Holiday & Travel

Tourists used to head off on holiday for a spot of self and over-indulgence. Diets and fitness regimes were strictly left at home. Now, however, health and wellness travel is on the increase and has been revealed to be the travel industry’s fastest growing sector worldwide.

The rise of health and wellness travel has been the focus at World Travel Market 2006, a global event working with the British International Spa Association (BISA) and the Spa Research Fellowship. They are working to provide consumers with quality standards in the spa travel industry.

“This is no longer the sole domain of well-heeled women with nothing else to do.” says Fiona Jeffery, managing director of World Travel Market. “Wellbeing is now the bottom line for every consumer. People want look and feel better, lose weight, slow the effects of aging, relieve pain and discomfort, manage stress and use vitamins, natural minerals and treatments to improve their health.

“Spas in particular are becoming extremely relevant to today’s traveller and are becoming more affordable, targeting the middle income groups as well as the wealthy.”

Cosmetic treatments have been the trend over the past few years for spa breaks, but this has now been replaced by a far reaching and booming health and medical tourism business.

Dr Bruce Osborne, chairman of Spas Research Fellowship and BISA Council member says: “Spas are now a key consideration for many holidaymakers and in recent years the quickest growing segment of the hospitality industry has been hotels with spas and spa resorts.

“The indications are that spas that include overnight accommodation will become an even bigger factor in consumers’ choice of destination. Rather than being merely an amenity offered at a hotel or resort, spas are the deciding factor.”

Osborne continues: “The combination of accommodation and health enables the limited time available for a break to be utilised to maximum effect. As a result, we have seen the spa industry worldwide develop at an exponential rate in recent years.”

Spa resorts offer a unique sense of tranquillity and healthy self-indulgence. They offer a generous dose of relaxation and health benefits. These specialist spas, situated in beautiful surroundings and popular tourist destinations, provide a wide variety of therapies and treatments, many of which incorporate traditional regional treatments. Others specialise in centuries old treatments using thermal or mineral waters. All spa resorts offer healthy cuisine, luxury pampering and some even provide surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures. Consumer choice is enormous.

BISA is working hard to encourage quality standards throughout the industry by way of its accreditation scheme. This provides consumers with a measure of confidence when booking their spa break. It guarantees qualified therapists, a wide selection of treatments, quality of customer care, medically qualified consultants, a high quality spa environment, healthy cuisine, quality accommodation, and optimum health and safety.