Wellness Tourism’s Next Wave: Indigenous Travel

Wellness Tourism’s Next Wave: Indigenous Travel  

One of our 2023 trends focuses on how the future of wellness travel is a move from “placeless global smorgasbord to culturally-specific courses.” Written by New York Times columnist, Elaine Glusac, it explores how if wellness and wellness tourism has long resembled Disney’s “It’s a Small World,” buffets of global experiences too often divorced from place (…that Hawaiian lomi lomi massage in Dubai)–that with a new critique of wellness as a profound cultural appropriator and greater emphasis on authenticity, Indigenous travel and going-to-the-cultural-source for wellness is on the rise. The trend falls into two parts: Today we look at the surge in travel experiences led by Indigenous people; later we will cover how culturally-rooted, authentic wellness experiences are more generally on the rise, whether experiencing traditional ryokans in Japan or Celtic spirituality in Europe.  

The boom in travel experiences and tours led by Indigenous people (often on their ancestral lands) is being fueled by increasing interest in nature and its original caregivers. It’s been noted that if Indigenous people make up only five percent of the world’s population they actually protect 80% of the Earth’s biodiversity. Also fueling the trend: traditional communities are now seizing opportunities to correct history and restore their land and cultures. In various countries–from Canada to New Zealand–a powerful landback movement is underway. For instance, in Australia, where Aboriginal tourism is a central platform of tourism campaigns, the government handed back millions of acres to their Traditional Owners last year.   

“Interest in indigenous tourism has never been higher,” notes Keith Henry, the CEO of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, which counts 1,900 Indigenous-owned travel businesses nationally. “There are an estimated 476 million Indigenous people  in about 5,000 Indigenous groups spread out all over the world,” said Sara King, general manager of purpose for Intrepid Travel, a global tour operator and the industry’s largest B Corporation. Intrepid Travel plans to offer an unprecedented 100-plus indigenous experiences this year–with new experiences spanning hiking tours of Utah’s national parks led by Native American guides and immersion in bush medicines of the Luritja and Pertame people in Australia’s Uluru area. King captures the power of these experiences: “Travel can be a richer experience by being able to learn from these people, on their land and on their terms.” 

Community-led Indigenous travel offerings are now surging—from the boreal forests of Canada to the Australian Outback—and speak deeply to travelers seeking inclusive and sustainable travel experiences. And this fast-mounting interest in original cultures includes Indigenous wellness practices, from purification ceremonies to food and nutrition. 

Authenticity has long been the holy grail of travelers who have often settled for less. But the growing power and cultural and political weight of Indigenous people has reinvented places that travelers once thought they knew at a time when travelers are keen to be a part of the regenerative tourism movement.  

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