Health tourism is on the rise.

Destinations that combine pristine nature with holistic wellness treatments are becoming the trending travel style.

A Vietnamese-American woman combined a vacation with cosmetic surgery at a cosmetic surgery clinic in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: HOANG LOC

Many travel agencies are embracing this trend with a variety of tour packages that promise a balance between experiences and health recovery.

A variety of "healing" tours

On June 1st, in an interview with Tuoi Tre newspaper, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nguyen Huong ( Da Nang City) shared that this summer she chose a trip focused on health and wellness. Her destination is a hot spring and natural mineral water resort located 30km from Hue City.

"I searched online for tours, and there were many different options, but this destination isn't too far from my house."

"The resort has a yoga center, water meditation, and mountain climbing; there's also a dedicated acupressure therapy room where I can relax after a stressful workday. This is my first time experiencing a health-focused tourism service, and it's very enjoyable," said Ms. Nguyen Huong.

According to some travel agencies, health tourism, which aims for health balance, does not focus on exploratory and experiential activities involving travel, but rather concentrates on physical and psychological activities.

Reportedly, many hotels and resorts in Vietnam now consider healthcare as an added service for their guests.

Travel companies are also proactively developing health and wellness products, such as "healing tours," "health tourism packages," or "tours where you travel and return feeling healthy"...

The trend is increasing.

According to the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, before the pandemic, in 2018, 350,000 foreigners came to Vietnam for medical treatment combined with relaxation, spending $2 billion. This shows the potential to attract health tourism with stays of 3-5 days, high spending power, and a focus on healthcare as a travel goal.

"The health and wellness tourism trend has emerged with a combination of experiential activities and health enhancement centered around nature. This type of tourism is also predicted to grow and develop strongly in Vietnam and around the world," the Vietnam National Tourism Administration forecasts.

In recent years, the government has directed relevant agencies to promote the development of health and wellness tourism. However, travel agencies acknowledge that there is a shortage of high-quality personnel to meet the growing demands of tourists, especially international tourists.

According to Ms. Tran Thi Phuong, a lecturer in the tourism department, appropriate policies are needed to encourage investment in the field of health tourism... "It is necessary to create a cooperation mechanism between medical facilities and tourism service providers to form quality health care product packages," she emphasized.

International healthcare tourism is projected to surge.

Healthcare tourism has become a popular and growing type of tourism in several countries such as India, Japan, China, Thailand, and Indonesia.

According to the Global Health Economics Report published at the end of 2021, the Global Wellness Institute (GWI) projected that the growth rate of the health tourism industry between 2020 and 2025 could reach 21%, surpassing all other sectors of the healthcare industry in general.

In 2022 alone, revenue from "healing" tourism was estimated at $919 billion, accounting for 18% of the global tourism industry.

According to a survey by the Wellness Tourism Association, 76% of respondents said they were willing to spend more on health-enhancing travel, and 55% would pay extra for mental health services or therapy.

THAO THUONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/du-lich-cham-care-health-reigns-high-20250602083149011.htm