At the same time, travel industry is seeing wellness-related spending become part of some travellers’ overall holiday budgets.
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation’s Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey for July 2025-June 2026 found that health and medical trips recorded the highest average expenditure among the four major purposes covered for overnight trips during the last 365 days.
Average expenditure stood at ₹29,454 for rural households and ₹41,649 for urban households. The survey does not separately measure wellness travel, so these figures should not be treated as wellness spending.
The survey also found that around 80% of visitors stayed for five days or less during their overnight trips. Among urban visitors, hotels and guesthouses accounted for 36% of visitor-trips, while transport accounted for the highest share of expenditure on trips undertaken for holidaying, leisure and recreation.
Against this backdrop, wellness can represent an additional component of spending during a leisure trip. At Noor Mahal Delhi NCR, Autograph Collection by Marriott International, spending on wellness and spa experiences has grown 15% over the past year, according to Kanwar Roop Partap Choudhary, Executive Director.
Choudhary said guests are looking at wellbeing as part of the overall travel experience, with spending extending to personalised spa therapies, mindful dining, recreation and other personalised experiences.
The shift does not necessarily mean travellers are moving to longer wellness retreats.
Vishal Kamat, Executive Director, Kamat Hotels India Limited (KHIL), said, guests looking for relaxation tend to prefer shorter experiences such as spa treatments, while those travelling specifically for wellness may be more open to Ayurveda, nutrition-led programmes or longer stays.
Kamat said guests are willing to spend on experiences that help them feel healthier, relaxed and refreshed during a trip.
For some travellers, however, wellness can involve a substantially longer stay. At Six Senses Vana, Sleep, Detox and Yoga programmes begin at five nights, while Weight Management and Ayurveda programmes start at 14 nights. Ayurveda Panchakarma is offered as a minimum 21-night experience, according to Jaspreet Singh, General Manager, Six Senses Vana.
Singh said guests are showing interest in personalised wellness experiences combining Ayurveda, yoga, movement, mindfulness and nutrition. Some guests choose shorter stays focused on rest, movement or personal renewal, while others opt for longer programmes.
The difference in duration can be relevant when setting a travel budget. A longer programme can mean additional spending on accommodation, food and other expenses for the extra days, apart from the programme fee itself.
Singh said nutrition is also an integral part of the wellness journey, with personalised nutrition forming part of the stay.
For consumers, wellness spending can therefore take different forms.
It must be noted that 15% increase reported by Noor Mahal relates specifically to spending on wellness and spa experiences at that property and should not be taken as an industry-wide measure. Similarly, the government expenditure figures cover health and medical travel rather than wellness.