Andrew Barnard, executive director of Saint Lucia-based wellness resort BodyHoliday, spoke on a panel at the World Travel Market in London this week to discuss primary versus secondary wellness travellers.

Secondary wellness travellers – defined as those who seek wellness experiences during travel, but where wellness is not the primary motivation for the trip – account for 89 per cent of wellness tourism trips and 86 per cent of expenditures in 2015, according to recently released data from the Global Wellness Institute.

Barnard said Body Holiday has always addressed secondary and primary wellness travellers in unison.

“Everybody can find their own level and comfort, and take what they want to out of the wellness experience,” he explained.

Barnard said many of his guests already incorporate wellness into their regular daily lives through things like personal trainers or by following dietary advice.

“They’re just looking to enhance that,” he said. “They’re looking for cohesion.”

BodyHoliday’s location means that wellness can be incorporated through activities like sailing and rock climbing, as well as through more traditional routes like medical advice and spa, but Barnard said he’s seeing an increased demand for outdoor activities.

“People want to get the mud between their toes,” he explained. “People are leading more sanitary lives in cities. Plus it’s perfect for your selfie.”