Generation X is overtaking Baby Boomers as the age group most likely to book spa travel, and “women traveling with other women” is the top way people now travel to spas, according to Spafinder Wellness 365’s 2013 report about the state of the North American spa travel market. The report is based on a survey of more than 300 North American travel agents completed in the fourth quarter of 2013.
According to the study, a significant majority (73%) of travel agents reported growth in bookings to hotel, resort and destination spas in 2013.
Other key findings from the report include:
Increased desire for total wellness experiences: Agents reported on what spa programming now matters most to clients, and “traditional pampering” retained its top spot for the seventh straight year. In 2013, however, there was more parity in traveler demand for other key spa elements: agents reported health/wellness offerings like exercise and weight loss are now important to 84%, mind-body-spirit programming is important to 68% and nature/adventure experiences are sought by 67%.
Fastest-growing global spa regions: The five international spa destinations growing fastest with North American travelers in comparison with 2012 were the Caribbean, Mexico, Asia, Europe and Central/South America.
Increased demand for off-the-beaten-path destinations and authentic, local experiences: Luxury travelers increasingly want a wide world of destinations to explore and authentic, hyper-local experiences when they get there, the survey found.
A new, bigger spa travel map: Agents were asked to submit countries they felt were getting “significantly hotter” with the North American spa traveler, and the clear standout was Costa Rica. Other top Central American up-and-comers were Belize and Nicaragua. In South America, the standouts were Argentina and Chile. In Europe, The Czech Republic, Croatia and Turkey garnered the most responses, with Italy, Ireland and Slovakia also making a strong showing. For Asia, Cambodia, India, the Maldives, Myanmar and Vietnam made the most agents’ “getting hotter” list, and in Africa, South Africa and the Seychelles ranked highest.