Wellness Travel Trends for 2027 (2026 Data)

Wellness travel trends for 2027 point to solo trips, fitness, ayurveda and saunas, while digital detox has stalled. Search interest in solo retreats rose 48.8%¹ worldwide in the two years to June 2025 and 34.7%¹ in the final year alone, and in fitness retreats 46.4%¹ and 17.7%¹. Every trend here is bookable: a snapshot of 5,958² retreats listed on one large marketplace in 115² countries puts the median advertised trip at £1,090³ ($1,453²) per person before flights, and an industry projection puts wellness tourism spending at $1,180.5 billion⁴ in 2027.

We group 13 trends by measured momentum and give each, where the data allow, the same five answers: how fast interest is rising, where in the world it is bookable, what a trip costs in pounds and dollars, how many nights it lasts and a labeled 2027 outlook. Four niches, sleep, longevity, menopause and sober travel, have too little search data to measure, and fewer than 25² retreats on that marketplace are built around each one.

The 2027 wellness travel trend ranking

Momentum is the change in the average weekly search interest index between July 2022-June 2023 and July 2024-June 2025, one term per trend, with the final year shown on its own.¹ The index runs from 0 to 100 for each term separately and counts all uses of a term, not only travel, so only changes are compared, never levels; terms starting below 15 index points, such as solo retreats, are noisier. Supply is the number of retreats on one large marketplace whose title names the trend, with their prices, nights and countries.² The table is ordered by outlook group, then by two-year change. The outlook is our labeled projection, not a forecast: "rising fast" needs a two-year rise of at least 40% and at least 15% in the final year; "rising" at least 15% and 5%; "slowing" a two-year rise of 15% or more but under 5% in the final year; "steady" under 15%.³ Gaps of a few points, such as solo's 48.8% against fitness's 46.4%, are not a real difference in rank.

Behind the ranking sit 16 search terms with enough volume, including the onsen and thermal baths behind the hot springs trend and four benchmarks. Cold plunge, onsen, solo retreats, digital detox, fitness retreats, thermal baths and ayurveda retreats rose at least as fast as wellness retreats as a whole (40.0%¹); yoga retreats (12.9%¹), detox retreats (13.1%¹) and spa holidays (3.9%¹) lagged. Every term counts all uses, not only trips.

How much does a wellness retreat cost?

Half of the retreats listed on one large marketplace are advertised at less than £1,090³ ($1,453²) per person for the whole stay, and the middle half falls between £570³ and £1,875³ ($760² to $2,500²). The median stay is 5² nights; retreats of exactly five nights have a median of £1,237³ ($1,650²). The median price per night is £225³ ($300²). These are advertised "from" prices per person, before flights.²

Price per night by trend

Per night, the cheapest trends among retreats built around them are ayurveda, anchored in India and Nepal, and silent retreats, at £114³ and £136³.² Menopause and longevity retreats cost the most per night, £413³ and £398³, although both rest on fewer than 25² retreats each and are indicative.

Price by world region and country

Where a retreat is matters at least as much as what it offers. Across all listings, the median night costs £111³ ($148²) in Asia and £469³ ($625²) in North America, 4.22³ times as much. Among countries with at least 50 listings, Nepal ($600²) and India ($700²) have the lowest median trip prices, and Mexico ($2,429²) and Costa Rica ($2,222²) the highest.²

Country by country, the spread is wider still. A retreat listed in Nepal costs a median £450³ ($600²) for the whole stay, while one in Mexico costs £1,822³ ($2,429²), 4.05³ times as much. The UK, with 300² listings, is among the cheaper places at a median £735³ ($980²).

Length and price bands

Short breaks are common: almost half (48.8%³) of listed retreats run one to four nights, and only 11.2%³ last exactly a week. On price, 35.9%³ of listings start under $1,000² (£750³) and 6.7%³ start at $5,000² (£3,750³) or more.²

Price bands show how wide the market is. More than a third of retreats start below $1,000² for the whole stay, while about one in fifteen starts at $5,000² or more.

What UK specialists charge

Packages from UK wellness tour operators cost more per night than marketplace retreats. One specialist's 398⁷ priced programs have a median of £499⁷ a night and £2,838⁷ ($3,784³) a trip; a second specialist's 380⁸ programs, £614⁸ a night and £3,269⁸ ($4,359³) a trip. Per night that is 2.22³ and 2.73³ times the marketplace median of £225³. Lengths differ too, so compare nights as well as totals; flights are not included unless stated.⁷⁸

Solo wellness: rising fast

Momentum: Search interest in solo retreats rose 48.8%¹ worldwide in the two years to June 2025, and 34.7%¹ in the final year alone, the strongest final year of any trend term worldwide.¹ UK interest is below the measurement threshold.

