Healthspan-extending holidays continue to be top of mind for the planet’s ageing population. Enter medi-wellness concepts that leverage cutting-edge medical diagnostics and preventative therapies to tempt high-net-worth biohackers. Resorts and cruise lines alike are vying for this lucrative market, estimated to be worth $610bn worldwide by 2025 (GWI, 2024).

Whether it’s new-era couples’ retreats or reflective solo adventures, travel brands are well placed to help consumers explore their physical desires and reset relationships (either with themselves or a partner). Cue a broad spectrum of sexual wellness tourism concepts, ranging from subtle self-love practices to therapist-led in-depth programmes.

Whether to escape regulatory restrictions in their homeland or obtain affordable care, travelling overseas to access treatments such as IVF (in vitro fertilisation) or egg freezing is becoming more common. Meanwhile, greater transparency about maternal mental health is popularising postpartum wellness retreats far beyond their origins in East Asia (as explored in The Future Consumer Life Cycle 24/25).

The practice of alternating between intense heat (hot tubs, saunas) and cold (showers, wild swimming, ice baths), known as contrast bathing, has graduated from niche to mainstream. Online searches rose by 600% between 2019 and 2024 (Antlerzz, 2024). Thermal circuit facilities are the star attraction at many leisure and wellness developments, often foregrounding the social aspect of this communal activity.

Silent retreats and digital detoxes aren’t new, but their appeal is growing, given current geopolitical turmoil, climate anxiety and tech addiction (see Key Stats). Globally, 24% of travellers say they’re increasingly deprioritising devices and turning off social media during vacations (Hilton, 2024).

The scourge of long-haul travel is being tackled through new tech tools, circadian design concepts and menus, preparing travellers for switching time zones. Such initiatives should prove popular with the 42% of Americans and Brits who find coping with jet lag challenging (Yotel, 2024).