Adelaide Hills Wellness-led Tourism Resilience Initiative
Update 14 December 2022
Adelaide Hills Tourism aims to inject significant ongoing economic and socio benefits into the region and the State via a new Wellness-led Tourism Resilience Initiative. This project is underpinned by local and state-wide collaboration, innovation, and new business development around an untapped consumer demand for wellness travel experiences in Australia. It has already helped the region bounce back from the impacts of the Cudlee Creek Bushfire of December 2019, which have been compounded by COVID-19.
$395,000 funding towards the project was announced by the Australian and South Australian Governments on 24 February 2021 as part of the Local Economic Recovery (LER) support under the National Bushfire Recovery Fund.
What is Wellness Tourism?
The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness tourism as travel experiences that maintain or enhance your personal health and wellbeing
Examples of wellness tourism in the Adelaide Hills reflect the integration of mental, physical, spiritual and social wellness experiences and activities that encompass food, beverages, retail, spa experiences, creative pursuits, active events in nature and overnight stays with a wellness theme.
Project Overview
There were three components to the project, all of which were delivered by June 2022.
Part 1: Strategy Development
Develop an Adelaide Hills Wellness Tourism Strategy including a compilation of existing wellbeing experiences, consultation with key stakeholders and a roadmap for the region and its tourism operators.
Outcome: Facilitated by Droga & Co - Australia's leading expert in wellness tourism destination development and promotion - foundation work was undertaken March - May 2021 to establish a sustainable planning framework and key actions required for wellness tourism destination development, promotion, industry engagement and product development. See an overview of the strategy here.
Part 2: Industry and Stakeholder Wellness Tourism Conference
Deliver a wellness tourism incubator business event for tourism businesses and stakeholders primarily from South Australia that builds business capability through upskilling and engaging with the tourism industry on global and domestic wellness and product trends.
Outcome: Run over one and a half days in Hahndorf, the Wellness Tourism Unearthed event held 15-16 November 2021 provided more than 140 delegates with insights to support them in adapting and enhancing tourism experiences to align with consumer needs. Content was relevant for agritourism and nature-based tourism operators, food and beverage experiences, accommodation providers, retreats, spas, wellness practitioners and suppliers, travel distributors and tourism destinations exploring wellness concepts.
Part 3: Consumer Wellness Event
Deliver a wellbeing event for consumers in the Adelaide Hills over a weekend in autumn 2022. The inaugural Wellness Wander weekend was delivered from 1-3 April 2022) and featured mental, physical, and social wellness experiences and activities encompassing food, beverages, retail, spa experiences, sustainable experiences, creative elements, active events in nature and overnight stays (with a wellness theme) across the Adelaide Hills region. The event featured both free and paid wellness events with a range of price points. This event successfully positioned the region as a wellness destination and injected more than $1 million of immediate economic benefit into the region and its operators.www.wellnesswander.com.au. It delivered more than 2000 visitors to the Hills, 63 individual events with an average of 87% of tickets sold.
As a result of the first year's great success, the region will be hosting the event from 1-2 April 2023 thanks to the support of Adelaide Hills Tourism and the South Australian Tourism Commission. Further information on how to host an event can be viewed here:
Wellness Wander 2023 - An overview
Wellness Wander Industry Toolkit & Expression of Interest Form
Recording of online information session held 5 December 2022
Wellness and tourism businesses involved or interested in delivering wellness experiences to visitors to the Adelaide Hills are invited to join a closed Facebook group - Adelaide Hills Wellness Tourism Business Network.
Project Outcomes
The project will:
Activate existing operators and industry stakeholders to extend their offerings to match current consumer demands for wellness travel experiences.
Build wellness product capability and investment for long term growth.
Drive immediate visitation and visitor expenditure through the industry and consumer event elements.
Build resilience and sustainability of the tourism sector by expanding offerings to a new high yielding visitor segment.
Deliver greater emphasis on wellness in the region and an increased range of wellness experiences available to the local community.
Embed the region’s wellness credentials and further enhance the region’s positioning as a wellness hub.
Projected immediate economic contribution via direct injection into the region’s visitor economy of the project is nearly $1 million in visitor spend. This project has intentionally been planned around maximising dispersal across the Adelaide Hills tourism region to ensure the broadest range of operators and products benefit from activities.
Why Wellness Tourism?
Wellness tourism has been strongly identified as an opportunity for Adelaide Hills within the 2025 SA Regional Visitor Strategy. Priorities include experience and accommodation development, marketing, collaboration, business events and capacity building as well becoming an incubator for State-wide industry development in this space.
Concepts such as wellness, natural therapy, lifestyle and wellbeing have long been a part of Adelaide Hills Tourism’s strategic plans and key messaging. Wellness has been identified as an area for future development but after the bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic this segment has become a priority area to build resilience and a diversified experience and visitor portfolio.
Wellness visitors like to travel in shoulder or off-peak seasons which is ideal for the Adelaide Hills which is quieter mid-week especially without international and corporate travellers. They embrace and respect local communities, nature and cultures, and favour sustainable travel practices.
Studies by the Global Wellness Institute pre and post COVID-19 reveal the following compelling facts:
$639 billion spent globally on wellness tourism expenditure annually pre COVID-19
$15 billion in Australia (90% from domestic visitors)
Growing at twice the rate of average travel expenditure pre COVID-19
Domestic wellness visitors spend 178% more than regular domestic visitors
56% of respondents intend to increase their focus on their own wellbeing
42% of respondents intend to increase their intention for wellness travel
How will the project contribute to the tourism industry and Adelaide Hills communities?
This Wellness-led Tourism Resilience Initiative has been created to build immediate tangible benefits as well as longer term sustainable outcomes for the community and businesses.
Wellbeing is important for everyone – both visitors and the local community. The bushfires had a significant impact on local community wellbeing, especially people’s mental wellbeing, as well an adverse impact of businesses, vineyards and the natural environment.
This wellness-led resilience initiative prioritises the wellness of our region and its communities. The initiative supports local community health and wellbeing by celebrating, creating, and promoting new wellness experiences for all.
Adelaide Hills as a Wellness Destination
Historically, the Adelaide Hills was the place where the Adelaide aristocracy would retreat to in the heat of the summer for nature, rest, and an enviable lifestyle. Adelaide Hills Tourism looks forward to working with key stakeholders on further developing the region's wellness proposition and messaging.
More Information
For more information please contact Adelaide Hills Tourism:
Tanya Jarman
Email: tanya@visitadelaidehills.com.au
Phone: 0414 371 481
Wellness and tourism businesses involved or interested in delivering wellness experiences to visitors to the Adelaide Hills are invited to join a closed Facebook group to stay updated on the projects and opportunities - Adelaide Hills Wellness Tourism Business Network.
An overview of the project is provided in this industry engagement webinar held on 24 September 2021, including outcomes to date and opportunities to become involved.
This initiative is supported by a bushfire recovery grant from the Government of South Australia and the Australian Government.