Sleep tourism has taken the leisure tourism industry by storm with a predicted market value of $400 billion in the next four years. Laura Busby, Commercial Director, Good Travel Management shares more.

“In an environment where employee burnout is on the rise and the two most common mental health implications of business travel are exhaustion and stress, this wellness-backed trend seeks to prioritise self-care and sleep through advanced tech, AI and other traditional therapies.

“The question is, could this become a prominent business travel trend?

“The rise of sleep tourism has already been noted by big industry players, such as Hilton which found rest and recharge to be the biggest travel trend across all generations for 2024.

“Many hotels have jumped on this trend by offering sleep-specific packages, while airlines such as Air New Zealand are set to introduce bunk beds in their economy class cabins from September, designed to enhance the travel experience of economy class passengers and give them the chance to sleep comfortably.

“There is increasing awareness of the importance of sleep on our overall physical and mental health. Business travellers often feel the negative effects of jet lag and lack of sleep in this regard. This is an exciting prospect for business travellers who would no doubt benefit from valuable sleep before a busy work trip full of conferences and presentations.

“Although this is an additional cost for a business’s travel budget, it is arguably a worthwhile investment because safeguarding and nurturing employee wellbeing will increase employees’ productivity and their ability to drive long-term business value. “Travel management companies play an important role in helping businesses achieve this by building employee well-being into business travel policies, including personalised travel programmes that combine business with leisure, also known as bleisure.

“These bespoke travel policies include dietary requirements, exercise routines and options for entertainment nearby, giving employees the chance to unwind and alleviate stress throughout their business trips. Sleep tourism options could be a new addition worth including.”