quality overseas wellness involves professional instructors, practice venues, quality living environment and dining conditions, etc., making the costs relatively higher, and therefore, the overall price is higher. However, when consumers choose wellness travel products, price comparison alone is not enough to measure the true value of the wellness experience.
Against the backdrop of the rapidly developing healing economy, the popularity of “travel healing” can be attributed to the common feelings of anxiety among the public in recent years. According to data from Zhi Meng Consulting, over 70% of respondents have experienced anxiety, and work, family responsibilities, financial pressure, and health issues of loved ones are the main causes. As one of the methods to alleviate anxiety, travel healing has gained favor among people. Victoria suggested in her description of the Jingzhe Research Institute that under the social environment of internal competition, travel healing provides an outlet for emotional venting, allowing people to temporarily escape from the stressful daily life, to reassess themselves and connect with their inner selves.
The main clientele of travel healing are professional women and middle-aged people, who struggle to find inner peace in an information-overloaded modern society. However, in the iEmpower empowering travel healing activities, slowing down the pace of life has become an important activity content. These people are often advocates of the travel healing idea, such as female professionals who experience career anxiety and middle-aged people who place increasing importance on health.
Consumers interested in the healing economy are mainly concentrated among women and the new middle class. Healing methods such as Zen, travel healing, and meditation have gradually become popular healing means. Mirror Social Listening data points out that these healing methods have become new favorites in the anxious society. Although these methods have received a lot of attention in scientific research and some support, their actual effects and mechanisms of action need further research and verification. However, they can indeed offer people a way to release stress and a path to inner tranquility.
Ai Yangar Yoga enthusiast Kang Kang shared her experience of participating in a yoga travel healing retreat in Bali, stating that the main purpose of participating in travel healing is to obtain inner peace and happiness and to reach a state of relaxation of body and mind. She emphasized that there is no need to mythologize travel healing; in fact, many sources of stress come from the constant changes in the external environment, and people often find it difficult to calm down and deeply understand themselves.
Currently, people pay more attention to the deep value and meaning behind experiences when participating in activities like travel cultivation, and as consumers’ focus on the emotional value of products increasingly surpasses functionality, the emotional experience is crucial in industries like travel healing. What is equally important is rational consumer choice, especially in the context of a somewhat chaotic travel healing market with lax regulation, consumers should take a more cautious approach.
Online platforms like Xiaohongshu show alerts when searching for “healing travel,” indicating caution against illegal training activities, reflecting the current lack of proper regulation in the field of healer training. The release of the movie “Zhou Chu Removes Three Evils” and related media reports have further exposed the presence of illegal cults and “spiritual pyramid schemes” masquerading under the guise of spiritualism and religion. Regarding travel healing destinations like Ubud in Bali, some people have expressed concern over the mixed quality of commercial establishments, making it hard to distinguish the genuine from the fake, and services are only suitable for the appropriate seekers.
As to whether travel healing can become a new trend in cultural and tourism, the answer can be found in the new trends of reverse tourism and the rapid growth of the healing economy. More and more people recognize the importance of holiday travel for physical and mental health and a balanced lifestyle, which is a favorable condition for the marketing of travel healing products. According to the “China Travel Healing Industry Research Report” released by Refined GymSquare, the global travel healing market size has reached 651 billion US dollars, with the main tourist groups coming from Europe and America, while the Asia-Pacific region and the China market show great potential for growth.
Travel sector founder Zhang Haoxi mentioned that travel for healing, as a product, did not rise to prominence only recently, but its trend has been notable since last year. Travel methods, including singing bowl experiences and Staycation, reflect the contemporary youth’s desire to achieve relaxation and joy for body and soul through travel, amidst life and work pressures. The “14th Five-Year” tourism industry development plan issued by the State Council emphasizes that future tourism consumption demand will shift from low-end to providing high-quality and diverse tourism experiences.
In this context, travel for healing, as a way of combining travel with spiritual practice, focusing on physical relaxation and psychological balance, offers a unique option for travelers seeking personalized and in-depth experiences. Furthermore, from a broader industry chain perspective, the rise of the travel for healing industry not only possesses huge developmental potential but also brings innovative and development opportunities to related tourism industry sectors such as transportation, dining, and accommodation.
As an emerging trend, the travel for healing market needs more than just the independent efforts of various brands to achieve significant development and become a new trend in the industry; it relies on innovation and cooperation across the entire industry chain. On the supply side, currently, the main travel for healing products originate from start-up brands and independent teams, whose boutique and tailored travel groups are greatly sought after. In comparison, traditional travel companies have not widely entered the travel for healing field yet, which to some extent reflects that the demand for travel for healing still remains niche. However, as the market demand for such products continues to grow, the participation of traditional travel companies will be indispensable in driving the industry’s expansion.
Looking at the downstream of the industry chain, the hotel industry as the service provider also has opportunities to cater to the new market trends by expanding its range of services. For example, luxury hotels can launch travel for healing packages that include services like spa treatments and yoga classes to fulfill the customers’ demand for a high-quality lifestyle experience.
In the “post-pandemic era,” overseas, travel methods focusing on improving sleep quality have emerged, including tourism packages that offer a variety of relaxing projects such as SPA and yoga to help people improve their rest and enhance their quality of life.
Some travel for healing-themed resorts and themed B&Bs have already excelled in catering to customer demands. For example, targeting the “secluded luxury” market, Chengdu’s Liushan Hotel not only features a spa center but also provides Tai Chi, sound healing, facial yoga, and other activities free for guests by reservation, advocating the slow life concept. Suzhou’s Sound and Water Day integrates the concept of a “mindfulness practice home,” creating a space for sound therapy and meditation, a spa center, and holding an annual art healing festival to highlight its personalized services.
Against the rapid growth of the healing economy, although the travel for healing field still holds many unknowns, it also brings the value of exploring new opportunities to the cultural tourism industry. According to the Global Wellness Research Report’s forecast, over the next few years, the global healing economy is expected to grow by 10% annually, and by 2025, the market value is estimated to reach an astonishing $7 trillion. Especially in China, the healing economy market size is expected to reach $104 billion.
Journey healing, as a new branch of the therapeutic economy, aims to meet the emotional needs of people in modern society seeking relief from anxiety and loneliness through products and services. By offering emotional support and solace, it promotes individuals’ mental health and well-being, thus creating new value for consumers and the entire cultural and tourism industry.