Where to book: 67² retreats on one large marketplace name solo travel in the title, in 24² countries; the United States has 19², Costa Rica 6², and India, Sweden and Indonesia 4² each.

What it costs: A median £1,146³ ($1,528²) for 4² nights, or £362³ a night; a night costs $187² in Asia and $988² in Central America, the cheapest and priciest regions with at least 5 retreats (small samples).² What you can book: Of the 67, 12² mention yoga, as many are private one-to-one retreats and 9² are for women; one UK specialist tags 249⁷ of its 398⁷ programs as suitable for single travelers.

2027 outlook (projection): Rising fast on our rule; its growth sped up in the final year.

Fitness retreats: rising fast

Momentum: Search interest in fitness retreats rose 46.4%¹ worldwide in the two years to June 2025 and 17.7%¹ in the final year, down from 24.4%¹ the year before.¹ UK interest is below the measurement threshold.

Where to book: 90² retreats name fitness, bootcamp or a training camp in the title, in 25² countries, led by Thailand (24²), the United States (12²) and Portugal (9²). One UK specialist sells 126⁷ fitness programs.

What it costs: A median £1,445³ ($1,927²) for 7² nights, or £189³ a night; a night costs $132² in Asia and $633² in North America, the cheapest and priciest regions with at least 5 retreats.² The UK specialist's median is £2,268⁷. What you can book: Fitness weeks and bootcamps; 29² of the 90 combine training with yoga.

2027 outlook (projection): Rising fast on our rule, with growth easing.

Ayurveda: rising

Momentum: Search interest in ayurveda retreats rose 40.8%¹ worldwide in the two years to June 2025, but only 10.7%¹ in the final year.¹ UK interest is below the measurement threshold.

Where to book: Supply is the most concentrated of any trend: India hosts 142² of the 253² retreats on one large marketplace that name ayurveda or panchakarma, 56.1%³, followed by Nepal (23²) and the UK (17²).²

What it costs: A median £841³ ($1,122²) for 7² nights, and just £114³ a night, the lowest of any trend; a night costs $125² in Asia and $417² in Central America, the cheapest and priciest regions with at least 5 retreats.² UK specialists sell pricier stays: medians of £3,250⁷ for 7 nights and £7,979⁸ for 14. What you can book: Of the 253, 130² combine ayurveda with yoga, 55² are detox programs and 46² name panchakarma treatment.

2027 outlook (projection): Rising on our rule, with growth easing.

Sauna and cold plunge: rising

Momentum: Search interest in saunas rose 34.1%¹ worldwide in the two years to June 2025, with 16.7%¹ in the final year; interest in cold plunges rose 128.6%¹, the biggest rise of any term worldwide, but only 11.7%¹ in the final year.¹ Both terms cover home and gym use as well as travel. In the UK, sauna interest rose 74.2%⁵ in two years and 35.9%⁵ in the final year; cold plunges 153.8%⁵ and 18.0%⁵. In a 2026 poll across 14 markets, 61%⁹ of travelers said they are more likely to try water-based wellness, such as cold plunges, while traveling.

Where to book: Only 22² retreats on one large marketplace are built around sauna or cold-water immersion, in 13² countries, led by the UK (4²), then Canada and Indonesia (3² each). The marketplace files 1,021² listings under its sauna, ice bath and cold-water categories, so heat and cold are mostly an add-on rather than the trip.

The dashed line is fitted from 2015 (0.78³ index points a year); a line from the 2020 low would rise 4.37³ points a year, so read the faster line as an upper bound.³

What it costs: An indicative median of £828³ ($1,104²) for 3.5² nights, or £220³ a night; too few retreats to compare regions.² What you can book: Short breaks; 6² of the 22 name an ice bath and 5² combine sauna or cold water with yoga. Interest in saunas peaks in the northern winter, highest in January (56.1¹).

2027 outlook (projection): Rising on our rule for saunas; cold plunges are past their steepest climb.

Silent retreats: rising

Momentum: Search interest in silent retreats rose 23.2%¹ worldwide in the two years to June 2025, and 7.7%¹ in the final year, down from 14.3%¹.¹ UK interest is below the measurement threshold.

Where to book: 116² retreats on one large marketplace name silence, silent or vipassana in the title, in 30² countries, led by the United States (20²), Portugal (11²) and Spain (10²).

