Sleep tourism is on the rise

Sleep-focused travel and leisure services are becoming an integral part of the health and wellness tourism portfolio. According to a report by HTF Market Intelligence, a market research organization based in Pune, India, the global sleep tourism niche market, a subset of health and wellness tourism, is growing at 8% annually and is expected to generate $400 billion in revenue by 2028. This represents 3.51% of the total global tourism revenue in 2023 ($11.39 trillion).

A report by the Global Wellness Institute published in November 2023 forecasts that the wellness tourism market will more than double between 2022 and 2027, with spending on the rise, from $651 billion in 2022 to $868 billion in 2023 and forecast to reach $1 trillion in 2024.

Rebecca Robbins, a sleep scientist at Harvard University's Department of Sleep Medicine, told Fortune, a nearly 100-year-old business magazine based in New York, "Customers are increasingly taking sleep seriously when traveling and looking for ways to get a good night's sleep while on the road." Now, travelers tend to seek out health-restoring travel experiences, resting to heal the spirit.

Robbins said most hotels focus on promoting entertainment and food services, but many are increasingly focusing on increasing revenue from sleep care services for tourists. "Providing a place for tourists to sleep is an important factor in the sleep tourism market," Ms. Robbins said.

Travel experts say that with busy modern lives keeping people indoors, more and more travelers are turning to natural environments such as forests, mountains and beaches to get quality sleep and improve their physical and mental health. Health care experts say many resorts in Asia are using natural settings as a key element in their sleep-enhancing programs.

Sindhu Gangola, who owns and operates the Grand Oak Manor, a resort in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, says the resort offers nature-based experiences that help improve sleep during guests’ stay. The resort offers views of the Himalayas, oak and rhododendron forests, and offers a relaxing atmosphere.

Another example is Pangong Tso, a lake located high in the mountains of Ladakh, India, which also caters to the sleep experience. Bhawna Verma of Aspire Ladakh, a sustainable hospitality company, says guests find the tranquil natural setting relaxing. Despite staying up late to gaze at the stars, guests can sleep soundly and feel refreshed in the morning.

Some mid-range hotels are also catching on to the sleep tourism trend by offering sleep-enhancing devices such as eye masks, blackout curtains, dim lighting, pressure-adjustable mattresses, lullaby music libraries, white noise machines, and guided meditations before bed.

The Four Seasons Bali Resort, at Sayan, offers a Sacred Nap experience, which features a womb-like hammock that lulls guests to sleep surrounded by the sounds of nature. Singapore's Shangri-La offers a Better Sleep program that combines spa treatments and in-room amenities like scented pillow mists, wellness baths and a menu of dishes made with sleep-promoting ingredients.

In Phuket, Thailand, the resort offers a sleep recovery program with on-site health screenings and consultations by a doctor. It also promotes spa and wellness services such as movement programs and sound therapy.

Some places tailor their nutritional menus to each guest’s needs. The Ananda resort in the Himalayas in India offers doctor-prescribed insomnia treatments, such as herbal sleep aids containing chamomile, nutmeg, cardamom and saffron.

This place also promotes emotional healing programs performed by psychologists. Applying regression and hypnosis techniques helps guests balance emotions and relax their mind for a good night's sleep.

In Vietnam, sleep tourism is also a popular trend. In March, the Netherlands-based booking app Booking announced the 10 destinations in the Asia-Pacific region where travelers want to travel to sleep the most. Vietnam ranked 6th with 67% of respondents saying that the main purpose of the trip was to enjoy good, uninterrupted sleep.