Wellness
The retreat era: women are booking intention, not itineraries
Wellness, spirituality and slow travel are reshaping how women choose where to stay.
By Jamie Lutz · September 2026 · 5 min read
Brand-ready travel brief
- Audience
- Women travelers · Wellness
- Headline signal
- $6.8T — global wellness economy in 2024 — doubled since 2013
- Prepared by
- Jamie Lutz, MBA · jamieleightravels.com
Moves for your brand
- ✦Package a feeling, not a facility.
- ✦Pilot one small women's retreat in shoulder season.
- ✦Add intention to the stay: sunrise rituals, journaling corners, nourishing menus.
$6.8T
global wellness economy in 2024 — doubled since 2013
7.6%
projected annual growth through 2029
$9.8T
forecast size of the wellness economy by 2029
From spa day to purpose trip
The Global Wellness Institute values the wellness economy at $6.8 trillion, growing faster than global GDP, with mental wellness among the fastest-growing sectors. Women increasingly book trips around a feeling — rest, reset, reconnection — and choose properties that can deliver it.
What's in demand
Breathwork, sound baths, astrology- and moon-cycle programming, digital detox, nature immersion and small-group retreats. The spiritual traveler wants meaning, not just a massage menu.
The opportunity for hotels
You don't need a wellness wing. Partnering with a facilitator for a three-night women's retreat fills rooms in shoulder season, lifts F&B and spa spend, and generates months of authentic content from guests who love to share.
For brands & hotels
- ✦Package a feeling, not a facility.
- ✦Pilot one small women's retreat in shoulder season.
- ✦Add intention to the stay: sunrise rituals, journaling corners, nourishing menus.
- ✦Let guests share — retreat content is your best marketing.