The latest shopper insights research from m1nd-set offers a deep dive into people’s considerations around their physical and mental health while travelling internationally, with 20% of those surveyed revealing they would be prepared to pay for meditation areas, spa services and sleeping pods.

The findings highlights opportunities for the travel retail industry to generate incremental spend by catering to the evolving needs of travellers as we navigate the ‘new normal’.

The research, published in May, shows that the majority of travellers are more concerned about their mental health (73%) and physical wellbeing (87%) than they were before the pandemic.

According to m1nd-set, this largely mirrors the sentiment in the domestic wellness sector.

“Over one third of international travellers say they feel stressed at some point during the journey which suggests that the appropriate marketing at the right time and place, could trigger incremental spend for the health and wellness category,” said Anna Marchesini, Head of Business Development at m1nd-set. “The traveller is certainly open to opportunities.

“We are seeing that the focus on physical and mental wellness is a clear priority for travellers when travelling internationally,” she added. “Relaxation and meditation activities are the number one preferred activity, expressed by 36% of travellers.”

Looking at the wider picture, more initiatives that cater to and prioritise mental and physical wellbeing throughout the trip is on the wish list for 43% of travellers.

Furthermore, spend per trip among those travelling specifically for health and wellness purposes is around 35% more than the average international traveller.

Among domestic travellers, the difference is even greater, with wellness tourists spending 177% more than the average domestic tourist, according to m1nd-set.

“With consumers planning to spend more on their personal health and wellness across all sectors of the industry in the coming years, we can safely say that outlook for the health and wellness industry is indeed healthy,” said Peter Mohn, m1nd-set CEO and Owner.

“Beauty supplements, anti-ageing products, nutrition products and meditation products and services are all areas which will see particularly strong growth.

“Digital tracking devices which monitor physical activities, heart condition and overall fitness, such as health wearables and smart watches inevitably experience strong growth also,” he added.

“We can expect both the watches and electronics categories to see an evolution in the product portfolio in travel retail, as retailers adapt to this trend and harness the opportunities.”

CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS
The m1nd-set research tracks the growth of the wellness sector – which is valued at more than US$4 billion and is set to grow by approximately 10% of the next two to three years – across key markets over the past 24 months.

Within this, wellness tourism is expected to achieve 30% year on year growth over the next two to three years.

The research identified personal health products and services as the leading sub-category in the wellness sector, followed by physical appearance such as beauty and skincare products and fitness products and services.

In terms of markets, Asia Pacific was highlighted as the leading region for the wellness industry, representing over a third of global spend on wellness.

North America represents around 30% of the global market and Europe just over one quarter.

On a per capita basis however, North Americans spend more than any other world region and nearly three times more than Europeans, who rank second, says the findings.

TRBusiness and m1nd-set are partnering to present the Travel Retail consumer Forum 2022 in September in Limassol, Cyprus. Registration is now open.