Holidaymakers are focusing on wellness, finds ABTA
According to the results of a recent survey, one in three UK travellers are prioritising wellness activities when they go on holiday
The travel association’s research found that activities such as yoga, meditation, spa days and holistic treatments are increasing popular, with many holidaymakers also indicating that they want to have a break from technology. Over the next 12 months, ABTA found, more than two million people are planning to take a trip of this kind.
Holidaymakers reportedly plan to spend around four and a half hours per day doing various wellness-related activities. They also intend to spend an average of two hours per day consciously avoiding using their gadgets – although, this being said, wearable fitness technology is increasing in popularity, so presumably wellness tourists will not be avoiding these particular gadgets. In fact, 12 per cent of people plan to take exercise trackers like Fitbits away with them on their trips – rising to 20 per cent for respondents from the north east of the UK.
The most popular wellness activities for UK travellers were those that promote physical fitness, such as yoga, pilates, hikes and so on, with 67 per cent of people planning to focus on these (and 14 per cent planning to spend over four hours per day pursuing them). Spa treatments were the next most popular, with 42 per cent of respondents saying they would focus on these, followed by meditation-type activities (39 per cent). Respondents primarily said that they were planning these trips to relax and unwind, while younger travellers were more likely to be motivated by looking after their mental wellbeing (46 per cent versus the average of 35 per cent).