What it costs: A median £568³ ($757²) for 4² nights, the cheapest trip of any trend, or £136³ a night; a night costs $95² in Asia and $298² in North America, the cheapest and priciest regions with at least 5 retreats.² What you can book: Meditation retreats held in silence; 55² of the 116 name meditation and 13² a nature setting.

2027 outlook (projection): Rising on our rule, with growth easing.

Walking: rising

Momentum: Search interest in walking holidays rose 19.7%¹ worldwide in the two years to June 2025 and 14.7%¹ in the final year.¹ In the UK it rose 11.4%⁵ in two years but only 2.6%⁵ in the final year, and it dips in autumn and early winter.

Where to book: 234² retreats on one large marketplace name walking, hiking or trekking in the title, led by Spain (31²), India (29²) and the United States (27²). A UK tour marketplace lists 1,181¹⁰ walking holidays, guided and self-guided, led by Nepal (126¹⁰), Spain (109¹⁰) and Italy (66¹⁰).

What it costs: Walking retreats cost a median £744³ ($992²) for 5² nights, or £174³ a night; a night costs $118² in Asia and $498² in North America, the cheapest and priciest regions with at least 5 retreats.² Walking holidays from the UK tour marketplace cost a median £1,770¹⁰ ($2,360³) for 7¹⁰ nights, and nearly nine in ten (88.8%¹⁰) are sold without flights. What you can book: Of the 234 retreats, 178² name hiking or trekking and 151² combine walking with yoga; the UK tour marketplace also lists 30¹⁰ Camino de Santiago trips.

2027 outlook (projection): Rising on our rule worldwide; steady on our rule in the UK, almost flat in the final year.

Digital detox: slowing

Momentum: Search interest in digital detox rose 46.7%¹ worldwide in the two years to June 2025, but only 1.8%¹ in the final year: almost all the growth came in the first of the two years.¹ UK interest is below the measurement threshold.

Where to book: 41² retreats on one large marketplace name a digital detox, unplugging or going offline in the title, in 20² countries, led by Costa Rica (6²), then Mexico and Spain (5² each).

What it costs: A median £838³ ($1,118²) for 4² nights, or £211³ a night; a night costs $99² in Asia and $375² in Central America, the cheapest and priciest regions with at least 5 retreats (small samples).² What you can book: Phone-free breaks; of the 41, 7² combine the detox with yoga, and five each are luxury and private retreats.

2027 outlook (projection): Slowing on our rule; interest held level in the final year.

Forest bathing: steady

Momentum: Search interest in forest bathing rose 11.4%¹ worldwide in the two years to June 2025 and 7.8%¹ in the final year; in the UK, 4.9%⁵ and 2.2%⁵: steady rather than booming, after a long climb from 2015 to 2019.¹ Nature is the pull: 79%⁹ of travelers polled in 14 markets say fresh air and the outdoors are essential to how they relax, and 54%⁹ spend more time in nature while traveling than at home.

Where to book: Forest bathing is an activity rather than a trip. Only 5² retreats on one large marketplace name it in the title, too few to rank places or prices; the marketplace's forest bathing tag sits on 5,288² of its 5,958² listings and says little.

What it costs: Usually nothing extra; it comes inside nature, yoga and walking retreats, so prices and regions cannot be compared. What you can book: Forest bathing sessions as part of a wider retreat.

2027 outlook (projection): Steady on our rule; the straight line keeps a slow climb.

Hot springs and thermal travel: steady, with onsen rising fast

Momentum: Search interest in hot springs rose only 1.2%¹ worldwide in the two years to June 2025 and 1.7%¹ in the final year, but onsen rose 73.4%¹ and 25.8%¹, and thermal baths 45.0%¹ and 19.9%¹.¹ In the UK, hot springs rose 8.9%⁵ in two years, onsen 107.6%⁵ and thermal baths 54.9%⁵. These terms include place names and day visits, not only trips.

Where to book: The thermal industry, not the retreat market, is where this trend lives: 31,386⁴ thermal and mineral springs businesses in 130⁴ countries, about 17,200⁴ of them onsen in Japan. Only 21² retreats on one large marketplace are built around hot springs, led by the United States (6²), then Italy and Japan (4² each).

The dashed line is fitted to all six years (3.14³ billion dollars a year); a line from the 2021 rebound would rise 9.47³ a year and reach about $119.1 billion³ in 2029, above the industry's $115.6 billion⁴: read it as an upper bound.³

What it costs: The 21² hot-spring retreats have a median of £994³ ($1,325²) for 4² nights, or £237³ a night; a night costs $310² in Europe and $600² in Asia, the cheapest and priciest regions with at least 5 retreats (small samples).² What you can book: Thermal and mineral spas, which earned $71.65 billion⁴ in 2024, and retreats near hot springs; 15² of the 21 combine the springs with yoga.

