As defined by the Global Wellness Institute, wellness tourism refers to all sorts of travel associated with the pursuit of enhancing or maintaining one’s personal well-being. It allows you to turn traveling into something that can help maintain and improve one’s health. While the concept has been around since the early 2000s, it’s only recently that wellness tourism is gaining popularity.
Gulf Business, in one of its recent articles, states that wellness tourism is the next big thing. This is mostly because of how people are becoming more conscious about their personal well-being. Popular tourist destinations all around the world, including the US, are now trying to cater to people interested in wellness tourism. A city like Charlotte shouldn’t miss out on this opportunity either.
In this article, we’ll discuss a few activities in Charlotte, North Carolina, that can establish this city as a popular wellness tourism destination.
Acupuncture Treatments
Acupuncture treatments are mostly used for pain relief or pain management. However, apart from helping you relieve pain, it can also be used as physical therapy for stress management. As you get started with this treatment, you’ll see so yourself.
When it comes to acupuncture, Charlotte, NC, has several popular clinics that provide this service. Marketing these services can help Charlotte gain a lot of attention, at least in the States.
According to Inner Peace, apart from pain relief and stress management, acupuncture can also help women get pregnant. This could also be an interesting selling point that Charlotte’s acupuncture clinics can use to gain more tourists at its doors. Women, who want a child but can’t seem to bear any, will be very intrigued by such a prospect, and they’ll definitely want to give it a try.
Yoga
Charlotte has several studios and fitness centers where it conducts a variety of yoga classes. Tourists will mostly be interested in the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Art + Culture. Apart from being a great destination for arts and community outings, the center also provides something called the “Yoga on the Rooftop” series with a vinyasa flow that’s synced to some upbeat music.
There’s also the option for tourists to practice yoga from the roof of The Metropolitan while experiencing some soothing views. Charlotte should also consider heavily promoting the Lenny Boy Brewing Company’s ONE Fest – Charlotte’s Yoga, Music + Healing Arts Festival that takes place every May. It offers more than 45 classes and workshops, many of which are related to yoga and other healing practices.
Dancing and Movement
In Charlotte, tourists can enjoy several indoor rock-climbing gyms. They have walls where climbers can enjoy a thrilling experience. The gyms have everything from auto-belay stations to bouldering. Tourists can also experience a bird’s-eye view from the 25- to 40-foot walls as well as stick around for some yoga later in the day.
People also have the option to do some high-energy movements at the NC Dance District. These centers also offer drop-in hip-hop classes and workshops, something that might interest tourists as well. They can also take high-intensity interval training (HIIT) classes with Charlotte FIT South.
Running, Hiking, and Biking
For tourists eager to come close to nature, Charlotte has them covered as well. The city’s greenways, sidewalks, and trails are often filled with joggers, runners, bikers, and walkers. Tourists, too, can enjoy walks or cycling along these routes while experiencing the scenery of a shining cityscape.
Tourists will particularly enjoy Freedom Park’s paved trail. This trail is perfect for quick strolls. It circles a lake and connects to the Little Sugar Creek Greenway. Nature preserves, like McDowell Nature Preserve and Latta Nature Preserve, also offer miles of trails with scenic views of the lakes and the greenery around them. A walk through these trails will soothe even the most stressed-out heart.
Concluding Thoughts
According to Yahoo Finance, the global wellness tourism market was valued at $821.75 billion in 2022. Fast forward to 2023, and its value went up to $819.9 billion. By 2027, the wellness tourism market will have a value of $1178.93 billion globally.
The wellness tourism market has great potential going forward. Therefore, if Charlotte wants to make the most of this opportunity, it needs to enter the market now.
As seen from the discussion above, Charlotte already has the infrastructure in place to cater to people interested in wellness tourism. All the city needs to do now is market itself properly, and soon, it’ll become one of the most popular wellness tourism destinations in the US, if not the world.
