Healthy hotels and yoga holidays among 2014 wellness travel trends

Slowing down the holiday pace, maintaining a healthy lifestyle on the road and the spa industry’s mission to rebrand itself as less pampering and more wellbeing are among the key wellness travel trends for 2014, according to a new report.

Rather than race around ticking sights off their lists, travellers are now more likely to focus on “slow travel” and relax on holiday, according to the Top 10 Wellness Travel Trends of 2014 forecast. The research, published for the second consecutive year by Wellness Tourism Worldwide, highlighted the growing number of hotels providing travellers with the exercise and nutritional tools to adhere to a healthy lifestyle as an important market trend.

An increased interest in de-stressing through practises such as yoga and mediation and the rise of the wellness travel agent in response to the growing consumer emphasis on addressing physical and emotional wellness while on holiday, were also predicted to be important industry developments next year.

Camille Hoheb, founder of Wellness Tourism Worldwide, said: "Consumers view vacations as an important way to improve health, happiness and productivity and [see] wellness travel as a personal investment.”