Wellness Travel Debuts at The New York Times Travel Show in January

The New York Times Travel Show will introduce a Wellness Travel Feature at this year’s event, being held January 8 to 10 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City.  

Elements of the Travel Show include the Travel Industry Conference, consumer seminars, more than 500 exhibitors from around the world, plus cultural performances, kid-friendly activities, culinary tastings, and, for the first time, a number of new offerings for wellness-minded trade, consumer, and media attendees. 

“This is The New York Times Travel Show’s 13th year running, and we are always looking to provide our attendees with new travel trends and experiences,” said Lauren Funke, spokesperson for The New York Times Travel. “The growth of the wellness travel industry is astounding; according to the Global Wellness Institute, it is estimated to be worth $494 billion.” 

The options in wellness travel are more personalized and diverse than ever before, she noted; “from singles to families, from budget to luxury, there are myriad wellness travel possibilities to explore at this year’s Travel Show.”

Special wellness travel features at the three-day show include a Relaxation Lounge, a Wellness Discovery Path, a Best Life Stage, and a Get Fit Zone with scheduled fitness demos on both consumer days.

Opening day, January 8, is exclusive to travel industry professionals. It will include sessions such as the Focus on Spa & Wellness Travel, moderated by Well-Being Travel executive vice president Anne Marie Moebes. The panel “will be of particular interest to travel specialists looking for a niche lifestyle that appeals to travelers,” Moebes said.  

The panel will define the wellness travel consumer and how to market to this group, plus talk about industry trends such as brands dedicating themselves entirely to the active and healthy guests, and cruise lines beginning to market their wellness offerings.  

This Trade Day panel will include Westin’s global brand leader Brian Povinelli and MSC Cruises senior vice president of marketing Bonnie Levengood.

“With the growth in the number of consumers wanting to take care of their health while vacationing, agents should be knowledgeable about the segments that are catering to the wellness traveler,” Moebes said.  

For agents looking to broaden their knowledge of suppliers, participants under the new Wellness Travel umbrella will include EVEN Hotels, The Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain, Shankara Ayurveda Spa at The Art of Living Retreat Center, The BodyHoliday St. Lucia, Color Spa, Spa Eastman (Canada), and Kurotel Longevity Medical Center & Spa (Brazil).    

Trade can register here and use the TEO50 code for a 50% discount.