2027 outlook (projection): Steady on our rule for hot springs, rising fast for onsen and thermal baths; an industry projection gives thermal revenue 10.0%⁴ a year of growth, to $115.6 billion⁴ in 2029.

Thin-supply trends: sleep, longevity, menopause and sober travel

There is too little search data to measure a change for any of these four, and each has fewer than 25² retreats on one large marketplace built around it.² Prices below rest on those few retreats and are indicative; the marketplace files more listings under each theme's category, and UK specialists sell them as packages.

Longevity

Momentum: Too little search data worldwide and in the UK; the related, non-travel term biohacking rose 41.3%¹ worldwide in the two years to June 2025. Where to book: 21² retreats name longevity, biohacking or anti-aging, led by Italy (4²) and Portugal (3²); the marketplace files 180² listings in 29² countries under those categories. What it costs: A median £2,099³ ($2,799²) for 5² nights, £398³ a night, 2.50³ times a digital detox trip; too few retreats to compare regions. UK specialists charge medians of £4,369⁷ and £3,949⁸.

What you can book: Longevity programs, a few of them medical or doctor-led. 2027 outlook (projection): Too little search data to call.

Menopause

Momentum: Too little search data worldwide and in the UK. Where to book: 17² retreats name menopause in the title, in 10² countries, led by Spain (4²); the marketplace files 88² listings under its menopause category. What it costs: A median £1,390³ ($1,853²) for 4² nights, and £413³ a night; too few retreats to compare regions. UK specialists list 24⁷ and 13⁸ programs at medians of £3,768⁷ and £3,849⁸.

What you can book: Short menopause retreats, several for women only. 2027 outlook (projection): Too little search data to call.

Sleep

Momentum: Too little search data worldwide and in the UK. Where to book: 14² retreats name sleep in the title, in 9² countries, led by Vietnam (3²); the marketplace files 31² listings under its sleep category, and UK specialists list 37⁷ and 19⁸ sleep programs. What it costs: An indicative £1,019³ ($1,359²) for 5² nights; too few retreats to compare regions; the UK specialists' medians are £3,250⁷ and £3,699⁸. What you can book: Sleep-reset and sleep-recovery programs.

2027 outlook (projection): Too little search data to call.

Sober travel

Momentum: Too little search data worldwide and in the UK. Where to book: The thinnest supply of the four: 8² retreats name sobriety or alcohol-free in the title; the marketplace files 161² listings in 32² countries under its sober and alcohol-free categories. What it costs: An indicative £1,779³ ($2,372²) for 8.5² nights; too few retreats to compare regions. What you can book: Alcohol-free retreats and longer sober resets of up to a month.

2027 outlook (projection): Too little search data to call.

The wellness tourism growth rate and market size

Wellness tourism spending reached $893.9 billion⁴ (£670.3 billion³ at October 2026 exchange rates) in 2024, after growing 6.4%⁴ a year since 2019 and 13.8%⁴ in 2024 alone. All tourism spending grew 1.9%⁴ a year over the same five years, so wellness grew about 3.4 times as fast.³ An industry projection averages 9.1%⁴ a year from 2024 to 2029, with $1,180.5 billion⁴ (£885.3 billion³ at October 2026 rates) in 2027. Projections get revised: two years earlier, the 2027 projection was $1.4 trillion¹¹.

The dashed line is our straight line through 2019-2024, which includes the 2020 collapse; it gives about $1,044.9 billion³ for 2027, below the industry's $1,180.5 billion⁴. A line fitted only from 2021, the rebound years, rises twice as fast (154.7³ against 77.8³ billion dollars a year) and gives about $1,375.7 billion³; read the two as lower and upper bounds. The industry path from 2025 to 2029 is below in dollars and pounds; it is the publisher's projection, not a measurement.

Trips tell the same story. Wellness trips rose 32.9%³ from 2019 to 2024, to 1,239.1 million⁴, while all trips rose just 1.0%³.⁴ A wellness trip is counted whenever a traveler seeks wellness on it: 83%⁴ are trips taken for another reason on which travelers seek some wellness, and 17%⁴ are trips taken mainly for wellness.

The dashed line is fitted from 2019 (96.0 million³ trips a year); a line from the 2021 rebound would rise 221.3 million³ a year, so read it as an upper bound.³

By region

Asia-Pacific drove the growth: its wellness trips rose 75.3%³ from 2019 to 2024, to 562.7 million⁴, against 7.5%³ in Europe.⁴ Wellness trips in North America cost the most, $1,449⁴ per trip, twice the world average of $721⁴, which is itself 2.12³ times the spend on an average trip.

Split by trips rather than spending, the picture turns toward Asia. Asia-Pacific now accounts for 562.7 million⁴ of the 1,239.1 million⁴ wellness trips, nearly as many as Europe and North America combined, 587.7 million³.

By country

The United States is the largest market, at $330.2 billion⁴, 36.9%³ of the world total.⁴ The UK ranks ninth⁴ at $19.1 billion⁴ (£14.3 billion³ at October 2026 rates), 35.5%³ above 2019. India counts 205.5 million⁴ wellness trips, close to the 220.5 million⁴ of the United States, but spends far less per trip.

Most wellness trips are domestic and secondary. International wellness travelers spend $1,637⁴ (£1,228³) per trip, 2.79³ times the $587⁴ of a domestic wellness trip, and 12.8%³ of all wellness trips cross a border.

The UK angle

UK residents made an estimated 99.9 million¹² visits abroad in 2025 and spent £86.2 billion¹². In the UK, search interest leans toward heat and cold more than worldwide: interest in saunas rose 74.2%⁵ against 34.1%¹ worldwide, and onsen 107.6%⁵ against 73.4%¹. Spa holidays slipped 7.4%⁵ in the UK and yoga retreats barely moved (2.7%⁵); walking holidays rose 11.4%⁵ in two years but only 2.6%⁵ in the final year. Three-quarters of Britons polled, 76%¹³, say fresh air and time outdoors are key to how they relax on holiday.

Wellness at home is bookable too: 300² of the retreats listed on one large marketplace are in the UK, 5.0%³ of the total, with a median trip of £735³ ($980²), and the UK has 17² of the retreats built around ayurveda and 18² of those built around walking.

The bookable retreat market and long-run interest

One large retreat marketplace lists 5,958² distinct retreats in 115² countries in October 2026. Its 2019 archived pages counted 1,541¹⁴ yoga, 1,329¹⁴ wellness, 645¹⁴ meditation and 696¹⁴ other listings, at most 4,211³ retreats if those four categories held the whole catalog, so it has grown roughly 1.41³ to 3.87³ times since.¹⁴ Category counts alone overstate growth: they are hit counts that can repeat a listing (the 2026 yoga count of 5,919² holds 5,722² distinct retreats, 96.0%³ of the catalog), because retreats are now tagged into several categories at once. Listings are offers, not bookings.

The long view of search interest shows interest building for a decade. Interest in wellness retreats was flat until 2013 and then climbed, dipping only in 2020.¹

The wellness-retreat line is fitted from 2013 (2.53³ points a year); a line from the 2020 low would rise 4.87³ points a year and should be read as an upper bound.³ Yoga retreats followed a different path: a peak in 2019, a collapse in 2020 and 2021, and a recovery that had not regained the 2019 level by 2024.¹

The yoga-retreat line is fitted from 2010 (1.55³ points a year); a line from the 2021 low would rise 7.40³ points a year, so read it as an upper bound.³

What travelers say they want

A poll of 14,744⁹ travelers in 14 markets, run in May and June 2026 for a hotel group (industry research), points the same way as the search data: rest, nature and water.⁹ 65%⁹ actively seek experiences that calm the body and reset the nervous system, and 34%⁹ say trips centered on rest and recovery helped them grow or change.

Put on a map, the supply on one large marketplace is global. The United States has 652² listed retreats and India 637², followed by Spain (484²) and Indonesia (423²).

Conclusions

1. Solo and fitness trips have the strongest momentum. They are the only trends rising fast on both measures: solo retreats up 48.8% over two years and 34.7% in the final year, fitness retreats 46.4% and 17.7%.¹
2. Cold plunges have passed their steepest climb; saunas are still speeding up. Cold plunge interest rose 128.6% over two years but 11.7% in the final year¹, while UK sauna interest rose 35.9% in the final year⁵; only 22 retreats on one large marketplace are built around sauna or cold water.²
3. The cheapest way into a trend is to go east. A retreat night costs a median $148 in Asia and $625 in North America, 4.22 times as much, and the cheapest trend per night, ayurveda (£114), is anchored in India and Nepal.²
4. The niches are thin. On one large marketplace, 14 retreats are built around sleep, 8 around sobriety, 17 around menopause and 21 around longevity, and menopause and longevity cost the most per night, £413 and £398 (indicative, under 30 retreats).²
5. Two years of growth can hide a stall. Digital detox interest rose 46.7% over two years but 1.8% in the final year¹, and UK walking interest 11.4% but 2.6%.⁵