Adelaide Hills business operators join forces to create new ‘wellness tourism’ industry
Over 70 businesses operators have thrown their support behind a bid to create a wellness tourism, and wellnesses experiences, industry in the Adelaide Hills.
Adelaide Hills
Don't miss out on the headlines from Adelaide Hills. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The need to escape the increasing pressure of everyday life is driving growth in a new type of tourism – wellness.
With the Covid-19 pandemic having placed a magnifying glass on personal priorities and selfcare, tourism operators have been left inundated with requests for wellness experiences, none more so than in the Adelaide Hills.
Over 70 operators have thrown their support behind The Adelaide Hills Wellness Resilience project since March - an initiative funded through a $395,000 state and federal government bushfire grant.
It’s also prompted the wellness tourism unearthed conference in November - led by its founder and chairwoman of the Global Wellness Institute Katherine Droga.
“Wellness travel was already growing at twice the rate of regular travel expenditure pre-Covid, so it was already a growth market,” she said.
“But what Covid did, it simply accelerated the demand for wellness travel experiences (as) consumers value their own wellbeing so much more because of the pandemic.”
A new research study released by the Global Wellness Institute this week estimates a 20.9 per cent average annual growth in the wellness tourism industry through until 2025.
By comparison, wellness tourism contributed around $439b to the world’s economy in 2020.
“We did some research during Covid and it found that the main reason people want to travel post the pandemic was to de-stress and relax,” Ms Droga said.
“The other was a maintenance philosophy, to maintain people’s wellbeing and the third was to improve mental health.
“So wellness is this amazing support solution for people and a market that will experience immense growth in the future.”
Adelaide Hills Tourism Board chairman Martin Radcliffe said wellness was an opportunity to bring much needed tourism dollars back to the region.
He said a number of businesses, including the newly opened Sequoia Lodge, were already pushing boundaries, while places like the Fox Creek Mountain Bike Park offered a stress-free escape for locals.
“From a tourism perspective, compared to the rest of the world, wellness - in my opinion - is not something Australia has done particularly well and SA hasn’t either, so this is an opportunity to show leadership in this area and the economic contribution it could have,” he said.
“The Hills has that special something that makes people feel at rest, and at ease, and add to that fact that it’s so close to Adelaide, which is something places like Barossa and McLaren Vale just can’t claim.
“Here in the Hills, however, we have over 70 tourist and wellness products, so people really have so much to choose from and it will only get better from here.”
Nutritionist and Bridgewater local Phoebe Conway has long been promoting the Hills as the go-to place for all things wellness.
With 89.4k Instagram followers, the self-declared recipe developer, said good nutrition was one of the most important pillars for overall health and wellbeing.
And of course, when it comes to good food, there is no place like the Adelaide Hills.
“I think the Hills are unlike anywhere else in the world and what sets it apart is that it has a bit of everything; incredible growers and producers, beautiful scenery, next level accommodation, music and art and of course an endless supply of delicious food and wine.
“Not to mention all of the Hills communities feel really connected in a way I don’t think you experience in many other places.”
Monitor conditions: Warning as fire threatens major freeway
The CFS has downgraded its warning for residents in the area around Mylor as firefighters struggle to control a blaze.
Hills man reported for causing bushfire as state sweltered
A man has been reported for allegedly causing a bushfire after a blaze broke out during a day of record heat.