The next big thing agents need to focus on: wellness travel

Why did you choose to go to Synergy?

Though I really do love to curate adventures for all kinds of travellers, wellness is a seed that was definitely planted in my business right from the start and continues to grow. I’m incredibly passionate about this area and it’s something I’m fully dedicated to investing more time and energy into, due to my many years exploring both this and the personal development space. It really is a natural progression for me with my experience and knowledge. 

Have you seen client interest growing in retreat, or wellness travel?

I’ve definitely noticed a shift in the amount of people now talking about wellness and retreats. People are certainly valuing their health and overall wellbeing more since the pandemic, and many more are thinking about the best ways to maintain this, with curiosity certainly building for retreats. 

What would be some of the most useful things you’ve learned? 

So far for me, it’s been about discovering new wellness focused hotels. Events like this are always a big priority for me because I love how you can meet with contacts first hand and get a really great feeling and understanding of the accommodation in a brief time, while also making a connection with the person representing them. 

Though I was more focused on the hotel and retreat spaces personally, I was also very intrigued by Kornelia from SilberQuarzit Experience and would love to check out her healing methods. I also loved the sound performance from Charlotte Church and her husband and would absolutely recommend people to attend her specialised retreats. 

We assume you are going to Bali – what will you look forward to the most?

I can’t wait to connect with more lovely, heart-centred people and see what magic Synergy creates for me this year. When I stepped into the venue in Ibiza for the first time I always remember that the vibe was so positive, and I’m looking forward to recreating the Synergy vibes again in Bali!

I’d love to go to this third show with a completely open mind as I have in previous years. The last two years I gravitated naturally towards hotel products and offerings, with a few interesting retreat leader chats, however let’s see what this year brings!

For more on Kristie, visit her website. 

Antonia Hiesgen, The Adventure Boutique

How many times have you been to the show? 

I have been to both editions so far, Ibiza in 2022 and Mexico in 2023. Synergy is the first travel show that solely focuses on wellness travel. With the wellness travel industry valued at about $830 billion, Synergy filled a gap and merged two industries that inherently belong together – wellness and travel. We strongly believe that wellness is inherently part of (adventure) travel and decided to integrate more aspects of wellness into our portfolio.  

What’s your overall impression of Synergy?

It’s a unique show combining meetings with fun workshops and wellness sessions as well as interesting talks given by industry professionals, retreat leaders and other experts in the field. It’s a good mix of meeting other professionals face to face while delving deep into wellness related topics, plus all attendees can get some much needed wellness themselves after a long day of meetings.

How much of your business is wellness focused?

Having focused mainly on adventure travel in the past, we have now incorporated more wellness aspects into our itineraries. Just as much as physical challenges such as trekking, mountaineering or mountain biking are part of our trips, we believe that wellness activities perfectly complement those. It’s not only about the body any more, but the wellbeing of body, mind and spirit all need to be thought of on our travels.

Have you seen client interest growing in retreats, or wellness travel?

Yes, we have seen client interest grow over the years. For us, less so clients looking for solely retreat travel, but rather incorporating wellness activities into their travel itineraries, such as a yoga class in the morning, a traditional cleansing such as the Temazcal ceremony in Mexico or other treatments nourishing the body and mind; our travellers want to experience real transformation on our trips and wellness is an inherent part of it.

Have you found attending Synergy has connected you to a wider community?

Absolutely, the travel industry is already a tight-knit group and I found opening our industry up to the wellness travel industry really refreshing. I have made lots of new contacts and stayed in touch with many people I have meet during Synergy. 

What would be some of the most useful things you learned from the last show?

There are so many amazing people you meet that I struggle to pick just one or two specifically. But when it comes to the wellness resorts and hotels – I was amazed by the offerings of many specialised health clinics such as Kamalaya and RAKxa in Thailand, which analyse your entire state of being and then give a customised treatment and diet plan for your stay offering specialised programmes such as immune boost, gut health, mental health and many others.

