The wellness industry has gone from whisper to roar, and Australia, it seems, has taken a leading role in this global reawakening. According to the Global Wellness Institute’s freshly released 2025 Wellness Survey, Australia has been named the world’s most desirable wellness destination, outpacing New Zealand, Japan, Bali and the South Pacific.
It’s a remarkable nod to a country more readily associated with long-haul flights and long weekends than cold plunges and curated calm. But if the data are any indication, Australians are now pursuing their wellbeing with the same vigour once reserved for beach holidays and barbecue banter.
Wellness Becomes the New Wealth
The report shows that more than half of Australian adults – 56% – plan to take a wellness break within the next 12 months. It’s not a traditional getaway, mind you, but something designed to recharge both body and mind.
It’s an encouraging shift for the nation’s tourism sector, which is still regaining its footing post-pandemic. The appetite for “wellness travel,” whether in the form of thermal springs, wild swimming, or digital detox retreats, is reshaping how Australians view their leisure time and, indeed, their lives.
“Balance is slipping for Australians financially, physically and emotionally,” says Katherine Droga, Founder of Well Traveller and Chair of the GWI’s Wellness Tourism Initiative. “Annual leave stockpiling is leaving people exhausted and disconnected. Too many are postponing their rest, when shorter, more frequent breaks are proven to have a greater positive impact.”
It’s hard to disagree. In an era when every spare hour seems mortgaged to screens, emails, and cost-of-living anxiety, the idea of rest as investment has never sounded more prudent.
A Growing Appetite for the Cold and the Curious
Among the top trends identified by GWI’s research are bathing rituals, wild swimming, bathhouses, thermal springs, and ice plunges, with 54% of respondents saying they’re keen to try or continue such experiences.
“Take bathing rituals for example,” says Droga. “These range from wild swimming in our rivers and oceans, outdoor tubs in nature at farm stays through to urban and regional bathhouses.”
Social bathing, once the preserve of European spas, has found a modern home in Australia. Magnesium pools at Billabong Retreat outside Sydney draw weary executives seeking an antidote to email fatigue. Moroccan-inspired hammams in Parramatta mix tradition with urban luxury. Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal Pool in the Snowy Valleys offers natural immersion in a setting that would make any influencer swoon.
And then there are the ice baths, the new badge of stoic virtue. What was once a rugby recovery technique is now a suburban weekend ritual, complete with breathwork, playlists, and enough steely self-belief to make Wim Hof proud.
If the statistics are correct, Australians are rediscovering the simple satisfaction of doing something that makes them feel alive — preferably at single-digit temperatures.
The Paradox of Wellness
Yet, for all the talk of transformation, the data reveal an uncomfortable truth: Australians’ overall sense of well-being has actually declined. The national average is 6.5 out of 10, down from 6.7 in 2022.
The lowest scores were in financial and sleep well-being (both 5.9), followed closely by physical well-being (6.1) and social well-being (6.2). Nutrition and mental health fare slightly better at 6.4, respectable but not cause for national celebration.
It’s a curious contradiction: a society more interested in wellness than ever, yet apparently less well. Droga believes the answer lies in modern life’s contradictions. “We’re increasingly aware of what we need to do,” she says, “but we’re struggling to make the time to do it.”
One in four Australians reported not taking a three-day holiday in over a year, and twelve per cent said it’s been more than two years.
When “taking a break” has become aspirational, perhaps wellness tourism is less about indulgence and more about necessity.
The Business of Wellbeing
The implications for the travel industry are significant. Wellness tourism is no longer a side act; it is a US$1 trillion global market expected to grow another 20% by 2027.
Australia’s top ranking in GWI gives it a tangible advantage. Unlike other wellness destinations built around imported traditions, think of yoga in Bali or reiki in Kyoto. Australia’s brand of wellbeing is rooted in landscape and authenticity.
“From thermal springs and coastal retreats to nature-based adventures and Aboriginal-led experiences, NSW has the natural assets and operators that make our state a leader in this market,” says Karen Jones, CEO of Destination NSW.
Jones adds that partnerships with programs like Well Traveller enable the state to highlight wellness-rich regions, such as Byron Bay, the Blue Mountains, the South Coast, Mudgee, and the Hunter, while supporting local businesses that deliver these experiences.
In business terms, it’s a textbook case of demand meeting supply: an audience desperate for renewal, and an industry ready to sell it back to them — tastefully, of course.
Television and the Power of Storytelling
Well Traveller TV: Season 2 premieres this week on Network 10, hosted by former surfing champion Layne Beachley, adding a cinematic sheen to the wellness movement.
The eight-part series, filmed across New South Wales, features both everyday Australians and familiar names, Turia Pitt, Barry Du Bois, Lisa Messenger, Dr Stacy Sims, Samantha Gash, and Matilda Brown, alongside parents Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward — each exploring how wellness shapes their lives.
According to Dr Preeya Alexander, GP and AIA Health Expert, who provides commentary throughout the series, the message is pragmatic rather than preachy.
“Health and wellbeing aren’t one-size-fits-all,” Alexander says. “Everyday people can try different approaches from mindfulness to movement and find what works for them.”
It’s a reminder that for all its commercial promise, wellness begins at the personal level, the small choices that turn fleeting calm into lasting change.
Well Traveller’s Quiet Revolution
Behind the scenes, Well Traveller continues to refine how Australians engage with wellness tourism. The platform, launched in 2022, allows users to search not only by destination but also by “wellbeing need state”, such as “I want to unplug” or “I want to feel more connected.”
It launched Australia’s first What’s On Wellness Calendar earlier this year, listing events from local farmers’ markets to high-end retreats. It’s democratic by design, proof that wellness can be accessible, not elitist.
The idea that self-care might coexist with the broader travel economy would have raised eyebrows a decade ago. Today, it’s a thriving sector contributing to regional tourism and national productivity.
Rest as a Metric of Success
Australia’s No.1 ranking may be symbolic, but the underlying trend is unmistakable: the pursuit of wellbeing has become a defining feature of modern Australian life and a powerful economic engine.
For businesses, it’s a cue to pivot. For governments, a reminder that a healthy nation isn’t merely one with hospitals and gyms, but one that understands the value of rest, connection, and the occasional deep breath.
And for the rest of us? Perhaps a nudge to use a few stockpiled leave days, even if it’s just for a dip in a cold spring somewhere quiet.
Because, as Peter himself might have quipped, “In the end, the best investment advice remains the oldest: take care of the asset — yourself.”
By Charmaine Lu
BIO:
Charmaine has always had a quiet kind of courage. She grew up in Shanghai, a city that moves at a tempo all its own, and somehow managed to keep her own rhythm studying accounting for the discipline, then the arts for the sheer love of beauty. “I needed both,” she says, “to feel whole.”
When she left China for Sydney in the 1980s, she carried nothing but a degree, a suitcase and a belief that she could start again. The first sea breeze off the harbour felt like permission. She met Stephen, and together they built a family, two children, a home filled with laughter, and a life straddling two cultures without apology.
Work has always been more than a job. Before search engines became the centre of commerce, Charmaine was quietly helping companies be found and read—not just SEO but stories people wanted to click on. That is still her gift: finding connection in a crowded world.
Her life is less a résumé than a testament to grace under change, the accountant’s discipline, the artist’s eye, and a heart big enough for two continents.
