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The Global Wellness Institute’s 2023 Trend Report highlights shared travel experiences among the top priorities for travellers this year. “Having had to endure periods of isolation and separation during the pandemic, it’s only natural that we’re longing to reconnect and spend time with loved ones,” says Catherine Feliciano-Chon, director of Hong Kong- based travel and lifestyle PR agency CatchOn and a contributor to the report.

“While multi-generational travel has long been a mainstay in Asia, we’re seeing this trend worldwide,” adds Feliciano-Chon. “Resorts are building bigger villas to accommodate this trend.”

“A need for shared experiences has emerged; people are no longer taking human interaction for granted,” says Luke Bridgford, founder of Overland Campers Japan. The entrepreneur launched his travel company during the pandemic, leasing luxury camper vans which allow visitors to discover rural Japan at their own pace. He has noticed interest continues to grow from groups and believes that the nature of camping trips brings people closer.

“By putting themselves in a situation where they need to succeed in nature, our customers bond with each other, gaining the confidence not only to survive out of their comfort zone, but to come alive by fully immersing in a unique natural setting,” he says. “By making a campfire each night, cooking your own food, setting up the bedding and clearing up again under a ‘leave no trace’ principle, it connects us with nature and each other.”

This desire to get back into the wild with loved ones weaves into a second travel trend identified by the report: nature immersion. The health benefits of getting out in nature are well-documented; doctors in Canada have begun prescribing nature walks as treatment for chronic stress, and the proliferation of outdoor activities – from forest bathing to wild swimming and coasteering – speaks to the growing awareness that spending time in the great outdoors is profoundly good for us.

Within the Chinese Mainland, glamping and family-focused trips are gaining steam. “Simple acts like going for a hike or being surrounded by nature can have a positive effect on our wellbeing,” says Feliciano-Chon. “In China alone, there [has been] a surge in ‘healing hikes’, temple stays and wilderness car trips.” The modern Chinese traveller is looking for “more nature-orientated, more outdoor-orientated tourism,” adds Wolfgang Georg Arlt, founder and chief executive of the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute.