Editor’s Note: In Issue 17 of Medical Travel Today we featured Part One (ADD HYPERLINK) of a recent conversation with Camille Hoheb. In addition to sharing news of a recent survey launched by Wellness Tourism Worldwide (What Motivates YOU to Travel),she also shared what she perceives to be some of the greatest opportunities for growth in the wellness tourism field. The balance of the conversation follows below. Medical Travel Today (MTT): If you were a destination, what types of travel would you be looking at with a keen eye right now?

Camille Hoheb (CH):Intergenerational travel is an area that’s ticking up right now and is an area to which people should be paying attention. In fact, there are some spa and resorts currently making an effort to incorporate children into wellness activities, and some have programs that parents and grandparents participate in as well. One thing I talk to my clients about a great deal is the different lifecycles and their different orientation to wellness. What you want at 29 is not the same as what you want at 49 or 69. In addition, what you have at those different ages in terms of time and money to give to travel is also important. One area where they seem to converge in terms of interest and ability is in the wellness area. I think we’ll see more active engagement intergenerationally in learning which is an important component to well-being. This should be of great interest and potential value to destinations. There have been a lot of studies regarding yoga being beneficial for children with attention deficit disorder, as well as those without. It’s also ideal for adults and the actively aging. So if I were a destination and I wanted to attract intergenerational packages, I’d see yoga as my homerun. MTT:I’ve actually seen something like that offered at a studio near me. CH: Right. And that’s a good point. Destinations don’t really have to look far to figure out how to make wellness work. You just have to think about how to extend some of the concepts that already exist out there. Going back to agritourism, in so many communities there already exist farm tours, hay-rides, strawberry-picking, etc. These things exist and are being promoted but they’re not being promoted together. Simply by bundling already existing things together you can create a bigger draw to potential visitors. It’s important to recognize that the wellness tourism and well-being travel industry is greater than individual products. It’s a blend of all the local assets, traditions and rituals, and it’s highly sustainable. That’s why it’s very important to be involved with local chambers and organizations to ensure you’re helping to shape the story they’re telling and ensure that you’re part of it. MTT:As you speak I understand how all of these things fit under the umbrella of wellness, but I am curious: How understood is the wellness term? CH: Oh, it’s a confused term. For many it’s synonymous with spas, for others it’s the same as health check-ups. The reality is it covers many, many things including physical fitness, rest, intellectual stimulation, positive social interaction, and so forth — all the things that promote physical and mental well-being. It’s a concept that’s seemingly old as time and innately understood in Europe. Wellness is simply part of their culture. But here in the US, there is a fundamental lack of understanding of the value of wellness and relaxation. In fact right now, many Americans are so fearful of losing their jobs that they ‘re not taking time off. Many are fearful that if they’re not missed they might not have a job to come back to while others are stockpiling their paid-time-off (PTO) as a nest egg for the future. Meanwhile, employers don’t want the financial liability of excessive PTO on their books and they want they’re employees to simply take a break to avoid burnout. Right now Wellness Tourism Worldwide (WTW) is working on developing relationships with other entities to shine a light on this trend now know as “vacation deprivation” and looking at how we can work together to overcome it to benefit employers, employees and travel providers. Seriously, we need a larger movement to encourage people to take vacation. There have been numerous studies on positive effects of taking a vacation, and I’ve been speaking on the subject for quite some time now – from Asia to the US. In fact, I just recently presented on the topic over the summer and spoke to the benefit of increased health, happiness and productivity simply from taking a vacation. Some studies have linked vacation with fewer incidents of cardiovascular disease and heart attacks. The Framingham study followed a group of people for 20 years. Those that didn’t take vacation in six or eight years had higher incidence of heart attack and cardiovascular disease. Some companies are really taking this information to heart. Price-Waterhouse Coopers, for example, now provides prompts for supervisors and employees to take their vacations. One thing I think our survey will demonstrate is that vacations in and of themselves can be transformational. It gives you time for reflection and conversations that you might not otherwise have. Whether that leads to you changing jobs, re-evaluating relationships, or moving across the country, it’s the vacation that provides the time to make the consideration. I’d also like to mention that WTW is working with countries interested in hosting FAM and study tours. We are in the midst of planning our first study tour to Bhutan – which is known for its gross national happiness index. This is especially relevant to today’s market, as the pursuit of happiness, positive psychology and quality of life has garnered much interest from consumers, academics, business and governments alike. About Camille Hoheb Camille Hoheb is the founder and CEO of Wellness Tourism Worldwide, a US-based business whose mission is improving well-being and economic growth through travel. WTW is dedicated to providing research, education, development and promotion of well-being travel products and services. Ms. Hoheb holds a dual role as the owner and principal of Global Spa and Wellness (GSW), a consultancy focusing on emerging shifts and convergences related to spa and wellness. Having performed strategic planning and directed both operations and marketing for the healthcare and wellness industries, her career has spanned and linked physicians, hospitals, medical spas and wellness destinations worldwide for nearly 20 years. Ms. Hoheb launched her career in hospital management and was responsible for business development, marketing, public relations, physician relations, and community outreach and health promotion. She later held executive positions with several healthcare companies and succeeded in the rapid growth of hundreds of medical practice start-ups. Ms. Hoheb was charged with developing health tourism and increasing executive health business for a 5-star luxury hotel brand. As an avid industry contributor, Ms. Hoheb has held several advisory board positions with a number of health associations, speaks on wellness tourism all over the world and writes on behalf of a variety of consumer and trade publications. Ms. Hoheb holds a Master of Science in Healthcare Administration from California State University and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Hobart and William Smith College. She received certifications in Integrative Medicine, Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Health and Spirituality from the National Institute of Health.