While being more than a trend, working with local healers and/or shamans is something that many wellness hotels and retreats incorporate. Much of their ancient medicinal wisdom and knowledge is luckily being taken more and more into consideration now when it comes to preventing illness and healing body and mind. 

What would you say to any other travel advisors thinking of going?

Even if you’re not sure how much wellness you will want to integrate in your itineraries, it is so worth it to get an idea what could or couldn’t work for your business. It’s also a really fun show with ample opportunity to broaden your mind and get inspired!

For more on The Adventure Boutique, visit the website. 

Ingrid Asoni, Consciously Connected Travel

Was it your first time attending the show? 

Yes, Mexico was my first time. I had been invited two times separately before; first by Synergy themselves, but timings didn’t align, then they invited me to Mexico, plus a friend of mine, Mona, who was also a Synergy ambassador, invited me to go, and I trusted her advice that it was something to attend.

My apprehension for not jumping at it initially was because how we approach wellness as a business is very different to how others do. I think wellness, as a word, has been bastardised: it isn’t just green juice and yoga, and that’s often the synopsis and summary when people are perpetuating the narrative. But when you’re in the wellness industry, you have a responsibility to clients, because they’re often coming to us at a time when they’re vulnerable. With that in mind, we need to have a different approach when championing and curating wellness for people, and I only want to work with people who share this. 

How would you describe the show? 

Everyone seemed to come to Synergy with the right intention, irrespective of where they came from; whether they were hoteliers or practitioners. Everyone accepted that they didn’t have all the answers, and that’s only a good thing. When everyone’s open to being collaborative and communicative, growth and evolution and insight comes from that. 

I feel like in the wellness space, something like this can’t be approached in the same way as other travel trade shows. Those travel shows have an objective to sell a destination, or a lifestyle, or experience. With wellness, we have to start with the foundation, we’ve gone from zero to 100 in the industry quite quickly – and I feel we’ve almost skipped a step, which is the foundation of education. We have to walk before we can run. 

The industry is booming yes, but because it’s wellness, we have a different responsibility. We need to make sure we’re not putting profit over people, we need to make sure we’re making the right decisions for the people we’re holding space for. Education is key. 

What impressed you the most? 

I think it was the diversity at the show. There was also beauty in the expanse of the wellness industry demonstrated there – with everyone from indigenous wisdom keepers and old sages, all the way through to adopters of contemporary, new age wellness. All of these things have a place, because what resonates with me, might not resonate with you, and vice versa. 

Who did you meet that you were particularly moved by? 

Marcello Murzilli – he owns a beautiful ex-monastery in Italy that’s turned into a silent retreat, Eremito. He’s created a space that lives his truth. He’s been able to shape a space that really understands where people are and where they could be, by simplifying the noise around you. It wasn’t someone who created a space based on learning something, he genuinely lived it; and he has lived a long life of various experiences, which led him to this junction, and that’s beautiful. 

Someone who was new to me in terms of her space and work, and someone who I’ve continued to have a relationship with, is Charlotte Church. She’s also created something from a lived experience. The best space holders or wisdom keepers, in my opinion, are people who didn’t learn it somewhere - e.g. going to a yoga class and wanting to become a yoga teacher. It’s people who have lived it, who walked a path. It means that when you create the experience, you understand the nuances it takes to create a space. You cannot buy something like that. 

What would you say to travel advisors thinking of attending Synergy for the first time? 

Go with an open mind. Don’t approach it in the way you’ve approached other industry shows. If you go in ready to listen and learn, you will have a far more nourishing, wholesome and holistic experience. It’s not about trying to tick off meetings, or building a black book of contacts. It’s the moments in between that matter. 

Go in with a sense of humility and grace. Wisdom can come from some of the most unexpected people in the most unexpected of ways. You have to leave your ego at the door. It’s a phenomenal experience if you go with an open heart and open mind. People are also far more open to collaboration there because it’s the wellness industry, so just flow with it.

For more about Ingrid and Consciously Connected Travel, follow on Instagram.